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Thoughts On "Minimalism" And How It Affects Your Fastlane?

Anything related to matters of the mind

PizzaOnTheRoof

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I don't think I want a big company with many employees, a big house with supercars and hot babes......I just want peace of mind.

To me, having lot's of money is less about buying cool shit, and more about experiencing cool shit, and living stress free.

What are your thoughts on how a minimalist/essentialist mindset can affect your Fastlane pursuits? Any minimalists on the forum?
 
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ApparentHorizon

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I don't think I'm a minimalist, but I don't have a lot of junk collecting dust.

Some people do take it too far. Keeping only 1 bowl and a spork for all meals. meh..

Clutter gets to me though.

You ever walk into someone's house and there's stuff in every corner. Just to fill in the space? It looks nice and organized. But there's something about it that makes me uneasy.

Utilitarian sounds more appealing. Though, they forgo art and beauty for function.

We've had information overload.

We're in a state of opinion overload.

Quote of the year.
 

PizzaOnTheRoof

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I don't think I'm a minimalist, but I don't have a lot of junk collecting dust.

Some people do take it too far. Keeping only 1 bowl and a spork for all meals. meh..

Clutter gets to me though.

You ever walk into someone's house and there's stuff in every corner. Just to fill in the space? It looks nice and organized. But there's something about it that makes me uneasy.

Utilitarian sounds more appealing. Though, they forgo art and beauty for function.



Quote of the year.
I agree. There’s always extremes to every philosophy.

Minimalism is more of a mindset I think. I know I tend to get caught up in the next “thing” (especially tech).
 
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The Abundant Man

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I am a minimalist because almost all I do is work. Therefore I have zero time to spend globs of money or have "experiences" .
Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away I worked 6am-9pm at one job then 10pm-3am. Wasn't fun. I'd much rather have experiences.

But if you prefer to work more power to you.

If the work has a purpose. If there's meaning and passion. Then yeah I'll work.

If the work is mind numbing boring....just shoot myself.
 

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If you think about it everything is just about experiences.

You want to experience what it’s like having an expensive car (the popularity, speed, etc), but all it does is just get you from point A to point B.
 

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PizzaOnTheRoof

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If you think about it everything is just about experiences.

You want to experience what it’s like having an expensive car (the popularity, speed, etc), but all it does is just get you from point A to point B.
I should’ve clarified. I meant meaningful experiences to you.

I have no urge to go skydiving, however I would love to travel overseas for a month.

Pursuing minimalism feels ironic
No more so than meditation or changing your eating habits.

I think focusing on only the important things, decluttering, and saving money is a worthy pursuit.
 

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I define minimalism as a philosophy of life that embraces identifying what most positively contributes to or is most useful in your life and doubling down on it while reducing the noise (anything that isn't particularly joyful, useful, doesn't serve many purposes, etc.) to the minimum. In a way, minimalism to me is just another facet of the 80/20 principle.

It helps in the following ways:
  • you make money in a more purposeful way - not just to make "more," but for specific goals that will enrich the quality of your life. You aren't blindly building more and more wealth just so you can afford something bigger and newer because you know that there's something called "enough." Thanks to this, you're more concerned about making the business work for you vs building a business that takes over your life.
  • you're less wasteful - instead of looking how to constantly grow bigger, you ask yourself how to grow better. You can choose "more" and hire as many people as possible, but often throwing "more" at the problem doesn't solve it, and actually makes it worse. What's needed is trimming the fat and making the most of what you already have.
  • you're more effective - being less wasteful also means being more judicious with your resources. You don't believe in hard work, you believe in smart work. You identify the key strategies that work for you instead of being all over the place, working in an unfocused way. You ignore the shiny objects and little distractions that your competition engages in just because they're trendy now (like a common tendency to employ social media as a marketing channel even when it's clearly not a good fit for a particular industry).
 
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luniac

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I should’ve clarified. I meant meaningful experiences to you.

I have no urge to go skydiving, however I would love to travel overseas for a month.


