My brother developed Avoidant Personality Disorder when he was 5. He read a book a day. I've probably read 20 books in my life because of witnessing it. I have listened to several more on audio but rarely read.
Drew Blackbirch .... lol sounds like there might be a need for you to start a second business in backho rentals..... talk about working in tandum. Hehehe Its a safer more efficent way to move your hoarders, fragile trash transport not guaranteed..... compliment it with a trash truck and youll have the entire moving market cornered from the most priceless to the least of all estates. I hope you get paid REALLY well for that! Ill stick to stylin pups. :)
Everything I own fits in my van, including a small business and a dog! I started letting stuff go in 2014, and after a few ever-smaller storage units, I can now take everything with me and go anywhere having everything I need!
My lifestyle has, periodically, been like the one you describe in this video, even though right now i have an apartment, and a moderate amount of stuff. And while i can definitely see the appeal of living so freely and unemcumberedly, and did enjoy it very much for a good few years there, from a more global perspective it's a bit of a mirage, of course. Because, while not having a place of my own, i HAVE slept on friends and strangers couches, catsat for months on end, stayed in hostels, rented furnished rooms in flatshares etc etc. So yes, while i personally hardly had any stuff, and was travelling delightfully lightly, the places i was staying in, usually all had furniture, which i got to use and enjoy. So SOMEBODY needs to have the stuff,for people like us to enjoy. So, globally speaking it's not a very feasible lifestyle, since only a few people can adopt it, and be free, while other, more sedentary people, who provide and give shelter, are being weighed down by their earthly possessions.
Is the take away from this that the economy depends on most people being immature and sleep walking through life? A "well examined life" is bad for the economy when scaled up to the macro.
No, it's not "bad" for the economy. If people didn't consume much, the things they did consume would be priced much more to pay for the livelihood of people who create them... and they wouldn't have to create much.
@@eddiecedillos8417 No. Governments are simply a part of the economy. A big player. Distorting for sure because they are large. This they share with corporations. Governments, in and of themselves, are neither good nor bad. They just have effects, value free effects. To say "bad" is to apply value judgements. For economists to prescribe is for them to lose objectivity, and become preachers rather than analysts.
I've lived a minimalistic life my whole life. In many ways, I did feel free, but now I regret never having anything because it was harder to share what I liked with other people. It's not that I needed this stuff to know who I was. It was that without stuff, it was harder to show others who I am. And that wasn't a bad thing because I knew I didn't need other people. It was just that I genuinely cared about other people and wanted to share the things that I thought were good in life. I don't care if someone else judges me for my possessions. I just know that if some one else likes the things I have, I'll probably like that person too. I certainly have a deep connection with my things. There's a history there after all. But those are all things I can point out and mention to other people so they can learn more about who I am. It's a nice way for people to learn about the things you've done and the things you like. Things help you connect with others and while you shouldn't rely on objects to know who you are, they are helpful for connecting with yourself too since they function as fantastic memory markers just like pictures on your phone do. I'd argue that the creation of these videos is similar. You are creating a whole lot of stuff even though it doesn't seem like much since it's all digital.
+Paseosinperro nice to see you here. and i think in a few months i'll start making more videos. i feel the time's coming closer................... greetings!! Daniel
What I like about slowly reducing the amount of stuff I own, finding ways to compact things like my desktop into a small laptop and my tools into more and more compact setups and configs, is that it all adds to this sense of mobility in case things go wrong and I gotta pack up and leave. I guess it's all related to the concept of the Island of Safety. It's your ability to give yourself as many options as possible and never be locked into a way of being that could require the stunting of grieving/growth.
Ah, I just had to watch this twice! I like to consider myself a minimalist, too, but you've got me beat with your pared-down lifestyle for sure. I like the idea that our "stuff" becomes a way to externalize our lives and validate our own existence to ourselves. So true. We need to be aware and careful in our relationship to our stuff: it has the ability to bog us down, limit us, and to some degree trap us, too. You must feel so free these days. I have to admit I'm a bit envious!
i can't do this at the moment. i don't have a lot of stuff, basically. i live in a single room studio but i feel like i can't live from a suitcase because i'm going thru some personal traumas and i feel like i need some safe heaven because there's so much negativity around me...negative people, social issues like drug and alcohol abuse. i need a place where i can be quiet without distractions where i can relax and charge. i feel like people just drain my energy...probably partly because becoming more aware of my own trauma seeing the same shit in so many others is so painful. i mean i've never met a person who wasn't pretty severely traumatized. i need a place where i can journal, do relaxation work, meditate and stuff like that. going backpacking just makes me feel anxious...i mean i kind of almost was living from a backpack a few years ago because i was going from one place to the other constantly to work and stuff like that. i felt it was very draining.
hello daniel, you are astonishing! I had watched your videos, and you are so insightful. i adore your point of view in life particularly, your opinions about family system and childhood trauma
hi kim---greetings from paraguay.... i have been living and traveling around south america for the last few months...minimalist still...quite intense and fun...and learning all sorts of things...and my spanish is now pretty good! thank you for your kind comment---and sending you a warm greetings!! saludos---daniel
I live in a small apartment with my spouse. We only have stuff we need, we don´t like to travel or anything like that. Many people ask us when are we going to get a bigger place, but we don´t want to. This way of life is so much easier and we feel better when we don´t have so much stuff.
