Minimalism: The newest "trend".

Chances are you've heard of it, and if you have heard of it, you've had to do at least some research as to what minimalism actually is. For me, that research was done by watching a very popular Netflix documentary titled Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things.

Let me break it down for you, minimalism is quite literally based around being minimal. Minimal possessions, minimalistic style, and the simplification of your everyday life.

The documentary on minimalism starts out with two men, Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn. Life long friends, Ryan begins to notice that Josh is essentially happier with his life - something Ryan didn't necessarily feel. When Ryan asked Josh why he was so happy, he mentioned minimalism.

As technology advances, it's more common that society desires more. More clothes, the newest technology, the biggest house, the newest/fastest/best car. The idea of minimalism is to take a step back from the fascination of these objects and gain value from things that aren't materialistic such as going out to eat with your grandma, spending time with friends, or taking your dog on a walk. However, minimalism is also (by definition), simplicity.

In case you're still confused, here is more clarification on what minimalism actually is:

Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom.

"Today’s problem seems to be the meaning we assign to our stuff: we tend to give too much meaning to our things, often forsaking our health, our relationships, our passions, our personal growth, and our desire to contribute beyond ourselves. Want to own a car or a house? Great, have at it! Want to raise a family and have a career? If these things are important to you, then that’s wonderful. Minimalism simply allows you to make these decisions more consciously, more deliberately."

So what's the big deal, and why is minimalism so special?

In the Netflix documentary Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things, you can catch Joshua Fields Millburn saying a few important things that particularly stuck out to me.

1. "Every possession serves a purpose, or brings me joy."

2. "I have to be able to justify to myself, not to anyone else, does this add value to my life? And if not, I have to be willing to let go."

And the true beauty of minimalism (in my opinion), is you learn to appreciate the things around you, rather than your material possessions - something I've always struggled with. Whenever I would clean my room or we would move, I would always look at the excess things I had and find some random reason as to why I would keep it... then I would never use it again.

Minimalism has also branched into other ideas and concepts like Project 333, The Minimalism Game, and even The Tiny House Movement.

So to sum it all up, if you find yourself yearning for simplicity or happiness with your surroundings rather than your possessions, maybe this is the right route for you. If you do your research, watch the Netflix films (and this TED talks video), and dedicate yourself to change for the better, soon enough you'll be just like me watching endless tiny house YouTube videos and dreaming of a life with less stuff.

And if you're content with your possessions and find value in them, then don't change a thing.