Minimalism

Minimalism is an instructive introduction to the philosophy of less and how it helped two guys who had achieved the American dream let go of their possessions and the depressions that came with them.

Germans tend to have a healthy dose of respect for debt, but in other countries, especially the USA, it’s become so socially normalized that it’s almost weird to not have debt. If you look at any collection of graphs about the state of debt, however, it’s easy to get scared fast. It keeps climbing up while wages average down, student debt has eclipsed credit cards, and 50% of all money owed to the US government comes from student debt one way or another.

Like many American students, Josh and Ryan were plagued with debt as well. Before Joshua could even begin his journey into minimalism, he spent two years with no vacations, no eating out, and no luxuries to pay off all his debt. It was a painful process, but worth every minute and penny, Josh says.

Whether you start cleaning out your possessions at the same time or not is up to you. It can help you make some extra cash and will provide more room, not just to breathe and live, but to think. But being debt-free will definitely provide a feeling of relief unlike any other.

One of the hardest things for self-improvement nerds is that other people often simply don’t care. They enjoy their lives because they’re not constantly busy testing a new diet, experimenting with morning routines, or, well, minimalism. That doesn’t make them worse, just different. And instead of trying to change others, it’s much healthier to try and how we deal with them.

So, in order to better accept your friends despite their humongous baseball card collections, Josh and Ryan suggest the TARA method:

Tolerate their quirks. Accept they will always exist. Respect the time they dedicate to them. Appreciate that aspect of their lives, as it’s a little part of your life too.

You can use this model not just to better deal with the little things that annoy you, but also to be a kinder person in general. Life is much better if we don’t just get a long, but genuinely appreciate who we are and that each one of us is unique.

Ever since I started working for myself, I’ve had huge problems answering the most common question when meeting new people: “What do you do?” Until now, I’ve usually gone for the cop out “I’m a student” answer, mostly because it’s the easiest. Going forward, I’ll probably go with “writer,” but the truth is I’m doing many things. Chances are, you are too. You might…