Steven Zheng that's exactly what he does... If he could separate his identity from his stuff he wouldn't feel the need to get rid of all his possesions
I'd find it hard to get rid of all my guitars.. my banjo, my fiddle, my bouzouki, my bass and my piano... to just walk away from that stuff would be a little challenging for me, but all that travel does seem nice.
Hey man information is never lost, 3 years later; I just found your videos and I appreciate your perspective and point of views. Keep up the good work 👌🏾
Studios or even some one bedroom apartments have always kept me from owning too much stuff. Then when I want to move out, I have to look at all the junk I've collected over the years. I need to live my life like, "what if I had to move out this week?" And I have bad organization skills.
Well said brother..thanks for sharing your story..I agree that everything around us is a reflection of how we see ourselves on the inside, people included..much love all
Thank you for sharing this with us. I will get rid of more. I am glad that I have become a more practical person in terms of clothing and must haves in the house.
I saw a video about greed that concluded that greed and the accumulation of stuff is driven by the need to overcome anxiety about death and dying I thought this was quite insightful Well I can’t die because then who is going to take care of my stuff? kind of thinking Makes sense to me Stuff not only makes us feel powerful and successful and alive; it also keeps The Grim Reaper away!!
Interesting video & although I basically agree with what you're saying, I've always been too much of a collector to be a minimalist. It's something I've always struggled with, because I'm actually pretty aware of the dysfunctional reasons for my buying stuff lol.... And every time I've moved, I tell myself I'm getting rid of all this crap... BTW- I know that's not your house, but it's funny that you're making this video on your minimalist lifestyle while sitting in front of a shelf full of knick knacks & tchotchkes lol
I follow a minimalistic lifestyle that is not so overt at this time like keeping cleaning up old emails, text messages, zero debt, avoiding unnecessary monthly memberships that I don’t always use. I can’t be very minimalistic in my physical world at this time because I like to experience so many activities. This makes me purchase affordable items or gadgets for those activities. I have a specific clothing for work (scrubs), then clothes for exercise and casual going out. Being an artist business owner, I store art supplies so it’s really difficult to be an extreme minimalist. Although I dreamt that someday I could live in a tiny house and own one that is comfortable with my dogs in it. I have one rule I have set for myself though. When I take a new item in, I have to dispose or donate an item out. About similar size. This is how I keep my brutalism style. I can get rid of all my stuff in an instant if it’s necessary for my survival or massive change. Except for my laptop, my dogs and dogs important documents. You are so blessed to experienced this much freedom in this lifetime!
Great video!, Im trying to do the same thing, living in a very small condo and am trying to have less stuff...convincing the girlfriend is tough sometimes though. The hardest part for me is dealing with my friends and peer pressure. Alot of them are extremely conservative and materialistic and dont even realize it. They think im wierd for being frugal and concerned for the environment....I also get alot of crap for not having kids, oh well...fuck them. lol
How much of minimalism has to do with the opportunities we have due to how the wold has become more digital and that is our focus and all that stuff seems superfluous and we have more freedom. Is it due to the internet? I think so.
Just to weigh in with an alternative view - I have regularly through my life slimmed down my possessions to travel and always have collected more. Partly because as a visual artist there is a need for tools and materials, partly because I like to cook and so you need a few utensils and partly because I love variety and colour in clothes and a garden with tools and sculptures and chimes. When we have homes we have cupboards and shelves and the sheer volume of stuff gets hidden until you have to move. Maybe it has been in response to an absolutely terrifying spiritual awakening process where I gave away just about everything and I started to realise that austerity in my case was self denial. I now love and embrace clutter, colour and chaos even though it goes against the popular monochrome minimalist fads. I am currently homeless and living in transitional motel accommodation where they have no pictures, everything is white and grey and my soul is bereft. - I would say that I have had a jolly good internal psychological evacuation - I find there is something in me as a human being, that cries out for the pleasure and the love involved in making a home or a nest, just like many creatures. I have enjoyed travelling but after about 6 weeks I usually come to my limit where I realise I feel like an observer of other people's lives. When you said you could manage without your guitar or your video camera - I felt a pang of sadness in me that we think depriving ourselves of things that give us pleasure is such a spiritual or psychologically mature choice. Maybe it is for someone who has been a mega consumer but it doesn't sound as if you ever have been, So then what is it ?- a repitition of an adaptive coping strategy of doing without ? I say this as someone who has been there and done that. A bit wiser about my own trauma and neglect, I see it is much more true of me to prefer to belong to a community, to have a home, to make art and a contribution and grow plants. It is a commitment to being at the centre of my own life and to commiting to strengthening and deepening relationships with those I love and trusting that I am loved in return. I suppose it is the active making of the adult home full of warmth, abundance, colour , comfort and joy that was absent for me as a child that seems to be an integral part for me of fully recovering from childhood neglect and trauma. It is trusting in that possibility for myself.
Sounds great, except seems like one needs to be dependent on others for places to stay when taking breaks from travel. Also, healthcare costs and difficulty cooking/making healthy, nutritious foods?
Stuff collects like mulch around a plant. It deteriorates too. You are so right. Feeling safe you need little... No armor... Hope you are celebrating every day. Have you been to Arizona?
