have you ever bought something thinking that it was going to make you happy and you know I mean maybe it did for a short period of time but ultimately it didn't satisfy we hear that phrase like stuff doesn't make us happy but why is that today I'm going to share two powerful lessons huge mindset shifts that are going to make you look at every single item in your home completely differently well hi I'm Don from the minimal mom and our family has lived as minimalists for almost 10 years now and it's really interesting because some
think it's super extreme a little out there often I'll hear the phrase well I want to simplify into clutter but I don't want to go that far right which I get because you might not yet understand these two principles that are so powerful So today we're going to talk about the hierarchy of needs and why once a need is met further meeting the need brings no further satisfaction in fact it actually brings us backwards down the pyramid but also this idea of diminishing returns this has been so profound I haven't actually talked about this before
but it just hit me as I've been staying at this little cabin with just the bare necessities and how enjoyable it actually is and if you will understand this decluttering your house is going to be a breeze all right I just got the fire going so let's talk about this idea of diminishing returns first this is so powerful so the concept of diminishing returns says that with each new item that we accumulate we have less satisfaction or enjoyment from it now if we look around our homes some will estimate that we have over 300,000 items
in our homes it's no wonder that this stuff is bringing us very little Joy anymore because we have accumulated so much and I also think there has been such a a decrease in the enjoyment of the little things that we've gotten desensitized to the regular enjoyments of life like the first sip of coffee that you take in the morning or taking a nap and in front of a fireplace like is there anything better I also have a heated blanket that I put on the bed and especially when it's like really cold here in Minnesota I
will turn it on about an hour before before we go to bed and it not only heats up the blanket then but it Heats heats up the mattress and so crawling into a warm bed and then pulling up a good fiction book on my phone I it it is like the best feeling ever but for many of us because we are surrounded with so much stuff and so much input and just all of this chaos all around us we don't find the same pleasure or enjoyment from these little things and I think that's why minimalism
is often misunderstood because on one hand it can look extreme and sparse and bare and like we're just intentionally depriving ourselves for what reason but I think what I maybe haven't done a good job articulating before is that the reason is is that we remove all this extra stuff in clutter that is adding no enjoyment which we'll talk about again in a minute with the hierarchy of needs we're removing that and now these very Simple Pleasures are so exponentially enjoyable again and that's why you would come to a cabin like this right that has just
the beer Necessities it does not even have running water right you have to they have bougie out houses here but there's no indoor they have nice shower houses too but no indoor plumbing you have to bring water in you have to heat it if you want some warm water go outside in the cold to go to the bathroom and it does not even feel like a sacrifice at all because it is so enjoyable to be surrounded by just the things you need by a warm fireplace to be surrounded by nature to go out for walks
if it's not too cold out to you the deer you should have seen all the deer that were down here just earlier this morning and it's like your senses and your appreciation are alive and open and receptive to all of this and what's hard is that we often have difficulty experiencing this in our own homes because it's so like chicken and egg do I take the risk of getting my home highly decluttered trusting that what Don is saying is going to be right and that there really is going to be this awesome reward on the
other side or do I just kind of keep doing what culture says I should keep doing keep accumulating all the things and trying you know different stuff because if your current stuff isn't making you you happy then probably you just have to try different stuff right but we know we know at the core of our beings that this has not been working you're a very smart individual you might be frustrated with your stuff right now but you're smart like if you look back over the last 5 10 15 years have these things made you happy
when you have bought them thinking like oh this is going to be so good this is going to be the thing was it actually the thing or can you look back and just see this like trail of regret and poor purchases and disappointment and disillusionment and like oh they got me again right that's what it was like for me none of this stuff truly satisfied and so is it possible that as you highly simplify and to clutter that you too will begin to enjoy all of these Simple Pleasures and the stuff like I don't even
think about the stuff anymore the stuff becomes so inconsequential you keep the things that truly matter we'll also talk end about like I'm not making life harder microwave yes I mean I know that's a little controversial washing machine yes I think we can all agree on that right we'll talk about that a little bit more too I'm not making life harder but finding pleasure in all these small things again man it is so good and it makes life so rich okay and again this idea that minimalism is not roughing it there is something I will
not compromise on and that is a really great mattress and so today's video is sponsored by Helix sleep where their new year sale is going on right now so you can save 25% off your own Helix mattress and get two free pillows when you go to helixsleep.com minimal mom and it's beginning of a new year and many of us have new goals and resolutions but you need a great night's sleep to be able to get that so Tom and I have had our Helix mattress for over 3 years now we love it and all of
