Minimalism is all the rage right now. And while I do subscribe to some of the minimalism mindsets, I do not want to tell you to open up your closet and get rid of all your clothes. I do however think there is something to be learned from minimalism.
If you’re not familiar with the concept of minimalism, here’s the quick and dirty version. Minimalism is the idea of getting rid of the excess so that you can focus on the things that are important. Minimalism doesn’t mean that things are necessarily bad, it’s more a matter of what meaning and value are placed on those things and determining what is important.
Often, we have an idea for something and we begin to think of all the moving parts needed to complete that idea. This in and of itself is great. That’s the vision. That’s the big picture. That’s the overview that enables us to make proper preparation. The problem, however, is when we look at that big picture and intentionally or unintentionally assign value to all of those moving parts as equal. As though every piece of the vision must be executed entirely in order to make the idea happen. And when everything must be done before you can even get off the ground, we often paralyze ourselves from even starting anything at all. We become overwhelmed before we’ve even had a chance to take one step forward, and then our idea, our dream, our vision sits idle.
What if, instead, you took a minimalism approach? What if the first step was to get rid of the excess, so you can focus on what’s important? What if instead of being overwhelmed by and overcomplicated idea, you simplified it?
Would it be easier to take the first step?
Sticking to the concept here, I’m going to keep it simple, eliminate the excess and only focus on what is important right now.
You’ve got an idea and a vision. Break it down to the most simplified version. Get rid of the excess, figure out what is important, and then take a step forward. Rinse and repeat. With each new step, identify what is important and focus only on that. Before you know it, you’ll be building the moving parts of that big, overwhelming vision.
So what’s your version of minimalism? How can you simplify your dream to take the first step?