I was and am a MINIMALIST long before I encountered this word and I am not sure whether I was a MINIMALIST before this word “MINIMALISM” was even coined. It may not be very apparent to me that I am a Minimalist all along but I could relate that looking back at my backstory, Minimalism does had its roots in me since young as for examples:
a) I like to be clean and tidy and makes an effort to ensure my environment is as such too;
b) I am more towards the introvert side and shun away from too much social interactions (especially those whose common conversations centre on the unproductive and which clutter my mind), in a nutshell, I value few but quality relationships and interactions;
c) I do not use too much resources and monies, only spending on necessities
d) And life as a student is rather simple: focus on what is needed for me at the station of my life then: study hard
After graduation and working, I continue to embrace Minimalism (not knowingly since it is part of my nature) till today to the effect that as examples, I :
a) continue to like to keep myself and environment clean and tidy (will feel not happy if either of them is not);
b) keep my mind clean and tidy and as a illustration of this at work, I try my best to stay clear of group lunches at work if the lunch group is made up of people who prefer to use lunching hours to talk about gossips and politics which only clutter my mind.
c) in relation to keeping mind clean and tidy, more importantly, a Minimalism lifestyle is about not merely finding simplicity, it is in my belief a FOCUS which is simple. To a simple and focus vision of life, I regularly load up lots of personal improvement and motivation books to always try to find the best way to live a simple and meaningful life;
d) last but not least, what is Minimalism without a mention of the consumption of resources? Being a simple person, I am rather careful with how I use my monies. I buy things which I only use. I use the public libraries here (believe to be one of the Best in the world) to access the Best knowledge in the world for Free. I use the free public jogging tracks and the low-cost Active Singapore gyms and swimming pools to build up my body. And I simply love the free public Park Connector cycling tracks for a ride using the public-sharing bicycles at low cost and sometime (during promotional periods) for Free
e) at this point of time, I am trying to be a minimalist in the arenas of health by eating less and only quality food
I must confess not every people understand the value of “Minimalism”. To share an example, being a Minimalist, what do you think my desk at work look like? Correct! My work desk is clean and tidy, containing only the most important working files and documents that need to be addressed to right now. Some colleagues who like to clutter their desks allude to the fact that I must not be having too much work since my work desk is so clean. And I know other colleagues of mine who clutter their work desks with mountains of documents, to put it simply, “look busy” to their bosses and colleagues.
To me, understanding Minimalism is all about finding a “decluttered” use of our most important resources:
(a) time
(b) monies
to manage the three most important aspects of our lives:
(a) mind
(b) body
(c) soul
Minimalism allows one to “declutter” one life, resulting in only Focus and that will only make the Best use of one’s limited time on earth to do the most meaningful and valuable things for ourselves, our loved ones and community as a whole and All these, done in the Happiest way.
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