Minimalism is making me happy.

Are you a resolution maker?  I can’t say that I am.  Instead I try to find time to listen closely to my heart, in meditation and in prayer to get a feeling of where my focus should be in the upcoming year. Last year was prepared.  This year the word that my heart has settled on is minimalism.

For years I’ve been working to unclutter my life.  While I’ve made inroads, I’ve never reached the level I’d been working towards.  The level where I don’t feel a race begin the minute I set my feet on the floor to the time I lift them back into  bed again, with visions of uncompleted tasks still whirling through my mind.

Too many things too attend to, too many things to take care of, too many self imposed standards of perfection, too much clutter in my head and my heart.

Life with too much clutter doesn’t leave  time for joy.  Or service.  Or growth.  Or homeschooling.  Or spending quality time with my husband and kids.

Minimalism isn’t just about how many tangible things you own.  It’s also about what’s owning you.
Owning your time.  Owning your thoughts.  Owning your energy.

It’s about making the decisions that lead to your dream of what your best life looks like to you, regardless of what anyone else thinks.  It’s about having the courage to unload the cargo, in what ever form you find it, that is consuming your life.

I started with Parker’s Learning Room.  I gifted and gifted and then gifted some more things that weren’t being used on a regular basis.  I took everything out of the room, made some hard decisions and what I put back were only the things that are loved and well used.   What I gifted or donated easily filled up the trunk and back of my Blue Eyed Girl’s car three times over.  What I threw away filled one of our large outdoor garbage cans.

I walk into the Learning Room now and I feel space and peace. I feel organization and a desire to strengthen my commitment to Parker’s education.

It’s how I want my entire home to feel.

It’s the way I want to live my life.  Simply.  Unbusy.  I want to recommit to what’s truly important and have the energy to build on my passions.

It starts with choosing a space to tackle, whether it be in my home or my heart, and laying everything out. Then examining and deciding if it deserves a place of value in my life.  If it does, it stays.  If it doesn’t, it leaves, making room for what brings true happiness.

Are you a minimalist at heart?  Want to learn more about minimalism?  Check out Becoming Minimalist