I recently watched a Netflix documentary called ‘Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things’ and it definitely struck home in many ways. With a wide array of different characters that the audience can connect with, this documentary dives into how we can essentially peel away (and use) the things in life, and connect more with the people in life. It starts off with the main characters, Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who gave up their day jobs in search of a more meaningful life. They had spent much of their adult lives climbing the corporate ladder and getting ahead, and always being manipulators of people in order to ‘sell’ something (whether it be a product or just a simple idea, they would later reveal how empty this made them feel). The story continues and brings in multiple people who have “minimized” the things in life and reflect on their purpose and adventure-seeking. Most of them minimize the amount of personal belongings that they own (some even going to extremes where it seems like they own only a few clothes, minor amounts of toiletries, and a laptop). What they all have in common is their sense of self and finding that the more of these “things” that they gave up, the more grounded they felt.

A lot of the time, I find that I’m very fortunate to have been raised by a great family that could provide lots of “things” for me. After the holidays, it would always be exciting and cool as a little kid to share what you got for Christmas. As I’ve grown older, I’ve truly realized that seeing and being with family is one of the best gifts that you could have. This is not just a sentimental blog post to attempt to pull at your heartstrings, but just a reminder for people to reflect on themselves, their “things”, and the “people” in their life.

One of the characters in the documentary was a Wall Street broker, who eventually reached the top of his game and was going to become a partner with his firm (what he coined as “being minted”). Before going into his meeting to accept this new higher-ranking job offer, he ended up realizing that all he had done to get there and that he really felt empty. The broker ended up leaving work and never going back to Wall Street. He now lives a life full of adventure and more meaningfulness to himself.

When you have some free time (about 75 minutes), check out this documentary on Netflix. I was really glad to have watched it and taken away a lot of different “minimalist” concepts that I could use in my own personal life, whether it meant downsizing and donating my unused things to make staying connected to those I love and care about easier. Also, Happy Holidays from Boston e-Cycle! I know I’m a bit late with that, but hey, better late than never.