Madison Bradford - The Minimal LIST: A Step by Step Guide to Living a Minimalist Life

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Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Madison Bradford.

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Table ofContents

Introduction to Minimalism

Freedom.

How would you like to feel completely free?Free to live the life you were meant to live. Free from worry. Freefrom stress. Free to pursue your passions and dreams. Free, with noobstacles to stand in your way.

Minimalism can help you experience thatfreedom. It can create a sense of calm a feeling of liberation to the point where youre the one in control. Youre no longer aslave to work. Stress and grief no longer dominate your life.

Hopes become tangible. Dreams become reality.Happiness is within reach. Everything is simple.

But despite it all, many people believe thatminimalism is just about making do with less and so sacrificingpleasure and happiness for simplicity. They dont fully understandthe concept and so cant quite comprehend just how someone can findenjoyment and true happiness getting rid of half of what theyown.

While the goal of minimalism is to remove allof the clutter and excess in your life, its also so much more.

Minimalism is about what you value. Itsabout discovering what matters most in your life and basing everydecision and action on those values. If something gets in the wayof what you value, is just there to take up space, and isnt reallyan essential part of your life, it is removed.

Clutter only causes stress, and it preventsyou from reaching your full potential. Clutter distracts you fromwhat really matters. It hinders progress. And without progress,there can never be growth. By welcoming minimalism into your life,you essentially get rid of all that clutter and extra baggage thathas been holding you down. You are free to live your life how youwanted to all along without the stress, fear, and self-doubt manypeople experience.

You grow.

And when youre done, life is peaceful.Youre no longer running in all sorts of directions. Life is calm.Things are simple.

The best thing is that minimalism isdifferent for everyone. What means nothing to someone else may meanthe world to you. Whats not necessarily essential to your neighbormay be something you cant live without.

There are also different severities ofminimalism. There are extreme minimalists (minimalists who onlykeep the absolute essentials) and those who might only have a touchof minimalism in their lifestyle (the majority of what they have isessential, but they also like to keep a little extra maybe aflower vase on their dining room table to brighten up the room, ormaybe they pursue a hobby that brings them fulfillment). In theend, what matters is that youre comfortable with the life youlive. Your life has meaning and a purpose. You are fulfilled.

Minimalism can be refreshing, but you have tocommit to the transformation before you can make it work. Are youready to embrace a minimalist lifestyle?

As you read this e-book, youll occasionallycome across checklists that will highlight the main elements andideas youve just read in the previous chapters. These checklistsact as to-do lists of sorts and will encourage you to completemajor activities found throughout the book, insuring that yourealways making progress.

As you near the end of this book, youll finda master checklist, condensing everything youve learned along yourminimalist journey onto one page. Take each task in steps, andremember that youre not alone. Thousands of other people havealready started their minimalist journey.

Now its your turn.

You dont have to implement all of the tipsin this book, but use this guide as a foundation to start buildingyour own simple lifestyle. How you minimalize is completely up toyou. But you have only to unleash your inner minimalist, and youllfind all of the tremendous opportunities that lay in wait for youjust around the corner.

Building Your MinimalistHome

How would you like to wake up in the morningto a clean environment? You dont have to worry about where you putyour car keys or what you will do with the heap of clothes thathave gradually taken over your closet. What if you no longer feltembarrassed about inviting guests over for dinner? How would youfeel if you could be more productive with your day, efficientlycompleting mundane tasks so that you can save a little extra timefor yourself, perhaps to watch a movie with your spouse, paint atyour easel, or play catch with your son?

All of these things are achievable and yetfew people actively work to make them happen. By simplifying yourlifestyle and home, you can achieve all three objectives and somuch more.

Instead of feeling trapped below mountainsof stress and anxiety, you can be liberated and focus yourattention on how simple and gratifying your life is.

And it starts with minimalizing yourhome.

A minimalist home is easy to clean, easy tomanage, and easy to maintain. Consider the following.

Furniture: How much furniture do you trulyneed? Which pieces of furniture can you get rid of? Are there anypieces of furniture that you would consider essentials? Your livingroom might only contain two couches, a chair, a television, acoffee table, and a couple of lamps.

Surfaces: How many gadgets do you trulyneed on your kitchen counter? Most minimalist homes have flat,clean surfaces clear of unnecessary appliances that may add to theclutter. That way, you have more space to move around and fullyutilize each room.