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off your own Helix mattress and get two free pillows so just visit helixsleep.com minimal mom or use the link down below and you are going to sleep awesome you are going to get your house decluttered we're going to experience more joy and happiness in the New Year I'm telling you this is going to be so good I mean for real you do you when it comes to the microwave I I'm not getting into into that toate but let's talk a little bit about the hierarchy of needs because this is huge so we have our hierarchy
of needs or hierarchy of happiness and it has these different levels to it and so this is a model that it's just one way one suggestion of how humans achieve happiness uh fulfillment satisfaction in their lives but here's what is continually so fascinating to me is that the only place the only place that you will find physical items in this pyramid of Happiness of how we get to happiness is on the very base level the base level of our physiological needs which are Food Water Shelter we need clothing I am not arguing with that right
we need food we need shelter we need a mug to drink our coffee from absolutely but here is what is so fascinating about this is that once these base needs are met you got the clothes the coffee mug the shelter trying to further meet them with more or fancier things does not bring more satisfaction you will see a a short increase you buy the new car right for a week it's fun you feel good and then it wears off and we go right back to the same Baseline satisfaction that we had before same with clothes
hair and makeup products dishes home decor it feels good right that's why we do it we get the dopamine Rush we're like oh yeah that feels so good but ultimately we come back to the base level satisfaction because continuing to meet needs that are already met with more clothes more mugs more houses more like whatever it does not bring any more satisfaction because it doesn't move us up the pyramid so you I mean I have to imagine you've had this thought too why doesn't we hear stuff doesn't make you happy why not it's so we
spend our whole lives trying to accumulate stuff we're sold stuff all the time so much energy and money goes into selling new stuff why does it bring happiness because once the need is met further meeting the need does not move us up the pyramid which therefore does not bring any further level of satisfaction now as you move up we need love relationships there's a little controversy about what's at the top I ultimately think at the top is helping others um you know it's self-actualization so it it looks different for everybody but it's becoming like your
full self who you were meant to be finding meaning right but why do so many of us fail to get there because we are are bogged down in this base level with all of this crap in our homes and again though I'm not getting down on you because you're just doing what we've been taught to do right we're marketed to this is what culture says like we are just doing all the things that we do and it really does take a lot of courage and bravery to say h this isn't working I'm going to go
against the norm and the Grain and I'm going to get rid of all of my stuff perfectly good stuff I understand that fully right it it does not make logical sense of to our own brains let alone to others but again if we can look at this scientifically I mean we can see this once a need is met continuing to try and meet that same need is a Fool's errand and so if you have felt frustrated with your stuff the St of your home you've wondered why you buy something new and it's just a short
blip of Happiness this is why there's nothing wrong with you and isn't it interesting how going to a place like this where have just the bare necessities and no running water how it feels right like our soul just sigh and you like look around and you're like there's so little to do and manage here that's how we were meant to live that's how we can start moving up the pyramid we can sit at the table by the window and dream and think about things like meaning and what we would love to do with our lives
there's space for that in a space like this it feels like there is hope and Poss possibilities it's it's remarkable and again sometimes I have a hard time putting words to it even because it doesn't always make sense to us because we've been trained for so long that stuff is valuable like don't get rid of stuff stuff has value keep it for someday just in case like hang on to that and for many of us it was ingrained that's what being a good Steward is that's what being wise with our finances is and so again
I understand and that's why I'm not getting down on you at all I understand how our house has got to be how they are I'm just simply inviting you to a different way of living if you're interested where you might find a little more happiness and satisfaction at least that has been my experience and I actually hear from a fair number of others of you too that has been your experience as well so now I know I'm not alone so an invitation to let go of all of the stuff and to start to experience some
of this happiness that we are all worthy of experiencing okay but I also said we are not going to make life harder right that is not what minimalism is all about so let's talk about that for a minute too okay now this line is different for everyone but I have no interest in going off- grid I love that this cabin has electricity it has heat and lights a cozy fireplace but the line is different some like I mean I we still enjoy camping and all that but like in a camper right like I I actually
