About The Aussie Minimalist
To most people, at the first thought of minimalism, it gives them a bit of a scare and befuddlement as to why someone would even consider such a notion, let alone a lifestyle. I have to say, I’m not like most people and upon my first hearing of the notion, I was greatly intrigued as to how anyone would be able to live a life full of joy, by ‘restricting’ their purchases – or so I thought. To clarify, what has conventionally been coined the ‘Minimalist Lifestyle’ is not one of restriction, or deprivation, but rather intentional and honest consumption by simplifying one’s life in order to make more room for things that truly matter to the individual.
When I discovered minimalism, in all honesty, my life was abundant with complexity; reason being, I prioritised everything and overestimated the importance for a lot things in my life. At the time, and am still currently, my career as a Civil Engineer and university student completing a double degree proved to be enough to handle. Introducing the surprises of life and personal ventures, I began to realise that in the long term, all my responsibilities, obligations and concerns would inevitably take over my life if I didn’t simplify it in areas that are of less importance to me. So that is exactly what I did, and to complement my ‘decluttering’ journey I stumbled upon my early inspiration and popular Youtuber, Matt D’Avella.
Through Matt’s Youtube Channel, I was then exposed to the world of Minimalism and had the pleasure of absorbing all the nuggets of wisdom he and his podcast guests had to offer (this is also how I was first introduced to The Minimalists and the profound impact they have had on the minimalism space).
A significant factor to what allowed me to be open-minded and intrigued in the ‘Minimalist Lifestyle’ was the book entitled ‘Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion’ by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. This book truly set a cornerstone in my personal development, where Robert effectively conveys how we are commonly influenced, either by individuals or large organisations, along with six timeless universal principles to defend ourselves from such persuasive tactics. I encourage you to dive deep into this fantastic book, because I can guarantee that this opened my eyes to how I had been played for many years to buy into the hype and trends associated with modern day consumerism.
As ‘The Minimalists’ often say “Minimalism is not a destination,” I wholeheartedly testify that along my minimalism journey, not only have I been able to think with greater clarity, feel less pressured by societal norms, simplified my life, and strengthened my personal values, but I have also been able to make more room for the things that truly matter to me.
Whenever you may be reading this, I sincerely wish you a prosperous day / night, and am so grateful that I have been able to share my minimalism journey and learnings with you through this blog.
Yours truly,
The Aussie Minimalist
The Aussie Minimalist 