{"id":381,"date":"2011-01-19T07:09:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-19T14:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/?p=381"},"modified":"2022-09-14T09:48:58","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T15:48:58","slug":"let-freedom-ring-with-minimalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bemorewithless.com\/let-freedom-ring-with-minimalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Let Freedom Ring with Minimalism"},"content":{"rendered":"

This series has four parts and the last question was actually featured last week;\u00a0What is the downside to minimalism?<\/a><\/p>\n

Because I’m a sucker for a happy ending, I switched things around at the last minute.<\/p>\n

In 15 short responses below, the word freedom is used more than 15 times. According to this expert panel, freedom is the #1 reason to start living with less. Read on to see how minimalism is resulting in freedom and other great benefits.<\/p>\n

Advice From the Experts \u2013 Part Four<\/h2>\n

What is the biggest benefit you have experienced by living a minimalist lifestyle?<\/h3>\n

Freedom — freedom from debt, from clutter, and from the rat race. Each time I eliminate something extraneous from my life — be it an unused item, unnecessary purchase, or unfulfilling task — I feel an incredible sense of liberation. Francine Jay of Miss Minimalist<\/a><\/p>\n

Freedom. It feels great to have the\u00a0freedom to choose how to make money, freedom to live where I choose to live, freedom from debt, freedom from worrying about the expectations of society, freedom from unnecessary obligations. Plus, the less stuff I have, the lighter I feel. Not only that, but freedom from consumerism is liberating. It’s very liberating to say “I don’t need this big paying corporate job that just really enables me to buy more stuff.”\u00a0Ryan from The Minimalists<\/a><\/p>\n

Physical, fiscal, and psychological space–and the like-minded friends I’ve made.\u00a0Meg Wolfe of Minimalist Woman<\/a><\/p>\n

I am 99.9999% stress free. The less I have physically and mentally on my plate, the more energy and appreciation I have for the life I want. David Damron of Life Excursion<\/a><\/p>\n

Freedom. Freedom from the burden of too much stuff, freedom because I’ve simplified my schedule, freedom because I travel light and do what I feel like doing this moment. Freedom from debt and having to buy too much and having to work too much to pay for all of that.\u00a0Leo Babauta of mnmlist.com<\/a><\/p>\n

The opportunity to pursue my passions. My deepest heart passions have always centered around faith, family, and friends. Unfortunately, the possessions in my life were consuming such a high percentage of my time, energy, and finances, I had little left over my true, lasting passions. A minimalist lifestyle has allowed me to pursue the things in life that I care about the most. Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist<\/a><\/p>\n

Consciousness and time. I am more conscious of how I spend my\u00a0time these days. I spend more time with the important people in my life, but I still make time for myself. Because I’m conscious of what’s going on around me\u2014and of what’s going on inside me\u2014I live my life more deliberately. I used to spend hours distracted by my job and gadgets and the trappings of superfluous stuff, but now I’m conscious of how I spend my time, I’m conscious of what’s important.\u00a0Joshua from The Minimalists<\/a><\/p>\n

The peace coming from knowing I have absolute freedom to move anywhere any time is without a doubt the best benefit I have experienced. Nothing holds me down anymore, and it makes my adventures that much better.\u00a0Dusti Arab of Minimalist Adventures<\/a><\/p>\n

I don’t need as much money as most people to survive because I don’t buy much. I’ve learned to be happy with what I have and to cherish the way I spend my time. That means not slaving away at a job that could provide me a more steady income, but working on my passions everyday\u00a0Sam Spurlin of The Simpler Life<\/a><\/p>\n

Definitely more freedom, financially and psychologically.Laura of minimoblog.it<\/a><\/p>\n

It has brought me an incredible peace of mind. I know where I want to go in life and am heading in that direction because there are no distractions. It’s very powerful. Christiaan of Mind the Beginner<\/a><\/p>\n

Better connections with my loved ones. I’m living in the hour and minute now and not multitasking or iPhone-ing away a date night with my husband or play time with my son. Rachel Jonat of Minimalist Mom<\/a><\/p>\n

There’s a sense of freedom in everything I do. Move somewhere new? I can (and am!). Take a weekend trip? Easy. Spend my money on something? Gladly, since I know it’s something I need that will benefit me in some way. Matthew Madeiro of Three New Leaves<\/a><\/p>\n

My health. Since I’ve transitioned into simplicity my stress is way down and my anxiety is pretty much non-existent due to less clutter and debt. And since we’re a 1 car family now I ride my bike everywhere so that rocks even more in the health department. Eric LaForest of Elevated Simplicity<\/a><\/p>\n

More time and space for my passions. Robyn Devine of\u00a0Minimalist Knitter<\/a><\/p>\n

As I wrap up this Advice from the Experts series, I want to thank these amazing people, living their life with courage and desire<\/a> for sharing the most important parts of their journey. Your experience will be different from mine and from theirs, but without a doubt, you will share these benefits. What benefit to look forward to the most, or what have you already noticed?<\/p>\n