Hey Daniel, greetings from London! I wondered if you'd do a video on how to travel. Like tips and tricks, best way to get started etc. You are like a veteran traveller, it would be cool to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
AdamOuissellat thanks for the suggestion -- i think i might do it!! might just take a little while though. all the best to you, from new york ---- daniel
AdamOuissellat well, i'm getting closer. i just put up a video on "how to hitchhike." ruclips.net/video/S2KozmGp-sw/видео.html so getting closer........... but i still like your idea and hope to do it..... daniel
I began hoarding stuff and sometimes actual junk like candy wrappers, empty bottles and carton boxes etc. around the time I finally got my own room, at 17, that is also around the same time I started shutting in on myself. It was right after I had to quit being part of the theater club I was in, and not because I wanted to or I couldn't afford to go there anymore, but because my mom didn't like me going there, cause there I have found kindred spirits , there I found people that listened to me and cared about me. I remembered that I totally black out of my mind that period of one and a half years for almost a year or two. The moment I pressed send on the message through which I bailed on a show I was supposed to perform in as the main anthagonist of the show it all faided from my mind as if I've never been there or knew those people. I did eventually regain my memories of that time once I had a chance meeting with a colleague that actually went ahead and later became an actor, but this was back in my last year of high school. The excuse was that I had broken my leg a second time and so I had to rest, not go horsing around on a stage for some dumb play that doesn't amount to anything. If I think about it she didn't want to drive me there and have to wait in the car for about 3 to 4 hours, she would rather kick her feet up with a beer and watch a stupid re-run of some 90's action movie or a sci-fi.
Right at the end, for some reason, I was reminded of George Carlin's old comedy routine. Not the whole routine, but just the first three aspects of taking stuff from the mainland to Honolulu on vacation. lol
it sounds amazing but how would my creativity ever allow it? I loove arranging panitings spontaneously (that's loads of stuff), I also love fashion and creating characters a lot (again loads of stuff), doing witchy things and creating stuff like rose hairsprays (again stuff)... so what to the overly creative ones do to feel liberated while maintaining their expressions?
aaaaaaaaaaaa, I'm a hoarder and I'm gonna have to take breaks to get through this video! but I want to hear what he has to say. something in me is screaming "I NEED MY STUFF!" as I watch. maybe that part of me is right or partially right. it boggles my mind that someone can live with only owning a suitcase, backpack, guitar, and not much else. so alien to me! so I'll watch the rest of the video at a later time. curious, but also tense! but curious.
The stuff can be connected to people who were not so healthy and maybe done someting to you that they wanted to make up for by giving you stuff. I know that this is true in my case. Its actually hard to get rid of it, but I did it to some extend and am planning for more! Thanks for video.
Consumer training - lifelong - constitutes our consumer culture, if it can be called a culture. It's maximalist, of course. So, minimalism is extremely revolutionary. I hear the minimalist call to freedom, though I have a Lot of books on shelves . . . I contemplate reducing their numbers, though.
I keep my books because I am afraid of forgetting what is inside them. I also keep photos and letters and for the same reason. I keep tools to fix things. I keep a mattress and pillows that I clothe in linen that feels good against my skin. And records, proof of this and that in case the authorities ask me for it.
thanks for the video (and all the other videos and your website and books!). at the moment i am also getting rid of stuff, and it's changing your consciousness just to look at everything you have and ask yourself if you really need it or find it nice. one thing is different with me: i don't possess stuff because i need something that defines me, it's rather the fear of being unable to live a nice life without it. and i feel it's a fear many do have, also clutterers: that they might need this stuff very importantly, not to define themselves, but to defend themselves. because, so their feeling tells them: the world is an uncaring and harsh place, and you need to do and possess everything on your own (instead of trouble-free sharing, for example). - and even then, of course, you got the fear of others that might evny your posessings and try to rob you... well maybe a need for self-definition is also included, but my feeling tells me, that's not the main burden, or at least not with me.
Some people buy alot of stuff because they do good marketing on it. These items with one time use, you really dont throw them away after using it. People have forgotten how to do things so they sell theses one task tools for it.
My mom would keep everything I throw away. Either use it for herself or use it recycled somehow, even on display, as a couch cover piece. Its infuriating seeing MY stuff that I threw out, all sitting in my home, under someone elses ownership. And then she uses my stuff all the time saying "didnt you throw this out?"
I've watched a lot of Daniel's videos. When I saw that this was about a wanderer, who has decided to own only a few possessions, traveling and enjoying their freedom, I thought of one person: JACK REACHER.
Yeah, but Reacher takes a different path. He cycles through things using a regular source of income to support his lufestyle. I love the Reacher approach, but would never be able to straighten out my clothes each day by putting them under a cheap motel mattress! yuk!
i have found people like to define themselves by their 'stuff' , or 'useless tatt' as alan watts called it. Their house , their car (especially) and their stuff , which if its the latest model they seem to think makes them better than their neigbour....
Do you own a car, Daniel? I'm trying to live similarly and I often find myself getting stuck in the red tape that comes with moving-changing registration, car insurance, etc. to each state I go. And also worrying about what to do with my car when I travel to foreign countries. Just thought I'd ask!
Hi! No -- I don't own a car. My home base is New York City and you really don't need a car here. In fact, having a car is quite inconvenient and expensive here.
how would they work less and travel.more if their jobs require 40 hrs a week with only 8 days of vacation a year ( if they're lucky ) I knownyou mean people who work from home. And I agree about the bit where people buy TOO much junk.
