I Could Never Do That!

I Could Never Do That! We lie to ourselves to justify our actions. The most offensive lie I told myself was that I could never do somethingâ€"That sounds great, but I could never do it!â€"thus making it impossible in my mind. Similarly, many people lie to themselves to justify their decision to not embark on their own minimalist journey: I could never be a minimalist because [fill in the blank]. But even after I became a minimalist, I told myself this lie. I said I could never stop buying stuff. Then, for a year, I stopped buying material goods. I could never quit my corporate job. Then, over time, I left that job after twelve years. I could never get rid of most of my clothes. Then, over time, I donated 90% of my clothes to Goodwill. I could never give up my daily routine. Then, over time, I replaced my routine with habits I love. I could never get rid of the home Internet or television or unused furniture. But then, over time, I did: I got rid of all these thingsâ€"and much more. Getting rid of the excess in my life has allowed me to focus on whats important: people, experiences, this moment. The truth is there are very few things I could never do. The same goes for you: minimalism is a continuum. My version is different from Ryans, whichll be different from yours. And thats okayâ€"minimalism isnt meant to be one-size-fits-all. So when you tell yourself I could never be a minimalist because [fill in the blank], what is your blank, and how could you erase it? Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.