A few years ago, minimalism became trendy and all my friends and colleagues started to get rid of things and build their minimalist homes and wardrobes.

They tried to talk me into minimalism, but they never succeeded.

The exact idea of minimalism is just not for me—I’m all about simple living though.

There isn’t a right or wrong answer to what simple living means; it can look different for everyone (and yes, I believe minimalism can fit under the umbrella of simple living).

For me, simplifying means having freedom and flexibility. Two things that are extremely important in my lifestyle—since my tree planting job requires me living out of a backpack and moving accommodations frequently (meaning sometimes several times a week or at least once a month).

But leading a simple life doesn’t mean living a boring life. Simple living is more about focusing on the things that are important rather than the stuff that isn’t. It’s getting rid of the excess and keeping what is important and valuable for you.

A life with fewer distractions allows you to live more abundantly than collecting excessive items that don’t even get used in the end. And trust me, I have been there. When I decided to sell most of my belongings and quit my job, I realised how much stuff I owned that I didn’t need or never used and that what they say is so damn true: the things you own end up owning you.

The moment I started to simplify my life, declutter, and only keep things that are useful and meaningful for me, I discovered a more fulfilled existence.

These inspiring quotes are great reminders of the power of simple living:

1. “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” ~ Dave Ramsey

2. “Be a curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.” ~ Leo Babauta

3. “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

4. “Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” ~ William Morris

5. “Being organized isn’t about getting rid of everything you own or trying to become a different person, it’s about living the way you want to live, but better.” ~ Andrew Mellen

6. “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

7. “Happiness cannot be traveled to owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ~ Denis Waitley

8. “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is the special occasion.” ~ Toby Mac

9. “The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” ~ Joshua Becker

10. “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” ~ Marie Kondo

11. “Simplicity boils down to two things: identify the essential and eliminate the rest.” ~ Leo Babauta

12. “Simple pleasures are the last healthy refuge in a complex world.” ~ Oscar Wilde

13. “Nature teaches us simplicity and contentment because in its presence we realize we need very little to be happy.” ~ Mark Coleman

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