Minimalism for Families: Live a Minimalist Life in a Minimalist Home with the Ones You Love

Regardless if you are an experienced practitioner or new to the minimalism movement, have you ever thought about sharing the positive impact minimalism has had, or will have, on your life with your loved ones?
The general population thinks that minimalism is for individuals who live alone or individuals who are single and without children. The general population thinks that minimalism is a one-man journey, and that minimalism for families is a farfetched ideal. But this can’t be further from the truth. It is absolutely 100% possible to make minimalism work for families.
Minimalism is a vehicle to get you the life you so desire, but a life without your loved ones is NOT a life worth living.
People have a tendency to get their priories mixed and end up focusing on all the wrong things. Minimalism helps remove the unnecessary from life so that you can focus on what is truly important. If you are a practitioner of minimalism, you will know that your possessions aren’t important – your relationships are. By introducing minimalism into the lives of others, you can help them realize this fact too.
However, when you try to inform others about minimalism, they will resist – even if you are doing it to help them.
People don’t like to deviate from the norm, but minimalism itself is deviating from the norm. You can expect fights about these kinds of things: No relationship is perfect. However, there are better strategies to communicate the benefits of minimalism to your loved ones than arguing.
Minimalism, whether alone or with others, is not about compensating.
Minimalism shouldn’t be frustrating, either. However, if you constantly find yourself in a state where you have to compensate your lifestyle for others, it can be. And when you are only starting to introduce minimalism to others, it will be. However, this is temporary and should not result in long-term bitterness or separation.
Achieving minimalism as a family is not enough.
You have to know how to sustain it, too. Some traditions, like gift giving, will also have to change. But whether your significant other is a hoarder or if you have children, introducing minimalism in the lives of others starts with YOU. Are you willing to lead your loved ones into minimalism?
Give your loved ones what they NEED, not what they WANT.
The less people are willing to consider minimalism, the more they need it. If your loved ones would rather be left alone than to explore the alternative that is minimalism, the more likely it is that they are too busy with the clutter in their lives to realize the importance of relationships. Relationships should be a priority in life – not jobs. But today, people spend more time with their coworkers than they do with their families. Something needs to change.