No more so than meditation or changing your eating habits.

I think focusing on only the important things, decluttering, and saving money is a worthy pursuit.

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” - Albert Einstein

lol i believe in a moment to moment minimalism, but life overall can be rich and full of things.
 

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I really liked Greg's Essentialism book. The way it can be useful for fastlane is to focus all your energy on one thing, instead of wasting it on a hundred things. I don't think it's about being small (small profits, small business size, etc.) but about being focused.
 

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG2GJZcBKOE


This is another video by Mat D'Avella. He's the guy in OP. I don't subscribe to his channel, but I remembered this video when stumbled upon this thread. It's about an average day in the life of a minimalist.

Personally I don't think of myself as a minimalist, but I can see definitely some resemblances in my lifestyle.

I don't see a reason for shopping sprees, high-end, designer clothes and sneakers. I don't see a reason for 6 cars or lavish dinners every day (sometimes that is just what you need, but definitely not every day), etc., etc. I think you get the point, don't you?

In my opinion, minimalism transcends beyond the stuff we own. It's about our actions, the events we go to, the people we hang with. It's overall the way we live. It's a lifestyle, right?

Again, it's not just about the stuff we own.

What I'm trying to say here is, you don't have to be a proclaimed minimalist to achieve what they're trying to. I'm going to one up what I just said and say that minimalists are on the other end of the spectrum of consumerism.

"Polarizing" is good for marketing, but bad if you really believe it.
 
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luniac

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG2GJZcBKOE


This is another video by Mat D'Avella. He's the guy in OP. I don't subscribe to his channel, but I remembered this video when stumbled upon this thread. It's about an average day in the life of a minimalist.

Personally I don't think of myself as a minimalist, but I can see definitely some resemblances in my lifestyle.

I don't see a reason for shopping sprees, high-end, designer clothes and sneakers. I don't see a reason for 6 cars or lavish dinners every day (sometimes that is just what you need, but definitely not every day), etc., etc. I think you get the point, don't you?

In my opinion, minimalism transcends beyond the stuff we own. It's about our actions, the events we go to, the people we hang with. It's overall the way we live. It's a lifestyle, right?

Again, it's not just about the stuff we own.

What I'm trying to say here is, you don't have to be a proclaimed minimalist to achieve what they're trying to. I'm going to one up what I just said and say that minimalists are on the other end of the spectrum of consumerism.

"Polarizing" is good for marketing, but bad if you really believe it.

fake minimalist, eats more than once a day, and doesn't have a home gym. lol
 

Insidious

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I think some of this comes down to what you have at the end of your spectrums.

The opposite of minimalist is..? A 'maximalist', a 'hoarder', or something else?

The goal of the Fastlane is money/stuff or the goal of the Fastlane is freedom?

How about minimizing the crap you don't care about and maximizing the stuff you do? This is the same as saying NO to everything that isn't a 'hell YES'. You need to NOT DO (and NOT HAVE) to have space for what you want to DO and HAVE.

I'm a freedom maximizer, and recently realized that I do have stuff that is a drag on my freedom. So that stuffs gotta go. But even with freedom, it's 'freedom to do, or from what'? Freedom from a landlord, or freedom from a mortgage, or freedom from the vagaries of the real estate market, or freedom to change locations easily? What's important to you?

Related, I recently read Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki, it stimulated a lot of new thought on this subject, recommended (4 stars).
 
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Mattie

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I think it's more about getting rid of the over saturation of consumerism. It really has nothing to do with being an Entrepreneur. It's more a movement of cleaning up the earth of all the trash of materialism.

This is coming down to Environmentalism. Which it is bringing in the questions of what we're inventing, why we're inventing it, and really at 48 years old, when I walk in all the stores and see how much materialism there is brand new, and then walk in thrift shops, estate sales, garage sales, yard sales, flea markets, and antique malls, we are way over board in materialism in the world, and just keep creating more and more decade after decade.

