I am not a Minimalist

I’ve been interested in minimalism for several years. Although I am no Minimalist. A lot of the blogs and books I read on minimalism are about living with just 100 things. Or selling everything and moving to someplace really cheap and having crazy adventures. Those people are minimalists.

I think that’s great if you can do it. But it’s not a reality for me, and I wouldn’t want it to be. I’m married, with kids and we own a home. I love where I live. I’m not going to drag my wife and almost-teenage kids around the world with just a backpack each. It would be impractical for us and not the lifestyle we want.

One of the strongest and longest running voices in minimalism is Leo Babauta. Go read his Zen Habits. I’m big fan. He’s married and has (I think) 6 kids. His posts are usually right up my alley. He’s changed many of his bad habits, or traded them for healthier ones. He’s the other end of that minimalism spectrum; another kind of minimalist.

My garage is jammed pack with crap. As is my basement. We have clutter. It’s better than it has been in the past, but I am not a minimalist. I have too many commitments and distractions. I’m working on reducing the things I have to just the essential.

It’s the journey, not the destination. So I am on a minimalism journey. That sounds better to me than calling myself a minimalist. I’m exploring what all this means in my head. I’m thinking on it, and will be writing about it. Maybe it’ll turn into some kind of series of posts.

What is your definition of minimalist?