Like freedom, true minimalism exists within you.

Here are four tough challenges I’ve taken on that have helped me cultivate it.

No ‘to-do’ list
True minimalism requires you to let go of attachments internally to allow yourself a quiet mind. The idea that keeping track of tasks and ‘to-do’s’ is necessary to keep your mind clear entrenches the idea that keeping track is important. With true minimalism, you let go of the idea of keeping track entirely.

Challenge yourself to lean into this possibility by tearing up your to-do lists.

No soap
The idea that you HAVE to do anything (even washing with soap!) holds you back from true minimalism. Through exploring not using soap I learned that a body only produces offensive odors when it is struggling to digest foods that are not optimal for its individualized health.

Challenge yourself to live minimally by letting go of foods that are not optimal for you and the products that mask what your body is trying to tell you.

No smart phone
Having constant access to communications and information via a smart phone is not consistent with a minimal lifestyle. If you have Marie Kondo’d your entire home but your your phone is constantly glued to your hand then you are not yet able to embrace true minimalism.

Challenge yourself to let go of anything you think you can’t live without.

No shoes
I rarely wear shoes unless I really have to. (i.e., weddings, funerals and date night.) Shoes become necessary for protection of human feet when the muscles and bones are weakened through the constant wearing of shoes from a young age.

Challenge yourself to regain the natural strength of your feet, and the idea that you need anything at all, through not wearing shoes.

Real minimalism exists within you, so to create it you must engage in external practices of minimalism that actually challenge the ideas you have about what is needed or necessary.

When you challenge yourself on the outside in ways that require you to let go on the inside, more and more things on the outside will effortlessly fall away.

Loving you, JP ❤️