What Is Minimalism?

Simply and succinctly, it is a way of living your life with less. As a result of this lifestyle, and all of its variations, life becomes one where you can also experience more because of needing less.

I deliberately do not intend to spend too much time on defining minimalism, as the definition is not the focus of this book. What is important, is your relationship to minimalism, what it means to you, and how it translates into your life. Therefore, the definition of minimalism is somewhat relative to the individual.

You can look at it as trimming the fat off your life, identifying what you need as opposed to what you want, decluttering your space, downsizing your car or home, reviewing your relationships, and recycling or reusing what possessions you do choose to have.

You could also define a minimalist approach as completely changing your life, getting rid of most of your possessions, getting clear on your goals and aspirations, and traveling the world with a backpack.

Throughout this book I will regularly refer to the words 'minimalism' or 'minimalist'. However, these are merely labels I use to convey the message. The definition of these words depends upon you: where you are at, and where you are choosing to go in your life.

As there are so many degrees and definitions of what minimalism is and isn't, I do not intend to put it in a box and limit the expressions and possibilities within this approach or lifestyle.

A minimalist lifestyle could be looked at as being both a science, and an art. How you measure that is your call.