have no desire to rough it I think that there are so many cool inventions and conveniences that we have like like washing machines and phones and computers and microwaves it's just knowing where that line is of yes this thing makes my life better and easier but again when I get too many of them or it's not the right fit or I fall prey to marketing it gets to this other point where it's not actually adding value and that's when it becomes clutter so again I think sometimes with minimalism it's kind of confused with like roughing
it or somehow being living in a sacrificial way that just makes life harder that is not what I'm advocating at all and I believe that we do each get to find the line for ourselves I know there was a comment on a recent video and something to the effect I'm going to I'm not going to say it super well but something to the effect of like well I think we should all make our own food and can and garden and all that and I think I'm very careful to use the word should anymore because I
have canned and done some of those things and like I glad I can say I did it and I know how to do it I have no desire to can salsa and spaghetti sauce anymore and for others they're like yeah I want to get my husty cluttered so I can do those things and so what I love about minimalism is that again clearing out all of this physical clutter that is adding no value to our life because our base needs are already met clearing that out now we all have this feeling of possibilities and freedom
and autonomy autonomy being like the ability to like I want to go there this direction now no this came up in life I need to go this direction this feeling like we can pivot when need be or we can follow dreams and passions and like those actually really cool things in life and so that is a very unique Journey for each of us so again I don't like putting the word should on everyone should you be a minimalist no only if it benefits you only if you believe it's going to help you move up the
pyamid and you're going to experience more joy and happiness from it then yes but if not then no don't please don't think that that's not what I'm selling right and so we each get to decide for ourselves ooh if I did have a free weekend do I want to go up to a little cabin in the woods and hang out there for a while do I want to go back to school do I want to help others do I want to start this organization uh do I want to step back from my job and not
have to work so much it it's just so cool how all of a sudden we feel like there are possibilities again and that I think that level of Freedom getting there I'm not not sure exactly what uh stage on the pyramid that is but again it's it's I often feel like it's hard because we don't experience it until we've done the hard work and get our home decluttered so there is some risk involved in the beginning like I I know I remember I I mean I remember getting rid of like perfectly good things and there's
still that part of your brain that the alarm is going to go off and be like wait it's like what are we doing like for for sure we're just going to donate that we're just going to get rid of it so I understand understand that but I'm just here to say I think it's worth it from what I've experienced and others experienced I don't think you're going to regret it right so we peel layers of the onion we build confidence over time we work at it a little bit at a time and we also join
others on the journey and stick together and like you know watch other people's YouTube videos and podcasts and books and all the things we like oh yeah they say the same thing oh yeah they're experiencing that too and so we just collect data and and we build trust with ourselves over time but mostly I just want to give you permission to let this stuff go if you have been experiencing the same thing where you feel like yeah you know I think you're right I don't enjoy the little things in life anymore I do think I've
gotten to the point of diminishing returns I have felt really unsatisfied with purchases that I've made in the past and that actually makes a lot of sense why you're saying that is there's nothing wrong with you it's just human psychology and so you have permission to let that stuff go so that you can truly value the things that you have even you know I was just thinking I'm like one coat one hat one pair of boots like one pair of walking shoes once the need is fulfilled adding more is such a short-lived feeling of satisfaction
and so it really is all that we need counterintuitive counter cultural counter to what all the marketing is telling you but you get to a point where you don't miss any of it you don't feel you don't miss the variety or the options because living this way is just so easy and enjoyable so there is my rant on stuff and why it's not making us happy I hope it's validating to you understand like yeah that actually makes a lot of sense why this stuff has not been satisfying and I'm excited for you I believe 2025
is the year of fully decluttered homes I think we've learned a lot we've come through a lot together that has helped bring Clarity on our stuff there's so much information available now and we can't live stressed and anxious like this anymore like something has to change and I think starting with your physical environment and your home is one of the easiest places to start it's hard work but you can see really fast results and progress and that is so motivating and gratifying to us unlike maybe some of our other goals like losing weight and getting
out of debt those take a little while to reap the benefits decluttering you can see progress right away so we'll continue to stick together obviously I have lots of videos on decluttering I have some long format ones that are great to put on in the background while you're working and also uh we have a playlist of minimalism Back to Basics so if you want to learn more the ins and outs of this idea of minism why it's not actually as crazy as it might seem then that playlist can be a great thing to check out
as well but I love you I so grateful for you and I do believe that getting rid of all of this stuff man your life is going to be so much better for it and I really want that for you all right well I hope you have a good day and I will see you again soon
