Minimalism, Who am I? Pursuit of Happiness

I recently went to see The Minimalists, founders of www.TheMinimalists.com, and it really had an impact on me.

I have been searching for happy since 1980. I was 1 week from my 19th birthday when I got married. I was pregnant and Catholic. Back then, if you got pregnant, you got married, there was no choice.

Still, I expected to be happy, just like everyone in my family, but that didn’t happen. We were very young, and simply should not have gotten married.

I am Christian, I didn’t read the Bible at the time, but I believed that God didn’t leave us here to figure things out. I thought that maybe answers to my question “How can I live life happy?” were in The Bible.

So I began searching.

Since then I have found happy, filing for divorce had something to do with it 26 years later, but it was not the REASON that happy came into my world. Al Anon had a great deal to do with the happy that I was able to find, but still now I am not where I want to be.

I discovered minimalism in December of 2013. It intrigued me because people who were searching after a minimalist lifestyle were finding happy. BUT they were not in a mess. Their STUFF was neatly stored away. They were not living with clutter, battling with being late for everything and losing everything, they could have company over without being embarrassed. AND they found that living with less stuff made them happy.

So I decided to try it. Even though by all standards I am happy, but I have to admit I am still on my journey. I called my girlfriend who came with me to see The Minimalists speak and told her I was going to do my next dejunking as a minimalist.

I really found out something profound! I may not actually want the things I thought I did. When looking at the things in my home from a minimalists perspective, and not the North Jersey Italian mom’s, I realized that my things were obscurely part of my identity.

Maybe it is becaue of who I have been told I was. An Italian Jersey girl who is a mother and has family and I stay put. But maybe that isn’t who I am at all. While looking at things in a minimalists perspective I decided that there were lots of things I did not want.

So I am going on a new journey, which is just an extension of the one I have been on.

I am starting with my porch. In the video I talk about what I wanted it to look like, but told myself that I couldn’t have that because there were other things in there I wanted.

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Well, now I realize, maybe I don’t want those things!

Taking this route, I believe is going to prove to be eye-opening. I predict that I will be astonished at what happens to me and my life.

In the video I talk about the fact that chapters in my life were written because of my circumstances and not because it was what I wanted. So at age 53, I am going to begin to write my own book. I will remember who I was many years ago, what my passions were, what my talents were and see where it brings me.

If you want to join me, please let me know. We can get hooked up together and see what happens. I have made a facebook group for us I called it Feminilism (Feminin Minimalists) 

Much Love to you
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Kathy The Tidy Tutor

PS

If you are living with clutter, and you want to embrase the minimalist lifestyle, and you haven’t taken Tidy Tutor University, honestly, it has to start there.  You will find that so much changes when you begin even just session 1. It’s free to start. Please Click HERE and try it now.

Leave a Reply 9 comments

Tim Leap - Reply

Kathy is a sincere in what she says here . I have been following this wonderful lady for 16 months She is who she is . Absolutely nothing phoney about her . In that time she has revealed some very personal experiences in order to let us know where she has been , is now , and where she is headed . If you give TTU a try , as I did after 8 months , Kathy will no doubt change your life for the better . Although we have never met , Kathy has become a dear and trusted friend . And also the very nice people you will meet ‘inside’ Tidy Tutor University . We really help one another , like family . If you need to change the way you feel about your life , and want to get moving toward a brighter , happier future , then please trust Kathy . You will never have a single regret .

Mary Ann Olmstead - Reply

Your comments are spot onl, Tim. I issue an enthusiastic second to each—ALL!—of your comments regarding this terrific lady—our dear mentor! 🙂

Sue Ellen Todd - Reply

I don’t think becoming a minimalist will make you happy. It may help for awhile but it can’t make you happy. Happiness has nothing to do with things but it comes from within.

Erin Leigh - Reply

Beautiful <3

Sue Ellen Todd - Reply

Kathy I don’t think there is any harm in the experiment and I do think its a great idea. I have done it myself, but I listened to your video and perhaps I’m wrong but I got the impression you thought by doing this it will make you happy. It probably will make you happy for awhile. It’s just that I hear so many people say things like if I lose weight I will be happy, if I had more money I will be happy and to me it sounded like you were saying if I become a minimalist it will make me happy. It sounds like you are just searching for something to make you happy. I don’t have the answer to what makes someone happy but by becoming a minimalist it only made me happy for a short while. Sue

Sheila Warren - Reply

Kathy, I just recently finished reading a book given to me by the youth pastor at my church, called LIVING WITH LESS, an unexpected key to happiness, by Joshua Becker. It was the first time I had heard of “minimalism”. I am looking forward to joining you on your journey. Thank you Kathy.

Sheila Warren - Reply

Kathy, I just recently finished reading a book given to me by the youth pastor at my church, called LIVING WITH LESS, an unexpected key to happiness, by Joshua Becker. It was the first time I had heard of “minimalism”. I am looking forward to joining you on your journey. Thank you Kathy.

Tina Barrus Worthington - Reply

Great video Kathy! I love watching all of your videos. Every weekend is when I clean my house and I look forward to turning on one of your videos to motivate me. Your life sounds a lot like mine. Nothing is more freeing and makes me happier than having a clean an organized house and environment. It really sets the mood for everything else in my life. Thanks for all you do and sharing your insight!

Connie Bryan Noble - Reply

Kathy, you are such a sweet and inspiring person. I am so glad that I came across your videos months ago on u tube. You always make me smile. I too believe that less is more.

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