5 Things I’ve Learned in 5 Years of Living as a Minimalist

Five years ago this week, I made a choice to embrace minimalist living; a choice that changed my life.

I was at home with my kids, drowning in stuff, and not the present, happy mom I wanted to be. Then, I asked myself a question…

What would my life be like with less stuff?

I decided to find out.

I let go of 75% of my possessions and stopped buying more because I realized I didn’t need more. The lightness I felt was immediate.

I started smiling more at home, really engaging with my family, found time for a hobby I loved, and felt like myself again. 

I share my journey here, because the choice to live with less stuff and more peace is one you can absolutely make too.

Writing about minimalism holds me accountable to this lifestyle. Researching and reflecting on a life with less stuff ensures I won’t go back to my compulsive-consumption-driven ways (listen to my story here). And also reminds me the things that make life rich aren’t actually things at all. 

I’ve gleaned many lessons over the past five years of living as a minimalist, but wanted to share five of my favorites here today.

Here are 5 things I’ve learned from 5 years of minimalist living:

1. You don’t miss what you no longer own, you’ve outgrown it anyway 

In five years of minimalist living, I’ve let go of an innumerable amount of things. I can’t think of one item I regret donating—not one. The truth is, once you let go of an unused or unloved item, you don’t miss it. Why? You’re too busy living—enjoying the increased meaning and depth less stuff gives to your life.

When you decide to let a possession go, it’s because, deep down, you know you’ve outgrown it. You’re growing into the person you’re called to become, and holding onto old, excess stuff only slows this journey. 

2. “When the culture has lost its way the best way to be is a contrarian” –Joshua Fields Millburn 

Minimalist living gives you margin to see that many ideas promoted by our American culture are actually illogical and irrational. Like owning 14 pairs of shoes—where’s the logic in that? Or, owning an outfit for every day of the month. Or, owning a 3,000 sq ft house for three people with unused rooms overflowing with unused stuff.

Minimalist living shows you this quest for more is unreasonable and unnecessary. While we all need basic things, we need so much less than we think to be happy. Stepping outside of our culture and investing in what truly brings joy (relationships, experiences—not stuff) is freeing and life-changing. 

3. We spend a lot of time and money on stuff that doesn’t actually matter

I recently watched an Instagram clip where a man in his upper 80s was interviewed. The man had lived a lifetime of success (fighter pilot, CEO of Gillette) and now, in the last chapter of his life, faced great physical limitations. When asked what someone once so capable does when these capabilities are gone, he answered, “When you can’t do what you’ve always done, then you only do what matters most.” 

He continued, “You don’t have to wait until you’re 80 to learn that. There are a lot of folks, I think, here today that if they would really think about that, they’re consumed in some things that really don’t matter. And they haven’t looked up long enough to realize these things don’t matter. You don’t have to be old and infirmed to learn that lesson. And when you do learn that lesson, you’ll live a different kind of life.”

Minimalist living gives you this space to look up, reflect, and truly see what matters and what doesn’t. Your actions, spending habits, relationships, and stress levels all change when you begin doing just what matters most.

4. Minimalism is about more than just your physical stuff 

Removing physical clutter from your life undoubtedly unveils other clutter-filled areas. A cluttered schedule, a cluttered mind, a cluttered soul. Any area of life can fill with clutter if you’re unintentional about caring for that space. Less physical stuff claiming your time, energy and attention makes this intangible clutter more visible and makes clearing it possible.

Soon, you become aware of half-hearted commitments and unsound inner narratives and let them go. You have space to shift where you’ve placed your self-worth (it doesn’t come from what you own) and grow in self-love. 

Minimalism is about your physical stuff, but, more importantly, it’s about getting back in touch with the person underneath your stuff. And when you do, your life choices become meaningful and focused on what matters.

5. Minimalism is a tool to live out your life’s purpose; minimalism itself is not the end goal 

Minimalist living isn’t about a perfectly curated home or about the amount of items you own. In fact, if you’re focusing on your stuff, then you’re missing the point of minimalism. Minimalism is a tool designed to help you live out your life’s purpose. 

This minimalism-as-a-tool phenomenon isn’t new. Many people who have left an indelible dent in world history have used minimalism to pursue their life’s calling. Consider the following: 

• Socrates (he walked the streets of Athens in a single woolen garment, challenging people until they began to live “an examined life.”)
• Thoreau (his simple-living experiment near Walden Pond showed Americans what it meant to “live deliberately” instead of living a life of “quiet desperation” like the masses.)
• Jesus of Nazareth (God incarnate opted for voluntary poverty during his public ministry, living out what he told his disciples: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.”)
• Mother Teresa (walked the slums of Calcutta in sandals made by lepers as she cared for the sick and dying; her only habit was a cotton sari worn beneath an old, blue cardigan.)

The end goal in minimalist living isn’t owning 100 items or owning a Pinterest-worthy home defined by the minimalist aesthetic. It’s about being freed from the distraction of possessions so to better the world by fulfilling your life’s purpose.

In conclusion

Fumio Sasaki, author of Goodbye Things, said, “Minimalism is built around the idea that there is nothing that you are lacking.”

To lack nothing, as the 23rd Psalm echoes, is an inner shift that changes your outer environment. Perhaps the biggest lesson minimalist living continues to teach me is that, truly, I do lack nothing and need so much less than I think to be happy. Minimalist living, continues to show me that, contrary to our consumer culture’s push for more, happiness isn’t found in bigger, updated, or trendier things. 

Reflecting on five years of minimalist living, I wouldn’t change a thing. If you’re considering living with less, go for it. 

I’m grateful for the lessons a life of less have taught me—my life is immensely richer for it.

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia also practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home. She resides with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, three-year-old son, and baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram.

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