If you’re getting started with minimalism,
but you still need some more inspiration,
or perhaps you want to share how amazing minimalism
can be with other people you live with, or
you’re just here to get inspired and remind
yourself, then this is the video for you.
I share 25 benefits of minimalism and how
minimalism can change your life forever.
These are 25 ways I noticed that minimalism
has improved my life.
Of course we can all use it differently and
the benefits we notice could also be different.
But as we practice minimalist living, I think
most of us will experience at least some of
these amazing benefits.
For example, number 1, minimalism has simplified
the way I cook and prepare my meals.
I now spend less time in the kitchen, but
the quality of my meals and the way I eat
has greatly improved.
And I think this is because I stopped making
it so complicated.
First of all, my kitchen has way less clutter.
So that makes me more likely to spend time
there and cook something healthy.
I only have appliances that I use all the
time.
And even cleaning up after mealtime is much
faster now.
And I’ve learned that healthy and delicious
eating doesn’t have to be complicated.
I don’t get lost in the minefield of recipes
and cooking styles anymore.
Variety is important, but simple, satisfying
meals can also be very healthy.
And of course, number 2, minimalism has helped
me to save more money.
This is an important benefit that I think
most people will experience.
I’m a lot more conscious of how and where
I spend my money, and this makes a big difference.
Especially the little gadgets and trinkets
and accessories I used to buy so easily without
thinking about it, that really ads up.
And only not buying these little things without
thinking about it, can save hundreds or even
thousands of dollars a year.
If you add all those little purchases up.
And spending less money can help you to either
save up that money, or get by while making
less money, for example working a bit less.
For me, it’s a combination of both and it
allows me to live the life I love and do this
for a living.
This is a little tricky to explain, but because
of minimalism, my home feels much better.
It's really nice for me to be here now.
There's way less visual clutter and it's also cleaner, and it feels more like I can unwind and relax and be myself.
Minimalism has also helped me to feel more
confident and deal with my insecurities better.
Because I know that the beauty industry makes
money by making people feel insecure, so we’ll
buy their products to feel better.
I used to buy lots of things in the hopes
that they would make me feel more confident,
and they never did.
Now I know that there’s nothing wrong with
me, I can fully accept the way I look and I don't need to by anything to change the way that I look.
Honestly, I can't even tell you how much money I've spent on fake tanners.
Because I couldn't accept the fact that my skin was so pale.
And every summer people would come up to me and ask me "Why haven't you spent any time in the sun?"
"Why are you so pale?" And this still happens today, and it's annoying.
But at the same time, I accept that I'm pale, I don't get a tan, even when I do go out in the sun.
I like to protect my skin well.
And I don't need to spend money on fake tanning, and stuff that rubs off on your clothing, none of that.
By focusing less on buying new things, or
picking out things that I feel I need or want
to buy, it has changed the way I enjoy the
little simple things in life.
I feel like I can appreciate them now so much
more, and minimalism has taught me that that
is where the magic happens.
Not in our purchases, but in the free, spontanious, lovely
things that happen in a day that make us happy.
Before we move on, if you’re new here, my
name is Vera.
I make videos about minimalism, intentional
living, happiness and self care.
I post a new video here every Saturday so
consider subscribing to the channel if you’re
not already.
And I also share extra videos on my Patreon,
like this one.
So feel free to join us over there if you
want to see more videos and see more backstage
things about me and my life.
Number 6, minimalism has given me the push
that I needed to make my own choices in life.
Instead of doing things because other people
are doing it, I’m constantly evaluating
whether or not that also makes sense for me.
And if it truly adds to my happiness or my
health or any other part of my life.
Examples are social media, and making the
conscious choice not to be on FB or IG.
Or traveling and vacations, because I realize
that I prefer only leaving the country once
every 3 years or so, otherwise I’ll either
stay here in the Netherlands or I’ll do
a staycation.
Minimalism can really help us to get more of a sense of what we truly value and what makes sense for us.
Of course with less clutter and less things
around, cleaning is so much easier.
And it only takes a fraction of the time it
used to take.
And cleaning is not my hobby, this is a great
plus for me.
Also doing laundry is much easier.
For example, I stopped buying clothes that
need to be washed by hand or at the drycleaner.
I used to have so many high maintenance clothing
items, and now that I don’t anymore, doing
laundry is a lot quicker.
Minimalism can also help you to feel more
organized.
Everyone knows that it’s hard to be organized
if your space is a big mess.
Again, having fewer things and clutter around
you will help you get organized, create plans
or goals, and help you achieve them.
All these ways minimalism saves you time,
it will therefore also give you more freedom
and flexibility.
To take up a new hobby, or invest into something
that will make your life easier.
For me, I noticed that stuff can weigh us
down, and therefore I feel a lot more free
now that I own fewer items.
