Is Minimalism the Key to Happiness?
Today we can get almost anything with a few clicks and like magic, it appears on our doorstep in 48 hours or less. It’s convenient, but does it add to our happiness?
Some people are starting to realize that the more things they collect the emptier their life feels. This leads to an important question. If those boxes arriving at the doorstep aren’t elevating human happiness, what will?
Some people think minimalism is the answer, but is it your answer?
Minimalism Explained
Minimalism is the idea that less is more.
Most people think of van living, buses converted into homes, and tiny homes when they hear the word minimalism but minimalism looks different for everyone.
Colin Wright explains that minimalism is about “Reassessing your priorities so that you can strip away the excess stuff – the possessions, ideas, relationships and activities – that don’t bring value to your life.”
That might mean getting rid of some things you haven’t used for a while, but it’s more than that. It’s about chasing freedom, fulfillment, and adventure and it’s about becoming your best self. Ultimately, it’s about removing things in your life that don’t really add to your happiness and aren’t helping you become better.
So, what will add to your happiness?
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure so it’s a process of self-discovery. Take an inventory of your life. Don’t just evaluate the physical items you own. Think about other areas of life like your relationships, your ideas, and your beliefs, and decide what’s helping you become a better version of yourself, and what’s not. Answering that question will help you understand what parts of your life you need to let go of so you can become who you were meant to be.
Minimalism and Money
Does more money make you happy?
A study conducted by P. Brickman in the 1970’s measured whether wealth equated to greater happiness. They found that wealthy people were no happier than the control group (people who had just enough to meet their needs). It appears that once you have enough money to get out of “survival mode” wealth doesn’t seem to add to your long-term happiness.
Should you reject the pursuit of money then?
A study by Dunn et al. (2008) showed that “spending more of one’s income on others predicted greater happiness. Participants who were randomly assigned to spend money on others experienced greater happiness than those assigned to spend money on themselves.” It seems that one of the ways to live a happier life is to actually make enough money to live comfortably and have some left over to spend helping others!
Experiences > Things
An interesting finding by Van Boven & Gilovich (2003) found that people who spent their money on experiences rather than on items were more satisfied afterwards! When asked to think back on their purchase after several months had passed those who spent money on experiences were significantly happier than those who purchased items.
This could be because “experiences make people happier because they are more open to positive reinterpretations, are a more meaningful part of one’s identify, and contribute more to successful social relationships.”
By creating more meaningful moments you will generate more long-term happiness in your life.
Minimalism = Freeing up Resources to Invest in Yourself
You might be thinking, “Why is a company who sells nutrition products aka. things telling me not to buy things?” To clarify, we’re telling you to reconsider your priorities.
Priority #1 should be your health!
Your health will determine whether you’re able to show up and give 100% to your key relationships.
It will determine whether you can be successful in your career so you can live comfortably and have enough money left over to help others and spend on meaningful experiences.
Finally, your health will determine whether you can make the most of those experiences by having the ability to run, swim, surf, climb, and feel your best doing it!
By rearranging your priorities, you’ll be able to free up resources to invest in your health and start building power habits so you can become the best version of yourself!
At the end of the day, minimalism is a tool or a framework that can help you achieve happiness by making room in your life (literally, and financially) to become who you’re meant to be. Minimalism may look different for you than for someone else but the important take away is that when you simplify your life, you can discover what makes you truly happy.
About Us: At HydroSwell, our goal is to help you live life abundantly. We create “power-ups” aka. nutrition products that will help you kick your bad habits and replace them with Power Habits. To learn more, click here.