I can be “extreme”. Just last week I got rid of 50%+ of my clothes. All donated to The Goodwill, of course. I do this periodically. Some people think it’s strange. #shrug I’m not sure if I did it because I’m a semi-minimalist or if it’s because I like to buy fancy new things. Actually, I hate clutter and whenever I “feel myself accumulating too much stuff” I like to purge, or pare down as The Minimalists would say. In my head, I want my closet to look like the picture on the left – no more. There’s actually a game for this called The 30-Day Minimalism Game.

Minimalism is a tool that can assist you in finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from worry. Freedom from overwhelm. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the trappings of the consumer culture we’ve built our lives around. Real freedom.

A few days ago I mentioned how I was getting into podcasts. Well, I found a new one that makes me feel less strange about my periodic paring down episodes! One day it’s clothes, the next day it may be jewelry, shoes, books, whatever I feel at the moment. The name of the podcast is The Minimalists, hosted by 2 guys: Joshua and Ryan. Their podcast/movement is extremely popular and The Chicago Tribune recently wrote a piece where they encourage everyone to Pare Down.

The best way to understand “The Minimalists” is to watch their most popular TED talk, A Rich Life with Less Stuff or listen to their latest podcast. The duo also has a documentary that debuts next week! Of course I bought tickets for me and my husband (blank stare… he has tendencies, ok?) and I am super excited to see the film, right here in Atlantic Station next Wednesday! You can find Minimalism in a theater near you here. Make your own definition of Minimalism in whatever space best suits you! #youarenotalone #purge #paredown #befree #minimalism