They could work less by searching for another job that doesn't require them to work 40 hours or a job that has a better work-life balance in general. It's called long-term planning. Not saying it's easy to do, but not impossible. A lot of people are as attached to their jobs, and location, as they are addicted to their stuff. They get blindsided thinking they can't do it because of their jobs, without even trying to search for another one, other options. All the while complaining about the work, co workers, bosses, managers, clients, bad work-life balance and money. They are stuck without realising, same with 'stuff'.
myreddays haha -- i didn't get the reference until i googled what you wrote and realized the 2001 film (which i'd never heard of) had a very similar cover to the one i'm using -- assuming that's what you were getting at :)
myreddays how interesting -- because i've actually heard of the book but haven't read it. but if you google "to be or to have" you'll see the cover looks like a child version of the cover of this video!! odd coincidence!!
Paseosinperro Indeed. I read it a few years ago. I got some more insight into this reading Lowen, who talks about the values of the ego and the values of the body, which would correspond to the having and the being mode. The more in touch with one's body the less narcissism, the more one is. The bigger the self, the smaller the ego.
I’m moving from Florida to Utah to go back to school… I’m packing right now. Donating. Maybe selling.. I get so lazy to sell via internet and fb, instead of getting 300-1,000. Rather just donate 😂 What a burden!
hi hari. it depends on where you live. there are different rules for being a therapist in many different places. in some places you don't need a degree at all. in other places there are different degrees one can get. i got a masters in social work, which allowed me to be a therapist. you could also be a psychologist, or a family therapist -- or even a psychiatrist (first need to get a medical degree), but psychiatrists nowadays mostly just prescribe medication...hmmm.... best of luck to you --daniel
Daniel Mackler thanks a lot man. I plan of moving to a zen monastery for like 5 years before training for deep inner work before becoming a therapist. Thanks for the advice. Also, where have you gone. I miss ya. Your content is so inspiring and awesome.
ah, where have i gone.... hmmm....i find that it can be stressful on me to be so public with my thoughts and feelings. sometimes i think i just need to be more anonymous...just live life... i did just go traveling for a few months in south america -- didn't bring a phone or computer....a relief!!! greetings-daniel
@@dmackler58 OK thanks Daniel was just wondering because we seem very similar in our views on therapy psychiatry etc and I was just wondering what u do as I at a loss at the minute in terms of what career I shd pursue .. Hope it was OK to inquire about your chosen field of wrk .. Thanks for replying .. E
@@miadurnel8952 you're welcome. Perfectly fair question! Also, a big part of my life is that I spend very little -- still living a minimalistic lifestyle. That allows me to work a lot less. Warm greetings---Daniel
My mum was and still is a hoarder and this was one of her worst torture for me. I hated it so much I think this has affected me to be a minimalistic.
My brother developed Avoidant Personality Disorder when he was 5. He read a book a day. I've probably read 20 books in my life because of witnessing it. I have listened to several more on audio but rarely read.
I hate having stuff, not really for philosophical types of reasons. More so because I loathe shopping and I hate cleaning and maintaining shit.
I'm a mover and I see the sickness of hoarding firsthand
Drew Blackbirch .... lol sounds like there might be a need for you to start a second business in backho rentals..... talk about working in tandum. Hehehe Its a safer more efficent way to move your hoarders, fragile trash transport not guaranteed..... compliment it with a trash truck and youll have the entire moving market cornered from the most priceless to the least of all estates. I hope you get paid REALLY well for that! Ill stick to stylin pups. :)
Everything I own fits in my van, including a small business and a dog! I started letting stuff go in 2014, and after a few ever-smaller storage units, I can now take everything with me and go anywhere having everything I need!
That means your dog isn't a saint bernard )
My lifestyle has, periodically, been like the one you describe in this video, even though right now i have an apartment, and a moderate amount of stuff. And while i can definitely see the appeal of living so freely and unemcumberedly, and did enjoy it very much for a good few years there, from a more global perspective it's a bit of a mirage, of course. Because, while not having a place of my own, i HAVE slept on friends and strangers couches, catsat for months on end, stayed in hostels, rented furnished rooms in flatshares etc etc. So yes, while i personally hardly had any stuff, and was travelling delightfully lightly, the places i was staying in, usually all had furniture, which i got to use and enjoy. So SOMEBODY needs to have the stuff,for people like us to enjoy. So, globally speaking it's not a very feasible lifestyle, since only a few people can adopt it, and be free, while other, more sedentary people, who provide and give shelter, are being weighed down by their earthly possessions.
I agree with you here. Thanks for sharing. 😊
Is the take away from this that the economy depends on most people being immature and sleep walking through life? A "well examined life" is bad for the economy when scaled up to the macro.
No, it's not "bad" for the economy. If people didn't consume much, the things they did consume would be priced much more to pay for the livelihood of people who create them... and they wouldn't have to create much.
Governments are bad for the economy
@@eddiecedillos8417 No. Governments are simply a part of the economy. A big player. Distorting for sure because they are large. This they share with corporations. Governments, in and of themselves, are neither good nor bad. They just have effects, value free effects. To say "bad" is to apply value judgements. For economists to prescribe is for them to lose objectivity, and become preachers rather than analysts.
