Essentialism is a personal philosophy that helps with identifying the “essential” parts of your life, and then working on them in order to find happiness, purpose, and meaning as well as scd lifestyle review.
According to Chris Guillebeau of success blog The Art of Non-Conformity fame: “A lifestyle that’s essentialist has no time for things like ‘useless’ hobbies. Instead, this type of lifestyle would focus on activities that make you happy or serve some other purpose in your life.”
Unlike the ultra-materialistic society we live in today where possessions are given the highest priority and everything else seems less significant or worthwhile ― an essentialist lifestyle recognizes there are much more important things than just material goods.
1. True Happiness is a Choice
Because essentialism is a philosophy of prioritizing life’s most important priorities, it naturally leads to the philosophy that happiness is a choice.
When you live in a world where food, shelter, and clothes are the most important things to take care of when seeking happiness, you naturally begin to feel unhappy when those things begin to suffer. As Guillebeau explains: “If you’re an essentialist but it becomes difficult for your body or home to survive on their own, then that becomes another reminder” that what you considered essential was not.
2. Life is a Process
Essentialism is similar to the daily process of a scientist as they attempt to study and understand their surroundings in order to discover new ways of life, or “secrets” as Guillebeau calls them.
The main difference between essentialism and scientific method is that an essentialist does not accept the “scientific method” as an answer, rather, he or she becomes a scientist only through his or her own experiences, observations, and experimentation.
3. Personal Growth is the Goal
Essentialism, again, is a philosophy of prioritizing life’s most important priorities.
When we prioritize those things that are essential to our lives, then we naturally allow ourselves to grow in personal ways through our essentialist lifestyle. Guillebeau says: “Essentialism promotes growth because you’re not just living for yourself. You’re living to help others and serve something greater than yourself…which is pretty idealistic. It’s hard to be cynical when you’re an essentialist.”
4. You Become a Better Person
Essentialism is not the selfish act of ignoring the needs of others. Instead, Guillebeau says that essentialism is “the practice of putting yourself into a win-win position.”
Essentialism, in essence, helps us understand what we need to prioritize in our lives and find new ways of obtaining those (essential) things. Whether it be financially or through social means, essentialism teaches us that our main purpose on this planet is to help others and ourselves grow as people. We do this by living an essentialist lifestyle, without neglecting the other important aspects of our life.
5. Your Time is Valuable
Essentialism, once again, is a philosophy of prioritizing life’s most important priorities.
According to Guillebeau, “essentials are the things that make a difference in your life…if you can’t enjoy them, then why are they so important to you?”
Essentialism teaches us that even though we give ourselves time for leisure and entertainment (essential) activities, we need to make sure we’re taking care of our most essential priorities (material goods) as well ― especially when they’re suffering.
6. You Become a Better Friend
Essentialism teaches us that friendship is more important than family, because once we have found true friends, we have found our most important priority in life.
Essentialism is started by finding true friends and learning how to open up and be ourselves around them ― which can make many essentialists very happy because the relationships they find are authentic.
7. You Understand Your Life
Essentialism, again, is a philosophy of prioritizing life’s most important priorities.
Essentialists embrace their personal philosophy of what’s most important in life and begin to understand their purpose on this planet as they develop meaningful relationships with those they love and cherish.
8. You Learn to Prioritize
Essentialism, like the scientific method, is a way of learning from past experiences and using that knowledge to predict future events.
The only difference between essentialism and the scientific method is that essentialists try to predict future events in their daily lives rather than through experiments conducted in a lab.
9. You Feel Inspired
Essentialism, again, is a philosophy of prioritizing life’s most important priorities.
By living an essentialist lifestyle, you will find yourself constantly inspired because your mind is filled with thoughts about the most important people and things in your life ― rather than those who are unimportant and hold no real value except for monetary purposes.
10. You Feel Good about Yourself
Essentialism, again, is a philosophy of prioritizing life’s most important priorities.
When you prioritize what’s most important in your life and begin to reflect on those things, you are able to feel good about yourself because they are not the things that cause the most stress in your life.
Summary:
Essentialism, in its simplest form, is learning how to prioritize life’s most important priorities without forgetting about the other aspects of what is important to you (such as family and friends) because those aspects are also essential and need time spent on them.
Essentialism teaches us what’s truly important in our lives. By following this philosophy, you will feel peace of mind and a sense of purpose that you’ve never felt before. If you’re interested in learning more about essentialism, read this book by Mr. Guillebeau and begin your journey towards a better life through essentialism!