A word of caution that I would have liked to hear before minimalism

When people get into minimalism there's always the proud declaration that they got rid of x much weight of clothing, x that much number of stuff, x amount of space, x amount of disposable income. I get that! I was there too, proud of quitting drinking and smoking, getting a second job, working out more, saving money, quitting social media, selling my car, moving to a smaller city, selling my dog back to the original breeder etc. etc. You feel like you're a productive, proactive responsible citizen, and I definitely was proud of how much money I was earning (I tripled my income in one year), my superpowers in doing a 50h work week, getting fit, having a tight budget, making money with a side hustles etc. etc. etc.<br><br>Over the past year however, I've come to realize that the really fulfilling things in my life are actually the messy stuff, the spontaneous stuff, the friendships and relationships I nurture, being present for my little niece's birthday party. For the past year I've sort of slowly started to buy back some of the stuff I got rid of, and it feels great. A new Macbook pro (my first in 10 years), a new camera lens (I got rid of my camera and then regretting it and buying a new one), a new fancy kitchen knife, a new bike, some new boots, some new clothes, some new art supplies. It doesn't feel like I've undone my progress, it just feels like I'm being more authentically myself, and yes, I am spending more money on stuff now, but I don't think that I have to always feel bad about that. I don't think that I have to be a responsible productive citizen all the time. I don't have to be a Spartan warrior, and I'm okay with that.