That’s right!
@@wokenepali8376 that made no sense
I've lived a minimalistic life my whole life. In many ways, I did feel free, but now I regret never having anything because it was harder to share what I liked with other people. It's not that I needed this stuff to know who I was. It was that without stuff, it was harder to show others who I am. And that wasn't a bad thing because I knew I didn't need other people. It was just that I genuinely cared about other people and wanted to share the things that I thought were good in life. I don't care if someone else judges me for my possessions. I just know that if some one else likes the things I have, I'll probably like that person too.
I certainly have a deep connection with my things. There's a history there after all. But those are all things I can point out and mention to other people so they can learn more about who I am. It's a nice way for people to learn about the things you've done and the things you like. Things help you connect with others and while you shouldn't rely on objects to know who you are, they are helpful for connecting with yourself too since they function as fantastic memory markers just like pictures on your phone do. I'd argue that the creation of these videos is similar. You are creating a whole lot of stuff even though it doesn't seem like much since it's all digital.
It is a pleasure to own things too as long as you use them and give you joy.
Thank YOU for existing 🍄
It's true. When I cleared out a lot of clutter, I began on my journey of inner work. Thanks Daniel! Some amazing tips ☺️☺️☺️
Having said so much in such short amount of time you really showed the true beauty of minimalism.
Great video. Take care, Daniel :)
Always find myself coming back to Daniel videos :) I hope you are fine Daniel.
+Paseosinperro nice to see you here. and i think in a few months i'll start making more videos. i feel the time's coming closer................... greetings!! Daniel
What I like about slowly reducing the amount of stuff I own, finding ways to compact things like my desktop into a small laptop and my tools into more and more compact setups and configs, is that it all adds to this sense of mobility in case things go wrong and I gotta pack up and leave. I guess it's all related to the concept of the Island of Safety. It's your ability to give yourself as many options as possible and never be locked into a way of being that could require the stunting of grieving/growth.
Ah, I just had to watch this twice! I like to consider myself a minimalist, too, but you've got me beat with your pared-down lifestyle for sure.
I like the idea that our "stuff" becomes a way to externalize our lives and validate our own existence to ourselves. So true. We need to be aware and careful in our relationship to our stuff: it has the ability to bog us down, limit us, and to some degree trap us, too.
You must feel so free these days. I have to admit I'm a bit envious!
***** well, i'm becoming more free. getting rid of stuff has helped me, i admit.
i can't do this at the moment. i don't have a lot of stuff, basically. i live in a single room studio but i feel like i can't live from a suitcase because i'm going thru some personal traumas and i feel like i need some safe heaven because there's so much negativity around me...negative people, social issues like drug and alcohol abuse. i need a place where i can be quiet without distractions where i can relax and charge. i feel like people just drain my energy...probably partly because becoming more aware of my own trauma seeing the same shit in so many others is so painful. i mean i've never met a person who wasn't pretty severely traumatized. i need a place where i can journal, do relaxation work, meditate and stuff like that. going backpacking just makes me feel anxious...i mean i kind of almost was living from a backpack a few years ago because i was going from one place to the other constantly to work and stuff like that. i felt it was very draining.
Society is brainwashed to consume. Shopping is the new religion.
Could not be more accurate!
hello daniel, you are astonishing! I had watched your videos, and you are so insightful. i adore your point of view in life particularly, your opinions about family system and childhood trauma
hi kim---greetings from paraguay.... i have been living and traveling around south america for the last few months...minimalist still...quite intense and fun...and learning all sorts of things...and my spanish is now pretty good! thank you for your kind comment---and sending you a warm greetings!! saludos---daniel
Have you ever tried Ayahuasca?
I live in a small apartment with my spouse. We only have stuff we need, we don´t like to travel or anything like that. Many people ask us when are we going to get a bigger place, but we don´t want to. This way of life is so much easier and we feel better when we don´t have so much stuff.
"I think a lot of people hold onto stuff as a clear, external way to define their existence." 3:17
Wow. That hit. Thank you.
Almost all of this resonates with me, but I took longer to get there. i still struggle with consumerism, and its frustrating.
The more stuff we have, the more the stuff own us, and not the other way around.
Hard to do when you’re an artist or a craftsman.
Yes, no doubt!! But I guess it's also on a spectrum -- there's always room for more stuff!
I’m so grateful I found your channel! Great work! Thank you!
Daniel you are an excellent orator on this and other life-growth topics. Thank you and God bless.
You are simply God Sent to all of us who are already in the path to a minimalistic and happier existence. God bless u!
People associate their possessions with their identity. People attach value and their identity with their belongings.
Steven Zheng that's exactly what he does... If he could separate his identity from his stuff he wouldn't feel the need to get rid of all his possesions
I'd find it hard to get rid of all my guitars.. my banjo, my fiddle, my bouzouki, my bass and my piano... to just walk away from that stuff would be a little challenging for me, but all that travel does seem nice.
Hey man information is never lost, 3 years later; I just found your videos and I appreciate your perspective and point of views. Keep up the good work 👌🏾
Studios or even some one bedroom apartments have always kept me from owning too much stuff. Then when I want to move out, I have to look at all the junk I've collected over the years. I need to live my life like, "what if I had to move out this week?" And I have bad organization skills.
