I spent 20 years building a life and 2 years taking it down

I am finally living the way I want to after years of consumerism and collecting possessions and clutter. <br><br>I didn’t start with the intention of becoming a minimalist. I have health issues and I just needed to make my life easier. My journey really began when I started working with a professional organizer. We started in my kitchen, which took us 3 months to go through, and through that process, I learned so much about myself. Over time I learned about minimalism, and through using Marie Kondo’s criteria of keeping only what sparks joy, I freed myself from tons of stuff. <br><br>I donate as much as I can. I have learned that my stuff is not special and that nobody wants most of it. If I had known that beforehand it would have saved me a lot of trouble. I also recycle as much as I can, and I even hired a junk removal service a couple of times, which was expensive but worth it. <br><br>I have now freed myself from a four bedroom house and I live in a two bedroom condo. It’s perfect. <br><br>Minimalism is so much more than getting rid of stuff. When you live with fewer possessions, you have to be more mindful of your purchases, you have to consider the cost of an item per use, and you have to plan what you buy carefully. <br><br>Living as a minimalist is saving me so much time, energy, and money, and I feel happier and healthier. <br><br>Minimalism is often controversial, but for me it has been life changing.