Less is More?

Minimalism is the "in-thing" these days. It is defined as "a style in which a small number of very simple things are used to create a particular effect." As a concept, Minimalism has been around for a while (it began as a movement during WW2) and has been used across multiple industries like arts, architecture and music.

What does Minimalism mean to me? In simple terms it is figuring out what you need in life, what is essential and remove the rest.

Don't get me wrong — I was a Type A Hoarder. From organizing things in my closets by colors, seasons, collecting junk jewelry, memorabilia, the "oh so fancy dinner sets," truckloads of different colored "oh so cute" cups and what not. Leave me in a handicraft village and I would go on a rampage and pick up everything I can.

This trend of me shopping and hoarding things continued until 2015. I was happy with my collection and in fact proud of how I could organize and fit everything in my home sweet home.

What happened in 2015? We got this exciting opportunity to move abroad. As excited as I was to hear the news, panic kicked in immediately — Oh God! What will I do with my prized possessions? The idea of fitting your life into 2 suitcases of 23kgs was no less than a nightmare.

If Marie Kondo could help me organize, she would have had a field day. But that entire journey of figuring out "what is essential for you" was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.

However, what came out of this experience was the realization that you don't need a lot of things to make you happy or start a new journey. A few essential things are more than enough.

Minimalism taught me that space — physical, mental, emotional — is a gift. When you remove the excess, you can finally see what was always there.

Less is, indeed, more.