Sunday Edit: Living the Minimalist Lifestyle!

I thought I would take advantage of the Sunday posts and share some personal updates!  I might even have time to do this quite regularly—we'll see.
HAPPY Sunday btw...

Courtney Carver, guest speaker and creator of Project 333 with The Minimalists Joshua Fields Millburn and  Ryan Nicodemus.

Last Wednesday night, The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, were at Weller Book Works in Salt Lake City.  Spencer and I got the chance to attend their lecture on their minimalist lifestyle.  We were so excited for this event that we reserved our tickets months in advance.  It was great to hear their inspiring message.  The topic of minimalism has been of interest to me for years.  I love the visual aesthetics of minimalism and the idea of editing your life until all that remains is beautiful and meaningful.  I would love to have everything I own and everything I do well curated.
I am attracted to all things simple and basic, but I'm actually really bad at it. 
Lot's of things turn out much busier then I intend them to be.
This article, for example, keeps running off with different thoughts instead of staying concise.

Minimalism appeals to me because of its aesthetics, but it also makes me feel better, healthier even.  In many ways, it means that I'm not weighed down or adversely affected by the things I own.  That would be pretty tragic and ridiculous.

My husband and I have embraced minimalism as a couple from the beginning of our relationship; through several cross country moves, different sized living spaces, different jobs and incomes.  Don’t get me wrong, scarcity and necessity (burdened by my husband's student loans) often pushed us to decide whether we wanted to live frugal and minimal, or if we dared to live beyond our means and purchase things on credit.  For us, it seems foolish to want and to make purchases we couldn’t afford. Buying things on credit was out of the question. We ran a really tight budget and bought almost nothing... It was a rough and scary time in our life  ◡╭╮◡

What I appreciated most about the lecture was that it was not preaching why you should get rid of the things you own, or why you should live differently, but how you’re life can improve once you make the decision to let go of everything that may hold you back.  It's not about subtraction of stuff for the sake of subtraction, but subtraction to narrow the focus on what's meaningful.  The lecture wasn’t a call to spring clean or de-clutter, but a presentation of a lifestyle with less burden.  While adopting this kind of lifestyle could easily lead to adventure, more excitement and money, the main aim is for people to find and to have purpose.  While I imagine, minimalism can be picture perfect and quite luxurious, what motivates minimalism seldom is.  I would love to say minimalism is a frivolous and noble idea people pursue on a whim.  The Minimalists mentioned large amounts of debt, the lacking of meaningful or failing relationships, feeling unwell and depressed as catalysts for their lifestyle changes.  Another motivator is the fear of having not really lived, or of having been deluded into a lifestyle you didn't choose for yourself.  I think if minimalism is a way to escape the trappings of consumerism, it's really powerful and I am happy I attended the lecture.

I was excited to ask Josh and Ryan a question at the end of the event.  I was interested to learn what keeps inspiring their minimalism.
I don’t know what I expected.
I suppose, I thought they were as visual as I am.
I suppose, I was hoping they’d reveal some authoritative text or figure that unfailingly guides them toward betterment, but of course they didn’t.  They are much more practical than I am—they're guys.  They don’t look to aspire to some ideal, they do things, taking stock of their life and “uncluttering” the unnecessary.  In an attempt to answer my silly question, they talked about the experiments they did to figure out which things they really needed and which things actually added value to their life.  They also stressed that minimalism is unique to each individual, that it doesn't have to be idealistic or extreme—though some people may think it is.  I really appreciated to also hear from their guest speakers that had a different take on minimalist lifestyle and it was so refreshing!
Minimalism sure isn’t for everyone, but I think it’s beautiful.
For more information on this subject, check out The Minimalists blog.

 ♡ Nina