We take fire for granted. If I want fire, I don’t have to go to a special place. I don’t have to pay a lot of money. I can create fire (in several ways) without leaving my house – all I need ia a lighter or a match. If I can’t find either, I can get a big box of matches at a gas station, hardware store, or local big box store for a buck or two. Or I could just ask a smoker.
Fire is, in fact, so common that we find ourselves having to worry about creating it accidentally. We don’t think twice about putting out a fire, because we can always make another one. We actually spend time looking for ways to make things harder to burn.
But it wasn’t always this way.
If you rewind back a ways into history, we had fire – but it was harder to make. There were readily-available techniques, but they had to be learned and practiced. The odds of a 3-year-old accidentally starting one and burning down a village were almost nonexistent.
Rewind a ways back further yet and we didn’t have fire at all, other than the ones caused naturally by lightning. If you traveled back to that period in time, you could probably trade a few matches for just about anything you wanted.
Many things follow this cycle. First it’s impossible. Then it’s almost impossible. Then it’s just difficult. Then it’s not that hard. Then it’s easy. Then it’s so easy that we don’t even think about it anymore.
It’s easy, once it’s done being hard.
The thing that a lot of people (especially the early minimalism bloggers) don’t admit is that minimalism isn’t easy until it’s done being hard.
Much of our culture says minimalism is impractical or impossible. I just had a conversation with a friend this last week who insisted that a professional woman would be unable to do Project 333. She said that there’s no way a professional woman could get by with that few items of clothing.
Yet I know that there are professional women out there doing it, and succeeding. There are even some that elect to make the changes permanent.
It’s easy, once it’s done being hard.
When you’re starting down the path of minimalism, clutter is overwhelming. Breaking the habits that cause it seems like an impossible task. There are a lot of physical changes, and a huge mental shift that has to happen. This takes time; it doesn’t happen overnight. It frequently requires swimming directly against the stream of culture. Want to hear the good news, though?
It’s easy, once it’s done being hard.
Don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t “arrived” yet. Right now it’s hard; it gets easier as you go. Someday it’ll be second nature.
If you’re stuck on the path, I’d love to be able to help. Shoot me over an email (via the contact form), or leave a comment. I definitely don’t have all the answers, but I love helping people find the right questions!
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I'm Robert Wall, an Internet "jack-of-all-trades" on a journey to a life of minimalism, simplicity & frugality. Join me on the journey!
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Wow! This really hit me. It is so true! There are now lots of things I never thought I’d be able to do that I no longer even think about when I do them. That gives me courage to take the next step. Thanks.
Linda Sand recently posted..Xfinity
Very true! It’s hard to start uncluttering, then a sort of rhythm kicks in and it gets easier. Over time, the brain catches up, and then it’s all no sweat. But it takes time, time and persistence!
Actually Project 333 can take a bit of adjustment for a professional woman–and a nearby dry cleaner’s, especially if she has young children fond of smearing grape jelly on wool blazers. Nonetheless, it is doable and it is liberating.
Meg recently posted..Looking Around (and Under) the ‘Hood
Two things…..
1) She herself isn’t in the category of “professional woman”. She’s a SAHM.
2) She wasn’t talking about whether the cleaning would be manageable. She was saying that it’s inherently unacceptable for a professional woman to not own enough outfits to go two or more weeks without wearing the same thing twice. In her frame of reference, not owning that many clothes makes somebody inherently unprofessional.
I know that women tend to be more fashion-conscious than men, and that female outfits are frequently more complicated than “grab any pair of jeans, and then any shirt”, so I know it’s got to be at least a little challenging.
Have you done Project 333 Meg?
And then there’s me– the inherent minimalist. I have a hard time understanding how it can be hard for people to just get rid of crap. Yet, your post has given me a much better perspective. Like all, I have my own set of issues that would leave most wondering, “Why is X SO hard for you?!” A little perspective is much needed to create some empathy. What’s hard for some is cake for others while what’s cake to some is hard for others. Thanks for this!
Megyn @ Minimalist Mommi recently posted..Nudity for Minimalism
Great post!
I’ve read somewhere once how long it is supposed to take for a habit to set, but I’m too lazy to try to find it again. Supposedly, though, if you do something consistently for X length of time, the behaviour becomes automatic and therefor the hard” part – the conscious effort to do it – should be over. I suppose the difficulty of the task and steepness of learning curve has something to do with it too.
Mike | Homeless On Wheels recently posted..Photos Of This Morning’s Lunar Eclipse