I'm so glad to see you respond I'm glad you are OK and I can't wait to see some of your new work I hope our paths cross soon thank you
Well said brother..thanks for sharing your story..I agree that everything around us is a reflection of how we see ourselves on the inside, people included..much love all
Thank you for sharing this with us. I will get rid of more. I am glad that I have become a more practical person in terms of clothing and must haves in the house.
Thank you for VALIDATION On parenting for sure!!! I just found you and am following your same path
I really get you on this one. You're so natural.
I watch a lot of you tube channels on living in tiny homes you build or vans & RV's. It's interesting. They go everywhere & explore.
I saw a video about greed that concluded that greed and the accumulation of stuff is driven by the need to overcome anxiety about death and dying I thought this was quite insightful Well I can’t die because then who is going to take care of my stuff? kind of thinking Makes sense to me Stuff not only makes us feel powerful and successful and alive; it also keeps The Grim Reaper away!!
I will take the road less traveled always. I know you are performing good works. Bless Up my frend.
Interesting video & although I basically agree with what you're saying, I've always been too much of a collector to be a minimalist. It's something I've always struggled with, because I'm actually pretty aware of the dysfunctional reasons for my buying stuff lol.... And every time I've moved, I tell myself I'm getting rid of all this crap...
BTW- I know that's not your house, but it's funny that you're making this video on your minimalist lifestyle while sitting in front of a shelf full of knick knacks & tchotchkes lol
I follow a minimalistic lifestyle that is not so overt at this time like keeping cleaning up old emails, text messages, zero debt, avoiding unnecessary monthly memberships that I don’t always use. I can’t be very minimalistic in my physical world at this time because I like to experience so many activities. This makes me purchase affordable items or gadgets for those activities. I have a specific clothing for work (scrubs), then clothes for exercise and casual going out. Being an artist business owner, I store art supplies so it’s really difficult to be an extreme minimalist. Although I dreamt that someday I could live in a tiny house and own one that is comfortable with my dogs in it.
I have one rule I have set for myself though. When I take a new item in, I have to dispose or donate an item out. About similar size. This is how I keep my brutalism style.
I can get rid of all my stuff in an instant if it’s necessary for my survival or massive change. Except for my laptop, my dogs and dogs important documents.
You are so blessed to experienced this much freedom in this lifetime!
Great video!, Im trying to do the same thing, living in a very small condo and am trying to have less stuff...convincing the girlfriend is tough sometimes though. The hardest part for me is dealing with my friends and peer pressure. Alot of them are extremely conservative and materialistic and dont even realize it. They think im wierd for being frugal and concerned for the environment....I also get alot of crap for not having kids, oh well...fuck them. lol
Cameron Boyce 😅😅
Fuck them. Be yourself.
How much of minimalism has to do with the opportunities we have due to how the wold has become more digital and that is our focus and all that stuff seems superfluous and we have more freedom. Is it due to the internet? I think so.
Another amazing video.
I love you channel!
Just to weigh in with an alternative view - I have regularly through my life slimmed down my possessions to travel and always have collected more. Partly because as a visual artist there is a need for tools and materials, partly because I like to cook and so you need a few utensils and partly because I love variety and colour in clothes and a garden with tools and sculptures and chimes. When we have homes we have cupboards and shelves and the sheer volume of stuff gets hidden until you have to move.
Maybe it has been in response to an absolutely terrifying spiritual awakening process where I gave away just about everything and I started to realise that austerity in my case was self denial. I now love and embrace clutter, colour and chaos even though it goes against the popular monochrome minimalist fads. I am currently homeless and living in transitional motel accommodation where they have no pictures, everything is white and grey and my soul is bereft. -
I would say that I have had a jolly good internal psychological evacuation - I find there is something in me as a human being, that cries out for the pleasure and the love involved in making a home or a nest, just like many creatures. I have enjoyed travelling but after about 6 weeks I usually come to my limit where I realise I feel like an observer of other people's lives.
When you said you could manage without your guitar or your video camera - I felt a pang of sadness in me that we think depriving ourselves of things that give us pleasure is such a spiritual or psychologically mature choice. Maybe it is for someone who has been a mega consumer but it doesn't sound as if you ever have been, So then what is it ?- a repitition of an adaptive coping strategy of doing without ? I say this as someone who has been there and done that.
A bit wiser about my own trauma and neglect, I see it is much more true of me to prefer to belong to a community, to have a home, to make art and a contribution and grow plants. It is a commitment to being at the centre of my own life and to commiting to strengthening and deepening relationships with those I love and trusting that I am loved in return. I suppose it is the active making of the adult home full of warmth, abundance, colour , comfort and joy that was absent for me as a child that seems to be an integral part for me of fully recovering from childhood neglect and trauma. It is trusting in that possibility for myself.
Sounds great, except seems like one needs to be dependent on others for places to stay when taking breaks from travel. Also, healthcare costs and difficulty cooking/making healthy, nutritious foods?
Inspirational, how I feel on the occasions I'm real.
Stuff collects like mulch around a plant. It deteriorates too. You are so right. Feeling safe you need little... No armor... Hope you are celebrating every day. Have you been to Arizona?
Hey Daniel, greetings from London!
I wondered if you'd do a video on how to travel. Like tips and tricks, best way to get started etc.
