Living a life of voluntary simplicity and minimalism is not an act of resignation. It is a brave, practical and very spiritual decision.
Instead of seeing living simply as a 'loss' you can see it as making a mature, unselfish choice to declutter your life of everything from personal dramas, to unproductive behaviors to ways of making money. In fact, many people immediately become more prosperous the minute that they start throwing things out, both physical and relationship-oriented, as they act as obstacles to your prosperity.
Living a life of voluntary simplicity and minimalism does not mean you have 'dropped out' of life. It does not mean you do not care about money or have let go of your ambitions. It does not mean that you have to become all 'Zen Buddhist' or give away all that you own.
Basically all that it means is letting go of those things that do not serve you anymore. The problem is that while we are living many of us tend to collect a great many things, people and situations that have nothing to do with propelling us forward or getting what we want from our lives.
The idea is that once you get rid of these things, you make room for those things that you do want in our life that can bring you the fulfillment and joy in life that you are looking for.
One of the main benefits of deciding to live your life this way is that it forces you to see with more clarity and get your priorities straight.
Other benefits of voluntarily making the choice to live in a life of voluntary simplicity and minimalism are:
• You feel more peaceful
• Your life costs less
• You are healthier
• You may live longer
• You live in a less cluttered home
• Others benefit from you throwing out your clutter
• You get rid of the drama queens in your life
• You are no longer controlled by the past
• You control your life; not other people
• You will be able to focus on your goals without distraction
• You will feel less stressed
• You will get more rest
• You have greater freedom
• You will be me organized
• You will create less waste and you will pollute less
• You will have more time
The bottom line is that when you start throwing things out of your life you empower yourself by saying 'no' to those people and situations that subtly undermine your goals and happiness and you will be able to get on with your own life.