What is essentialism?
Like me, essentialism, minimalism and the hype of frugal living took most of you by the wind and hype. Then again, it would be remiss to not admit that I did not get the hype behind them.
In the last few years, mostly among the creatives, there has been a burst of excitement into defining these kind of lifestyle. And there is a whole myriad of them. These listed have been the most prominent of which I know that most of you have considered or even tried. Absolutely nothing wrong or absurd about. I have too.
We solely exist out of choices.
Defining Essentialism
Defining essentialism like most terms these days, becomes a daunting task. It is not easy as the definition is relatively fluid and opinionated to say the least. The definition of what is essentialism or what it means to be an essentialist, would be nothing if not worlds apart if you asked two people on the street.
In my opinion I will dilute it to the simplest I can.
To understand essentialism, we will first begin from its root origin. Today’s world is riddled with absurd levels of capitalism and massive consumerism. The noise of choices, decisions, hype and even targeted advertising make it difficult to make a solid independent thought choice. Thus, leading to hard to determine what you really want in life, what is essential, unnecessary and unimportant. Mostly fuelled by social media, influencers, and the constant reminder that there is always something better than what you have out there.
Essentially, essentialism defines living a fulfilling and happy life as being determined by giving meaning to life, or our choice meaning. By asking ourselves the questions; what makes me happy? what is the intent of my choices? Do I really need it?. Basically, the real us.
It can be harder than you think. If you should think about it, take your phone or that purse or branded clothes that you are wearing, are they truly you or was it an idea that you were sold into? If you can answer those questions genuinely then you might get to a point where you can tell what is truly essential in your life. That is the heart of essentialism.
Reverting back to the essential, the important and the fulfilling necessities, free of consumerism noise.
As an essentialist, it doesn’t mean that you void your life of happiness and meaning or deny yourself the pleasure of the current day and become a caveman, no. On the contrary, it is the opposite; it is being true to your truest desire and personal need instead of the socially inflicted desire.
What is the goal of Essentialism?
Well like any other lifestyle there is intent and purpose. For essentialism, this boils down to to reducing the noise and decluttering from the less important and the unnecessary the give room to the thing that truly makes you happy. The idea spans from financial stability, quality time and relationship to all aspects of life. It is not just about cutting back on the money you spend, but also time, how you spend it, and your energy.
If you are tired and you really need that vacation, that you can afford then as an essentialist, you should be on your way. To a fulfilling and life-changing journey. If you feel that having the newest phone in the market is what you need, you can as well go ahead but the question should be, do you really need it or can you go through life without it? And is it sustainable?
A key part of essentialism is the evaluation and re-evaluation of priorities and freedom of choice from a personal perspective. You can sit in the house and ask if that it makes you happy or if your choice is based on society preference. One of the truest expressions of essentialism is the way of the monk. In it all choices are born out of innate personal choice.
How does it differ from Minimalism?
Although for most people, essentialism might sound a lot like minimalism, the two have more differences that you might think. The core principles are the same but they differ. Essentialism is more about the preplanning and the forethought of decisions while minimalism as a lifestyle is more about limiting and understanding the difference between necessary and excessive.
Whatever your lifestyle, a bit of essentialism is required, to find yourself.
What will it be for you?