You are like a veteran traveller, it would be cool to hear your thoughts.
Thanks!
AdamOuissellat thanks for the suggestion -- i think i might do it!! might just take a little while though. all the best to you, from new york ---- daniel
Awesome! I'm subbed so if you do I'll get notified. Thanks for replying :)
AdamOuissellat well, i'm getting closer. i just put up a video on "how to hitchhike." ruclips.net/video/S2KozmGp-sw/видео.html so getting closer........... but i still like your idea and hope to do it..... daniel
I began hoarding stuff and sometimes actual junk like candy wrappers, empty bottles and carton boxes etc. around the time I finally got my own room, at 17, that is also around the same time I started shutting in on myself. It was right after I had to quit being part of the theater club I was in, and not because I wanted to or I couldn't afford to go there anymore, but because my mom didn't like me going there, cause there I have found kindred spirits , there I found people that listened to me and cared about me. I remembered that I totally black out of my mind that period of one and a half years for almost a year or two. The moment I pressed send on the message through which I bailed on a show I was supposed to perform in as the main anthagonist of the show it all faided from my mind as if I've never been there or knew those people. I did eventually regain my memories of that time once I had a chance meeting with a colleague that actually went ahead and later became an actor, but this was back in my last year of high school. The excuse was that I had broken my leg a second time and so I had to rest, not go horsing around on a stage for some dumb play that doesn't amount to anything. If I think about it she didn't want to drive me there and have to wait in the car for about 3 to 4 hours, she would rather kick her feet up with a beer and watch a stupid re-run of some 90's action movie or a sci-fi.
I really like your videos. You're very smart!
shapaco89 aw, thanks!
I agree with you in many ways
Right at the end, for some reason, I was reminded of George Carlin's old comedy routine. Not the whole routine, but just the first three aspects of taking stuff from the mainland to Honolulu on vacation. lol
it sounds amazing but how would my creativity ever allow it? I loove arranging panitings spontaneously (that's loads of stuff), I also love fashion and creating characters a lot (again loads of stuff), doing witchy things and creating stuff like rose hairsprays (again stuff)...
so what to the overly creative ones do to feel liberated while maintaining their expressions?
I love this guy
aaaaaaaaaaaa, I'm a hoarder and I'm gonna have to take breaks to get through this video! but I want to hear what he has to say. something in me is screaming "I NEED MY STUFF!" as I watch. maybe that part of me is right or partially right. it boggles my mind that someone can live with only owning a suitcase, backpack, guitar, and not much else. so alien to me! so I'll watch the rest of the video at a later time. curious, but also tense! but curious.
The stuff can be connected to people who were not so healthy and maybe done someting to you that they wanted to make up for by giving you stuff. I know that this is true in my case. Its actually hard to get rid of it, but I did it to some extend and am planning for more!
Thanks for video.
You are so damn insightful.
Spot on !
Used to say "Cleanliness is next to godliness". More correctly stated: " Minimalism is next to godliness."
so what do you live on Daniel, whats your work or do you work?
Consumer training - lifelong - constitutes our consumer culture, if it can be called a culture. It's maximalist, of course. So, minimalism is extremely revolutionary. I hear the minimalist call to freedom, though I have a Lot of books on shelves . . . I contemplate reducing their numbers, though.
Introvert, intuitive, feeler, judger?
I keep my books because I am afraid of forgetting what is inside them. I also keep photos and letters and for the same reason. I keep tools to fix things. I keep a mattress and pillows that I clothe in linen that feels good against my skin. And records, proof of this and that in case the authorities ask me for it.
OMG this is so true
thanks for the video (and all the other videos and your website and books!). at the moment i am also getting rid of stuff, and it's changing your consciousness just to look at everything you have and ask yourself if you really need it or find it nice.
one thing is different with me: i don't possess stuff because i need something that defines me, it's rather the fear of being unable to live a nice life without it. and i feel it's a fear many do have, also clutterers: that they might need this stuff very importantly, not to define themselves, but to defend themselves. because, so their feeling tells them: the world is an uncaring and harsh place, and you need to do and possess everything on your own (instead of trouble-free sharing, for example). - and even then, of course, you got the fear of others that might evny your posessings and try to rob you...
well maybe a need for self-definition is also included, but my feeling tells me, that's not the main burden, or at least not with me.
sounds like my friend Nick who went cycling and camping and staying in bothies for a year. He had a way of earning money when he needed to though
Some people buy alot of stuff because they do good marketing on it. These items with one time use, you really dont throw them away after using it. People have forgotten how to do things so they sell theses one task tools for it.
Interesting video... Families tend to need more luggage though!
My mom would keep everything I throw away. Either use it for herself or use it recycled somehow, even on display, as a couch cover piece.
Its infuriating seeing MY stuff that I threw out, all sitting in my home, under someone elses ownership. And then she uses my stuff all the time saying "didnt you throw this out?"
That would be me too.
after being owned by the man and the financial machine for most of my life, i am now completely debt free, pay cash for everything. good video
I think the stuff represents the "attachment disorder".
I've watched a lot of Daniel's videos. When I saw that this was about a wanderer, who has decided to own only a few possessions, traveling and enjoying their freedom, I thought of one person: JACK REACHER.
