My Minimalist Mission

Like many people who may be reading this or following my Instagram account (@zero_hero_movement) I have in the last year or so become attracted to living a more minimalist lifestyle. 

I guess the main thing that triggered this for me was my desire to travel. I didn’t want material possessions making it difficult for me to leave at a whim and go where ever I wanted. So, when my brother bought me a travelling ruck sack for my birthday over a year ago I made this my first target, to have everything I own fit into that ruck sack so that I could literally get up and go when ever and wherever I wanted! Now by a lot of minimalist standards this was not a small ruck sack 65-85 litres in fact, but I’m not one for comparing myself to others and starting where I was with an overflowing wardrobe, a huge supply of toiletries and a collection of now antique electronics stashed away I felt like getting my life into one ruck sack would be a huge step in the right direction.

What really helped me downsize my possessions was living in small ships cabins for 2 weeks at time. Having a limited space to keep your stuff forces you to only have what you really need. Also, going back home once a month made me realise that I hadn’t missed any of the items I’d left there so clearly I didn’t need them. Once a month I would have a clear out and each month I felt more and more liberated. Even though the amount of belongings I owned was getting smaller and smaller I still felt there was much more to be gotten rid of and this feeling continues today as I travel. Want to have less stuff? Try carrying everything you own on your back and you’ll soon want to lighten the load.

My brother adventuring with his own 60L rucksack

My goal was to have my life in that back pack by Oct 2017 ready to leave the uk. By September I was left umming and arring over the last few items and ended up leaving one box behind of things I simply couldn’t let go of. I presume after several years of travel when I eventually see those things again it will be easier for me to let them go, for now I am happy with what I have achieved. 
Going forward into my minimalist journey as I now travel through Australia I am still shedding items. Each place I stop I leave behind a pile of clothes for other travellers to help themselves to or donate to the many op shops around the country. Sometimes I think my clothes must be breeding in my ruck sack because no matter how much I get rid of there is still more than enough for me to work with. 

A gifted T-Shirt from the lovely folks at the YHA in Coffs Harbour

So, my advise to anyone wanting to minimise their life is;
– work on a two week basis, anything you haven’t needed in the space of two weeks you simply don’t need. 

– Don’t compare yourself to others, set your own goals and don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t quite got there yet, you will! 

– Before you even consider buying anything new, ask yourself if you already have something to serve the purpose

– Really think about what each item gives you, does it make you feel happy, does it give you self confidence, does it help you to be productive? If not then are you sure you need it?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my latest blog post and if you’d like to see more about my journey into minimalism and my travel adventures then please follow me on Instagram @zero_hero_movement