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If you’ve stumbled across this blog, you may be looking into concepts like minimalism, essentialism, intentional living, or simple living.  

I’m guessing you relate to some of these statements: 

Every day I’m pulled in a thousand directions, and I never feel that I’m excelling in any of them.  

I’m tired of the rat race and want to step out of it, but I don’t see how it’s possible.  

I spend a lot of my time doing things I don’t really want to do: job-related tasks that I feel are pointless, thankless house chores, favors for other people, and social obligations I don’t enjoy. 

My home is overflowing with “stuff.” I feel like I spend all my free time cleaning, just to have the same mess recreated the next day. 

I struggle to say “no” to requests and invitations, because I don’t want to damage relationships. 

My job is driving me insane, but I need the money to keep up my lifestyle and/or support my family. 

There is never enough time to pursue hobbies, interests, or fun. I have too much to do! 

I’m ready for a radical change, but I have too much to lose. 

I’ve been exactly where you are and had all of these thoughts, and that’s why I started this blog.  

I had always been a bit of a “hoarder.” Not in the clinical sense, but I had a tendency to hang on to things. I found myself overwhelmed with stuff but unable to part with anything. I loved traveling but routinely packed so much that it was a burden throughout the trip. When I joined the Peace Corps in my early twenties, I carefully packed exactly to the limit of how much the agency allowed, stuffing my two suitcases and one carry-on with as much as I could. When I arrived at the home of my host family, I realized to my shame that I had brought more items with me than the entire family even owned. 

Moving Towards Minimalism

I spent years trying to find a solution and even toying with the idea of minimalism- a buzzword I had heard- but only implementing it in a halfhearted way. I’d declutter once a year but then end up refilling the space somehow. I moved frequently over the next decade, and each time all my stuff was a literal and metaphorical weight on my back. 

In my 30s, I began to feel that minimalism was an important step for me, but I didn’t understand why. Did it really matter how much stuff I owned? Shouldn’t I be concerning myself with more important aspects of my life? After acting on an urge to majorly declutter, I realized that changing my physical space was a first step on a journey that would lead to immense growth. I had to eliminate physical clutter, but I also needed to cut out clutter in my life, my schedule, and my mind. Wanting to keep my options open, I was juggling too much while rarely proactively choosing anything. The result was that fate and other people ended up choosing for me.  

Finally Taking the Plunge

I discovered essentialism and intentional living and dove in after I gave birth to my first child. That sudden, drastic shift in my life made me realize that my time, energy, and resources are limited. I was going to have to intentionally choose what to spend it on – and what not to spend it on – or be left drained and exhausted. I started to recognize that I was on the “hedonic treadmill.” This entailed working hard at a job I didn’t like to earn little salary increases that would immediately get sucked into some new expense. I had noticed this trap earlier in my life, but I didn’t see a solution for it. Life is expensive, after all. As I made more money and grew my family, I acquired more things. I then spent what felt like all the time I wasn’t working tidying and caring for them.

I started wondering if others had managed to break free of this cycle. My research brought me to these concepts, which shifted my mindset in powerful ways.  

I started this blog to share insights I’ve learned through my research and my own journey. I’d like to help others avoid – or escape from – the traps I fell into. Explore this site to find food for thought and practical tips to reshape your life into something inspirational, exciting, and filled with joy and meaning. 

CONTACT ME 

If you’d like to get in touch with me, send me an e-mail at inspiredessentialsim(at)gmail.com