Yeah, but Reacher takes a different path. He cycles through things using a regular source of income to support his lufestyle. I love the Reacher approach, but would never be able to straighten out my clothes each day by putting them under a cheap motel mattress! yuk!
i have found people like to define themselves by their 'stuff' , or 'useless tatt' as alan watts called it. Their house , their car (especially) and their stuff , which if its the latest model they seem to think makes them better than their neigbour....
It does feel like a security blanket.
Liked @396
Like your style
nice but I love my books too much...
Felipe Alarcon books and their info are liberating they don't imprison.
Yes! Books and original art, both are my downfalls. I let go of what I can
Hi Daniel, do you ever still do therapy, over Skype perhaps?
How do u earn money
It's like college. Free & simple.
Do you own a car, Daniel? I'm trying to live similarly and I often find myself getting stuck in the red tape that comes with moving-changing registration, car insurance, etc. to each state I go. And also worrying about what to do with my car when I travel to foreign countries. Just thought I'd ask!
Hi! No -- I don't own a car. My home base is New York City and you really don't need a car here. In fact, having a car is quite inconvenient and expensive here.
That makes a lot of sense! @@dmackler58
Yess
Yep, I never been in a relationship. it makes mental illness even worse. Too much shit.
The stuff you own, it owns you.
how would they work less and travel.more if their jobs require 40 hrs a week with only 8 days of vacation a year ( if they're lucky ) I knownyou mean people who work from home. And I agree about the bit where people buy TOO much junk.
They could work less by searching for another job that doesn't require them to work 40 hours or a job that has a better work-life balance in general. It's called long-term planning. Not saying it's easy to do, but not impossible.
A lot of people are as attached to their jobs, and location, as they are addicted to their stuff. They get blindsided thinking they can't do it because of their jobs, without even trying to search for another one, other options. All the while complaining about the work, co workers, bosses, managers, clients, bad work-life balance and money. They are stuck without realising, same with 'stuff'.
Look at Kanye & Kim ‘s house designed by Axel Vervoordt. Very minimalist.
to be or to have
myreddays haha -- i didn't get the reference until i googled what you wrote and realized the 2001 film (which i'd never heard of) had a very similar cover to the one i'm using -- assuming that's what you were getting at :)
Daniel Mackler Actually it is a reference to a book by Erich Fromm. Though its original title is 'To have or to be', in reality.
myreddays how interesting -- because i've actually heard of the book but haven't read it. but if you google "to be or to have" you'll see the cover looks like a child version of the cover of this video!! odd coincidence!!
myreddays That book is very good explaining the difference between living on "being mode" or "having mode"
Paseosinperro Indeed. I read it a few years ago. I got some more insight into this reading Lowen, who talks about the values of the ego and the values of the body, which would correspond to the having and the being mode. The more in touch with one's body the less narcissism, the more one is. The bigger the self, the smaller the ego.
I’m moving from Florida to Utah to go back to school…
I’m packing right now.
Donating.
Maybe selling..
I get so lazy to sell via internet and fb, instead of getting 300-1,000.
Rather just donate 😂
What a burden!
Ps. Thank You!!
2:06 that’s all you have!?
Goals Goals Goals
thank you thank you thank you
For everything!!!
Minimalism is where it’s at..
4:00
You have a faco of Steve Jobs!
Hope that clutter to your left isn't yours
hey man I want to become a therapist. Have you got any advice? I do a science degree and about to finsh. Where would i go on to study therapy?
hi hari. it depends on where you live. there are different rules for being a therapist in many different places. in some places you don't need a degree at all. in other places there are different degrees one can get. i got a masters in social work, which allowed me to be a therapist. you could also be a psychologist, or a family therapist -- or even a psychiatrist (first need to get a medical degree), but psychiatrists nowadays mostly just prescribe medication...hmmm.... best of luck to you --daniel
Daniel Mackler thanks a lot man. I plan of moving to a zen monastery for like 5 years before training for deep inner work before becoming a therapist. Thanks for the advice. Also, where have you gone. I miss ya. Your content is so inspiring and awesome.
ah, where have i gone.... hmmm....i find that it can be stressful on me to be so public with my thoughts and feelings. sometimes i think i just need to be more anonymous...just live life... i did just go traveling for a few months in south america -- didn't bring a phone or computer....a relief!!! greetings-daniel
I'm a minimalist cause I want to live like Jesus.
I'm guessing your filming in someone else's place . There's a lot of stuff behind you & plants to take care of.
Yes, was definitely not my place!
Daniel you missed the point. You were supposed to make the smallest video possible!!!
What do u wrk at now daniel
mostly proofreading and editing writing. sometimes professional video editing too.
@@dmackler58 OK thanks Daniel was just wondering because we seem very similar in our views on therapy psychiatry etc and I was just wondering what u do as I at a loss at the minute in terms of what career I shd pursue .. Hope it was OK to inquire about your chosen field of wrk .. Thanks for replying .. E
@@miadurnel8952 you're welcome. Perfectly fair question! Also, a big part of my life is that I spend very little -- still living a minimalistic lifestyle. That allows me to work a lot less. Warm greetings---Daniel
You forgot to count your glasses 😁
(If you want to get rid of it, try eye yoga)
#BareNakedLadies
he's talking about minimalism while having a whole bunch of crap behind him
It wasn't my stuff. I had a friend let me use her home to record. My life's belongings take up less than half a closet.