Let's say 40 years from now, how much more junk is sitting somewhere on the planet in some river, lake, ocean, forest, in the ditch. I think this is what they're getting at, is we're already over saturated with materialism.

When my great grand parents lived, they didn't have a television in every room of the house, five mobile phones in the family, five laptops, five tablets, and every game system. And when just these few items are dead or broken, what do you do with it? It ends up somewhere on the earth and piling up.

I think it's more of Entrepreneurs creating products that are more environmentally friendly. Not so much they stop creating products.

Even working at a Department Store for many years, I understand I was pulling off the shelves expired items. You have a lot of damaged products from shipping or returns from customers. Usually businesses have to dispose of these products and the question is where, when, and how?

Every Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter is usually when they clearance out stuff, while they bring new items in. Which I know there is always left overs that also get tossed somewhere.

I believe the whole idea is living a life where your conscious and aware of how much materialism you need in your home. I mean you have hoarders who could open their own thrift shop just by open the doors to their home.

Pack rats and save everything under the sun. And you can find this in the wealthy, side walk, and slow lane.

I was in one house one time the people were very wealthy, and they had more books on three floors, they could open a library. Not to mention enough antiques to open an antique store.

As a nurse aide, I've seen it all. lol I think this is why I'm not so much motivated by materialism as many people. I believe Entrepreneurship to me is adding value to society, but that possibility is a million different opportunities, and not always based on materialism alone.

You have people who want to take the grave yard of Airplanes and make homes out of them. I believe people don't really understand how many brand new cars are just sitting somewhere because no one bought them.

Yet we keep creating new vehicles. This is the type of stuff I think their trying to get at.

If you have a million Jeeps you didn't sell in 2019, perhaps we don't need to make a million more Jeeps in 2020. That's blowing it out of proportion.

For the consumer, do you need five cars in your drive way if you only have two people in your house?

I understand what their getting at, but really we've created it since the 1950's to the extent it is today in 2019. While you had Entrepreneurs before, I don't believe it was ever this bad with how many products are out there.

Just in the shampoo isle, you can spend a half hour just deciding which shampoo you want to try.

With UPC codes you know what product sells and doesn't sell in a geographical location and of course when it doesn't get sold it ends up in some store that buys the excess, and sometimes they don't even get rid of it.

So there's a great amount of hygiene products alone like Shampoo, toothpaste, soap, skin, health products which expire and go to waste.

I believe it's just simply waste control, versus Minimalism.

As some Entrepreneurs are getting ideas about how to get rid or plastics. Which is quite fascinating since it was a big thing for awhile.

We have issues with garbage dumps in countries.
 

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More than half the world are involuntary minimalists and I'd say they're none too F*cking happy about it.
 

PizzaOnTheRoof

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Valhalla

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Minimalism =/= Poverty

Not saying it is, just that it can be interpreted as one of those cruel jokes on the developing world along with extreme diets and artisan water.
 

luniac

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I think it's more about getting rid of the over saturation of consumerism. It really has nothing to do with being an Entrepreneur. It's more a movement of cleaning up the earth of all the trash of materialism.

This is coming down to Environmentalism. Which it is bringing in the questions of what we're inventing, why we're inventing it, and really at 48 years old, when I walk in all the stores and see how much materialism there is brand new, and then walk in thrift shops, estate sales, garage sales, yard sales, flea markets, and antique malls, we are way over board in materialism in the world, and just keep creating more and more decade after decade.

Let's say 40 years from now, how much more junk is sitting somewhere on the planet in some river, lake, ocean, forest, in the ditch. I think this is what they're getting at, is we're already over saturated with materialism.

When my great grand parents lived, they didn't have a television in every room of the house, five mobile phones in the family, five laptops, five tablets, and every game system. And when just these few items are dead or broken, what do you do with it? It ends up somewhere on the earth and piling up.

I think it's more of Entrepreneurs creating products that are more environmentally friendly. Not so much they stop creating products.

