Zoey Arielle Poulsen - The Joy of Minimalism: A Beginners Guide to Happiness with Less

Copyright 2018 Zoey Arielle Poulsen.

Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.

Cover and Layout Design: Elina Diaz

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The Joy of Minimalism: A Beginners Guide to the Simple Life and the
Pursuit of Happiness

Library of Congress Cataloging

ISBN: (print) 978-1-63353-689-0, (ebook) 978-1-63353-687-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017959857

BISAC category code: CRA005000 CRAFTS & HOBBIES / Decorating

SEL016000 SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / Happiness

Printed in the United States of America

Clutter is not just physical stuff. Its old ideas,
toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is
anything that does not support your better self.

Eleanor Brownn , Author of Mile 9

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

An Honest Introduction

I want to start off this book by saying thank you. Thank you for picking it up and giving it an honest chance. Perhaps you found me on YouTube and have been following me for a while, or this book somehow caught your eye at a bookstore, and for that I thank you. Everything happens for a reason, and I truly believe that if you are open to it, this book will change your life in a positive way (or hopefully in many ways)!

At this time, the videos I post on YouTube about minimalism are the most popular on my channel. As a video gains momentum on YouTube, it is bound to be seen by an audience that is not necessarily your target, or in other words, not your tribe. My ideal audience/tribe is made up of positive self-improvement junkies, because hey, thats me. YouTube trolls (or haters) can throw a lot of shade, but I hope that sharing my minimalism journey will help you do at least one of the following: diminish anxiety, make money, save money, declutter your home, declutter your mind, and most importantly, allow you to have more of lifes most precious resource: timetime to spend with family and friends, or to finally pursue the business endeavor you have always had on the back burner in your mind.

I struggled for weeks and even months with trying to put together how I wanted to communicate my minimalism tips and journey in book form because of the backlash I have received on YouTube. Unfortunately, there will always be someone in the world who will disagree with you, but fortunately, the journey of minimalism and of life is all your own. As long as you are happy and fully content with the choices you are making on a daily basis, you are living an authentic life. I hope this book will expand your views and allow you to adjust or change your lens on how you view material items and your precious time and how you feel about them. By learning to let go and limit what you obtain, you will be able to gain more than ever imagined. I refer to this positive life gain as fulfillment .

To me, minimalism and this book are about the concept of simplification in different areas of your life, such as your wardrobe or your homemaking room for what matters most to you specifically. Minimizing my life has allowed happiness to come more easily on a daily basis, and I know that if you open your mind while closing the lid on your spending habits, it will do the same for you.

Lets get started!

What is Minimalism?

A journey.

Minimalism is not living out of a suitcase, only owning a certain number of items, living in a tiny house, or only owning white furniture. Minimalism can certainly be these things, but is not limited to them. The journey of minimalism is about becoming conscious of the world around you, simplifying your life, and actively choosing to incorporate only the things in your life which bring you joy. Thus, this journey is unique to everyone.

We are all different human beings and will always be different human beings. You may LOVE cilantro so much that you would plant a lawn of it in your front yard just so you could smell it every day, whereas your best friend may despise cilantro so much that if a stem found its way into her taco, the whole restaurant would know about it.

You may love golden retrievers, yet your aunt may refuse to even pet dogs, though she owns twenty cats.

Your younger brother may love video games, but you may strongly feel your eyes would burn out attempting to play with him for even fifteen minutes.

We are all different.

And that is okay.

Our differences and uniqueness make the world go round. How boring would life be if we all enjoyed the same things, partook in the same activities, and ate the same food?

For your hypothetical friends sake, lets hope that this kind of world would say no to cilantro.

Minimalism is about reclaiming your time in life to do more of the things which add irreplaceable value to you personally, such as spending more time with your family or focusing more on your health. Once you discover the true value of time and the joy it can bring you, you will realize life is better lived enjoying every day through moments, rather than trying to find enjoyment through things.

Becoming a Minimalist: My Journey

Perhaps I was born a minimalistI mean, I did arrive on this earth as a naked screaming bundle of joy. I didnt feel the automatic need to go out and clothe myself in designer goods, purchase something to feel endorphins, or own the latest iPhone to prove I was successful in lifeI simply wanted to be held. I think that is the case for each and every one of us.

Society, our upbringing, and the media are what sway us to accumulate stuff to become happier. The average person is exposed to hundreds of advertisements every single day. Having had a career in marketing, I can say hands down that the goal of marketing is to persuade you to purchase something, regardless of whether it is ethical or not. Thus, the hundreds of advertisements we are exposed to per day are often successful in communicating that we will be happier by purchasing more. Somehow, we expect that by filling our makeup bags, closets, and homes with things, happiness will burst through the door like the Kool-Aid jug character, screaming OH YEAAAH! This, however, is not reality.

Brands succeed in selling to us by taking the time to research what our society is interested in and what sparks peoples excitement or attention. In turn, we as consumers spend hours and hours researching products and reading product reviews, and we have no problem spending a full day walking around the mall. We swipe our credit cards and check our bank account balances, yet how many of us take the time to explore whether we are actually balanced and happy?

Heres a brief introduction to how I got sucked into the bubble of materialism, floated around in it for the majority of my life, and then popped itonly to realize how little it actually took to become fulfilled in life.

While I was growing up, I was pushed by my parents to spend the majority of my time outdoors: bike riding, playing road hockey, or building forts with my brothers. My fondest memories are of camping on Vancouver Island and running around the backyard with my cousins; we truly didnt need much more than our imaginations to have a good time. I was always taught to enjoy simplicity, respect the outdoors, and work for what I wanted. I was never one of those children who asked for a new possession and expected it to be given without any effort. Thank you, Dad.