Minimalism is becoming a major trend and many are ready to take the plunge into giving it a try. A basic and simple guide to becoming a minimalist can help make the transition.

Unfortunately, a big lifestyle change can be difficult to undertake and many don't even know where to begin. Searching the internet for how to live a minimalist life comes up with a ton of websites and can be daunting.

We found ourselves stumbling into the minimalist lifestyle after graduation. Once we started our travel physical therapy careers, we were forced to downsize and quickly.

We had to combine all of our belongings and consider the fact that we would be relocating these belongings several times a year.  All of the moving around made us strive for the "less is more" way of living.

After another major downsize when we spent time living in a tiny home we became fully immersed minimalists. It's still a work in progress but we are beginning to master the simplicity of a minimalist life.

We have been nothing but happy with this lifestyle change and encourage others to join the movement. There is so much to learn about becoming a minimalist but a quick and easy guide is a good place to start.

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Love What You Own

There is a common idea in the minimalist world that what you own should ADD to your life. If you love what you own then it is more likely to bring you joy.

All of this extra clutter lying around can take away from your happiness, especially if it is just a constant reminder of what you don't like. Life is too short to waste your time on anything you don't love.

You should look into each item and the moment you decide you don't LOVE IT, get rid of it. It's that simple. This should also be in your thoughts while out shopping. Before buying anything make sure you love it and we mean love everything about it.

Get Rid of "What If" Mantra

This is possibly one of the more "toxic" mindsets holding people back from going full minimalist. Since a big part of minimalism is getting rid of stuff this mantra will make that very difficult.

You have to be careful with the thought “I’m saving it for a special occasion”. We see this all the time with storage units, items for kids and black-tie formal clothes.

You end up having piles of items waiting to be used when that time may never come. We have also noticed most people want to buy new things that are in a better condition or more appropriate if the time does ever come around.

You must change this mindset at the beginning of your minimalist journey. It can be a major setback throughout the entire process.

For a lot of people, if you hold onto something too long, your attachment starts to grow. Finally, you say "let's get rid of such and such" but then feel too attached to say goodbye.

Get rid of these items laying around right away. You'll forget about it shortly after and you'll never look back.

Learn Less is More

If you are going to be a successful minimalist you have to be convinced that owning less is the way to go. If you think you are making sacrifices and being "forced" to get rid of items, minimalism will seem like a chore.

The transition to minimalism shouldn't be I'm Losing but I'M GAINING. You may own less material objects but you will gain more happiness.

We found that by spending less time, money, and energy on objects we had more time for what we love more...travel adventures with each other. We fully believe that less is more.

Always Be Improving

The road to becoming a minimalist is not a one and done. It is a constant journey of learning more and figuring out what you can live without.

It can be easy to fall back into the materialist lifestyle that currently plagues our society. You need to reassess your situation constantly and make sure the items around you is what adds to your life, not take away.

As long as you are dedicated to this way of living then the upkeep is more than worth it. Embracing the minimalist lifestyle means always learning and improving.

One last thing...

During a typical night of web browsing we searched for less stuff but more happiness and came across this Ted Talk by a guy named Graham Hill. If you need a little more motivation to downsize this is a great place to start.

It’s fun and only about five minutes long. It's a great addition to our guide to becoming a minimalist and is actually where we draw a lot of motivation from.

We found the shift to a minimalist lifestyle improves our lives daily. Having extra time and resources for really important things can make all the difference.

Being minimalist can be the next step you need and easier than you think. Hopefully, this quick and easy guide will give you simple steps to becoming a minimalist.