Even working at a Department Store for many years, I understand I was pulling off the shelves expired items. You have a lot of damaged products from shipping or returns from customers. Usually businesses have to dispose of these products and the question is where, when, and how?

Every Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter is usually when they clearance out stuff, while they bring new items in. Which I know there is always left overs that also get tossed somewhere.

I believe the whole idea is living a life where your conscious and aware of how much materialism you need in your home. I mean you have hoarders who could open their own thrift shop just by open the doors to their home.

Pack rats and save everything under the sun. And you can find this in the wealthy, side walk, and slow lane.

I was in one house one time the people were very wealthy, and they had more books on three floors, they could open a library. Not to mention enough antiques to open an antique store.

As a nurse aide, I've seen it all. lol I think this is why I'm not so much motivated by materialism as many people. I believe Entrepreneurship to me is adding value to society, but that possibility is a million different opportunities, and not always based on materialism alone.

You have people who want to take the grave yard of Airplanes and make homes out of them. I believe people don't really understand how many brand new cars are just sitting somewhere because no one bought them.

Yet we keep creating new vehicles. This is the type of stuff I think their trying to get at.

If you have a million Jeeps you didn't sell in 2019, perhaps we don't need to make a million more Jeeps in 2020. That's blowing it out of proportion.

For the consumer, do you need five cars in your drive way if you only have two people in your house?

I understand what their getting at, but really we've created it since the 1950's to the extent it is today in 2019. While you had Entrepreneurs before, I don't believe it was ever this bad with how many products are out there.

Just in the shampoo isle, you can spend a half hour just deciding which shampoo you want to try.

With UPC codes you know what product sells and doesn't sell in a geographical location and of course when it doesn't get sold it ends up in some store that buys the excess, and sometimes they don't even get rid of it.

So there's a great amount of hygiene products alone like Shampoo, toothpaste, soap, skin, health products which expire and go to waste.

I believe it's just simply waste control, versus Minimalism.

As some Entrepreneurs are getting ideas about how to get rid or plastics. Which is quite fascinating since it was a big thing for awhile.

We have issues with garbage dumps in countries.

well said,
but i always thought it didn't make financial business sense to continuously overproduce an underselling product.
Is it cause bulk production pushes the costs down that much that you can produce 1 million unsold jeeps?

I'm interested in the idea of production on order. Maybe in the future when we have super fast nanomachine 3D printers or something, a jeep can be created on the spot only when 1 is ordered.
 

MJ DeMarco

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The ultimate minimalism is no boss and no debt.

;)
 
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The ultimate minimalism is no boss and no debt.

;)
This :rofl:

I believe I understand the positive intent in the minimalism ideology. But, I don't see it as an "end all solution" to a more happy or fulfilling life. I don't find it overly difficult to see passed materialism's script while still keeping some extra clothes in one's closet. Also, there's enough distraction on the internet to give one the quick fix of easy and unnecessary dopamine. I believe this can arguably make the minimalism lifestyle somewhat redundant. (Though I suppose one could add some type of site blocker to their browser and have the willpower to never remove it.)
 

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well said,
but i always thought it didn't make financial business sense to continuously overproduce an underselling product.
Is it cause bulk production pushes the costs down that much that you can produce 1 million unsold jeeps?

I'm interested in the idea of production on order. Maybe in the future when we have super fast nanomachine 3D printers or something, a jeep can be created on the spot only when 1 is ordered.
Something like this. :)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9jPAE8zN4Q
 

Mattie

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Olimac21

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I applied minimalism ideas to my life and it is for sure beneficial, it leads to focus on what really matters instead of just putting more and more into your life (both materially and mentally speaking).

One of the obvious benefits of this mindset is that liberates A LOT of time for you to focus and you learn to say NO more often which is highly valuable in business (I believe Steve Jobs said that key for sucess in Apple was their capacity to focus and say no to so so ideas).
 

MattR82

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I think there's a difference between minimalist and freeing yourself from consumerism.
 
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