When I say I am a minimalist, it basically means two things: I am stress-free or have limited level of stress in my life and I have much more freedom than the usual or than many people.
I sleep and wake up whatever time I want. I do not set an alarm. Of course, I work but I work within the borders of my own time and comfort. I can wake up on a Monday and decide to watch movies throughout the whole day.
In fact, I occasionally do this, to confirm to myself that I have control over my life (to a large extent)—and I still call the shot in my life.
When it comes to stress, I do not engage in things which directly or indirect ooze stress into my space. And one of the things which largely sprays stress is our desire to want more and more. That is why I only focus on the things I need—and ensure that everything I buy or bring into my space serves an intentional needful purpose.
We have limited needs but unlimited wants. The latter is what fuels the rat race.
Why would a minimalist be interested in making money or a lot of money in life then?
As a minimalist, I am motivated to make money because I use this money to buy more and more of my freedom and convenience.
For instance, instead of sitting on a bus from Accra to Kumasi for 5 hours while holding iPhone 12 or holding 2 phones, I would rather and always choose the convenience of making that same journey in 30 mins on a flight—and holding one phone or iPhone 8.
Life becomes less stressful if you focus on convenience or dedicate your resource to achieving that, instead of buying material things which do not serve any needed purpose.
All efforts to eradicate stress from your life and embracing convenience is a NEED—this should be our daily focus.
So, money is important to a minimalist but it is not for him or her to acquire more and more of material things—but to acquire more time/freedom, to spend this time with those he/she loves or how he/she pleases, do the things that really make him or her happy and to even rest when needed.
For the minimalist, money is just a tool to buying himself out of the stress of this world—and not to clutter his space or mind and not to bring more stress into his life.
Money should make you free—to focus on the important things in life.
It is pathetic if you do not call the shots in your own life, and your time (existence) is controlled and manipulated by material things or others because you desire material things.
–Chris-Vincent Agyapong, the Lawyer, the Writer, the Minimalist, the Thinker and the Professional Truth Sayer
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