And this time can be invested into doing things
that truly matter to you.
Perhaps family, or travel, or passion projects,
or exercising.
Minimalism can help us to allocate more
time, or even money if that’s applicable,
to these activities.
Because I’m not always searching for the
next thing to buy, I noticed that minimalism
has helped me to feel more content and fulfilled
in life.
I’m spending time on things I love, and
I realize that I have everything that I need.
And that buying something new will not change
anything.
So if I want to change something about my
life, that’s up to me, and it’s up to
me to take the next step to get there.
Minimalism can ironically also help you to
buy better stuff.
Because you’ll take a bit more time to think
about it, do research, read reviews, compare
the item to what you need it to be able to
do.
And you’ll buy quality over quantity.
And now that we’re about halfway, let me
ask you how minimalism has changed your life.
Which benefits have you perhaps experienced?
Please share that with me and everyone else
in the comments.
Another way minimalism can change your life
for the better is that it can teach us to
be more grateful and generous.
We have so much, even the fact that we are
fortunate enough to have stuff around us we
don’t even need, and we declutter or donate
it’s actually crazy when you think about
it.
We have so much to be grateful for, and gratitude
is a big source of happiness.
Minimalism can also help us to lower our environmental
footprint.
Producing items takes up lots of resources,
and consuming them mindlessly, only to throw
them aside later, can be very wasteful.
So by being more conscious of using what we
already have, or making sure our purchases
make sense and getting a lot of use out of
things, can already help with that.
Minimalism can also help you with creating
better relationships.
By focussing on what matters, we might have
more time and opportunity to hang out with
people we love.
Or maybe choose to invest less into relationships
that are more on the toxic side, so we can
have more time to be with people who lift
us up and who bring love and light into our
life.
For me, I noticed that minimalism has helped
me to worry less.
I used to feel the need to control everything,
and now I have less attachment to my things,
it has also trickled down into other parts
of my life and I do have more faith that things
will work out eventually, without clinging
to what I feel needs to happen.
Minimalism can also greatly help us to waste
less time mindlessly being on our phone.
We’re more intentional with how we spend
our time, and how we use technology in our
life.
So if you’ve ever noticed 30 minutes going
by in the blink of an eye, with you just scrolling
on your phone, you might experience great
benefits from digital minimalism.
Having fewer clothing items can also make
it so much easier to decide what to wear and
to figure out our personal style.
If you want more help with that, I have two
videos on decluttering your wardrobe and creating
a capsule wardrobe, I’ll link them both
in the description.
In my experience, decision fatigue is a real
thing.
And minimalism has drastically decreased that
in my life.
By adopting a minimalist approach to life,
you’ll concerve more mental energy that
can be better spent on other things.
I also notice that when I do go on vacation,
they are so much more fun and free.
I’m traveling light, which means I’m not
lugging heavy suitcases with me everywhere,
and I’m not searching for souvenirs to buy,
which means I can just enjoy looking at things
without wondering if I should purchase them.
If you’re the type of person who has a hard
time saying no to things you don’t enjoy,
then minimalism could also help you with practicing
this more.
Minimalism is not just about evaluating things,
and whether or not they should still play
a role in your life, but also with commitments,
plans, obligations.
And the more you practice saying no, the easier
it will get, and the more energy and time
you’ll have to say yes to things that matter,
or to helping someone out in a positive way.
Minimalism can also help us to experience
less anxiety or feelings or guilt surrounding
items in our home.
I can remember so many items I used to own
that would make me feel awful, because I never
used them, or because I secretly didn’t
want them around.
If you recognize this, I recommend giving
this video a try, where I talk about how to
decide what to do with the trickier items
in your home, and which questions you can
ask to get some clarity.
And another amazing benefit of minimalism
is that it can help us to stop comparing our
stuff to other people’s stuff.
This keeping up with buying expensive things,
or social status can be exhausting.
And it’s a very freeing feeling, to know
that I have what I need, and I don’t need
to keep up with what others are buying.
If they have the latest iphone, and I still
have my 4 year old phone, that’s perfectly
fine.
And lastly, perhaps the most important one,
at least for me, is that it can help us to
make big lifechanging decisions more easily.
Especially financially, if you can live below your means,
if you have the opportunity to do so,
It'll be a lot easier to make financial decisions if you ever want to.
Or if you have less stuff,
that makes it easier to move or travel.
For me, I could not be doing what I’m doing
now if it wasn’t for minimalism, I would
probably still be working my corporate job.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that,
it just wasn’t really the right fit for
me.
So I’m happy and grateful to have had the
opportunity to turn things around.
If you want to learn more about how you can
simplify your life, I recommend watching this
video right here.
It’s a 7 day challenge that comes with a
free e-book and short daily exercises.
As always, questions, comments and conversation
down below, and I’ll see you next week.
Byebye!
