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The original was posted on /r/minimalism by /u/ir0nuckles on 2023-09-25 18:46:29.

Just wanted to share my thoughts on minimalism. It can mean many different things to different people. If you believe Netflix and YouTubers, it means buying a big California mansion and keeping it empty. I find this version of minimalism very alien and unrelatable. Here is my version.

“Make it so that you only have what you want, and you only want what you have.”

When the things we want is equal to the things we have, we feel contentment. When we want something we don’t have, we feel stress and anxiety. When we have things we don’t want, we also feel stress and anxiety.

This applies not just to physical belongings but also digital products and services, relationships, responsibilities, accomplishments, reputation, status, etc.

For me the point of minimalism is to narrow the gap between what I want and what I have. I don’t worry about what I need vs. want. I just think about what I actually want. Getting rid of things is only a small part of that. The other parts are to let go of things I don’t have so that I stop wanting things I don’t have.

Anyway, just a couple ideas.