#KISS - My Aspiring Minimalist Journey: Following Through With Commitment to Simple Living

OPTION 2:
"How slow living saved you from burnout, and what it took to realize that going at a slower pace, and taking time out, was not being lazy, how achieving goals is possible even though slow living."

When I heard about The Minimalist Community, I immediately read the rules, then subscribed. I knew this was a place where I could reside. My goal of achieving a Minimalist lifestyle had finally discovered meaningful assistance.

Journeying through my adult life surrounded by an overabundance of should dos, deadlines, time constraints, and demands, I grew tired of trying to keep up with everyone's else's expectations. My personal worth became how valuable I was to others. In the end, it cost me my health and well being as far stress levels. It was more than what I needed to live a fulfilled and happy existence.

In the Minimalist's introductory post, @millycf1976 stated:

Minimalism is a principle/preference that's innate to some persons, or it's an appreciation/practice that's developed for others.

It was late 1970s when I first heard the term "Minimalist. I didn't know the exact meaning and just associated it strictly with meditation and not being distracted by all the modern advancements of that era.

For the next ten years, I tucked the word away and continued on with life. However, I'd come across the term often in various magazine articles. Then I began to read with interest. I couldn't get the idea out of my mind of living a simple life. But how to do this as a young adult just beginning a family and huge responsibilities.

That didn't stop me from dreaming about a simple way to live. In reality, I did just the opposite of what I wanted for my life. The three areas contribute to my not realizing my full potential as a Minimalist.

Career

I've always been a multi-tasker, attention to detail, and dedicated woman who prided herself in being dependable and doing a job to completion in a timely manner.

Rising in the ranks in a career meant more responsibilities and demands on my time. Factor in family life and extended family obligations.

After decades of working in a corporate environment, I became adept at juggling multiple schedules and deadlines. Not to mention prioritizing my life schedule from my work ones, I became a ball of confusion wrapped up in stressful facade.

I was on the path to burnout.

This was true especially since it was partly my fault. I took on increasingly difficult assignments. Added to that, I volunteered to assist others. This meant working overtime and on weekends just to complete my own work.

Volunteering outside of work

When I mention volunteering. I was working full time and still volunteered for numerous other projects. Word spread of my knowledge, dedication, and willingness to help family members. This landed me for ten years on a family reunion board. Since I love research, doing so for a worthy cause such as family history was right in line with my passion. The accumulation of ten years' research threatened to overrun my capacity for storing the paper trail documentation.

Antique collections hobby

But that's not the extent of my passion. I also love collecting antiques. For over 30 years, I spent an enormous amount of time traveling locally to various antique shops, flee markets, and specialty stores gathering my huge collection of ceramics and hand-blown glass. Not to mention my dolls, baseball cards, and action figures, and books. Trying to document each item and find a place for them among my other household possessions has been an overwhelming task.

Eventually I succumbed to High Blood Pressure. There was no other route to take. Burned out and still trying to keep up. I just couldn't say "NO" to anyone who needed my assistance or any antique that caught my eye. I had to have it for my collection.

However, the HBP diagnosis forced me to reconcile my lifestyle. I either had to give up all my passions or die of a stroke or heart attack. My health and sanity won out.

Simple living Commitment.

I've since retired. I realized something after only a few months into my now leisure lifestyle I never did before. Being away from all the clutter in my life during my daytime job minimized the effect it was having on my life. I only had to deal with it several hours after work and on weekends.

However, now my life's clutter was staring me in the face through all my waking hours. Besides that, I couldn't relax in my own home. Finding a quiet spot to read or do indoor exercise was impossible. I kept promising to do something about it.

I wanted to live a simple lifestyle. What was holding me back was the weight of all my activities I thought I needed in my life to surround me. I needed to take a serious look at what I was doing that counteracted my desire to live simple.

If I'd realized this decades ago, I wouldn't be faced with my dilemma now..gathering up the desire the energy to remove all excess from my life.

But I aspire to a Minimalist lifestyle. I just need to start my journey and follow through. Better late than never so that I can live out the rest of my life simply.