anything goes with emma chamberlain - minimalism (part 1: lifestyle)

Episode Date: May 4, 2023

over the past few years, we've experienced a lot of maximalism across the board. it's been a major lifestyle trend. it's been a major fashion trend. it's been a present theme over the past few years. ...but i feel like its trendiness might be coming to a temporary end. maybe it's just me, but i've been feeling this collective fatigue. we're sick of it, we're tired of it, we're ready to go back to minimalism. and so i present to you part one of a three part series on minimalism. today in part one, we're going to be discussing the minimalist lifestyle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Over the past few years, we've experienced a lot of maximalism, like across the board in all categories of life and society. We've experienced a lot of maximalism. It's been a major lifestyle trend. It's also been a major fashion trend. It's been a present theme over the past few years, but I feel like its trendiness might be coming to a temporary end.
Starting point is 00:00:33 I feel this collective fatigue. I don't know, and maybe it's just me, but I've been feeling this sort of collective fatigue. We're sick of it, we're tired of it. Everyone's sick of it, We're tired of it. Everyone's sick of it. Everyone's tired of it. We're ready to sort of go back to minimalism. I've been sort of obsessed with the idea of minimalism in all categories of life, lifestyle, fashion, et cetera. I've been sort of obsessed with the concept. I've been craving it,
Starting point is 00:01:07 to be honest. And so I present to you part one of a three-part series on minimalism. So this is part one. And today we're going to be discussing the minimalist lifestyle. the minimalist lifestyle. So as I mentioned earlier, it's been sort of trendy to live life to the max. Maximalism by definition is a style or technique that embraces excess and extravagance. Maximalists believe that more is more. They focus on quantity and quality and surround themselves with as many things as possible.
Starting point is 00:01:50 They want to have everything they desire and they want it to be loud, colorful, and sometimes chaotic. If I time travel in my mind back to like 2017 and I'm scrolling on my Instagram in 2017, I'm seeing a lot of maximalism. Okay. I remember my Instagram feed being bombarded by flexing. Like there was this major flex culture explosion. I hope you remember this,
Starting point is 00:02:22 because it was an interesting time on the internet. Everybody, well not everybody. Okay, wait, let's be clear, not everybody. But influencers were posting with their iced out watches, with their sports cars on private jets, with their full Louis Vuitton monogram outfit. You know, everybody has the newest, freshest shoes. Everything's expensive. Everything's extravagant. And it's all on Instagram and it's all on YouTube
Starting point is 00:02:56 and it's all, well, TikTok wasn't really happening in 2017, but you get the idea. That was a moment. That was a moment on the internet. That was a few years ago. I feel like that's kind of died down a bit, I think, but the funny thing about the flex culture of 2016, 2017, 2018 was that it was so incredibly was that it was so incredibly inaccessible. Like, there are probably only 100,000 people
Starting point is 00:03:32 in the world, actually that might not be true. I don't know. There are very few people in this world who can actually afford to live the lifestyle that was trendy during the sort of flex culture era. I mean, I don't know anyone on a personal level who can afford a private jet, a yacht, expensive clothes, iced out jewelry, massive mansions across the world, eating at no boo every night. I don't know anyone on a personal level who can do that.
Starting point is 00:04:03 Even really wealthy people can't do that. It's like, it's so incredibly unrealistic that it's shocking to me that it even became a trend. But what I think caused this trend to sort of end was it kind of became found out that most of the people that were portraying this lifestyle didn't even live that lifestyle. It wasn't even real.
Starting point is 00:04:27 I remember seeing something online about how there was this company that was renting out their private jet as a photo prop for people for Instagram. And I remember all these videos of people who are major flexors, like getting their jewelry metal detected or something and sometimes it was fake. Okay, maybe I imagine that, but I swear I saw a video like that at one point. More of the story is, I think that the trend of major maximalism
Starting point is 00:05:00 died out quick because it was just all of a sod to begin with. Pretty much no one can live their life like that. So it died out quick because it was just all of a sod to begin with. Pretty much no one can live their life like that. So it died out. But I will say there are still a few people left out there flexing this type of lifestyle. But what's interesting about it is that it's not working anymore. Like the reaction to it isn't positive. You don't go in the comments of the reaction to it isn't positive. You don't go in the comments of a flex post and see all love. Like, wow, this is so inspiring.
Starting point is 00:05:31 Wow, this is so motivational. It's like, shut the fuck up, bitch. Like, delete this post, idiot. Like, that's all I say. Let's all I see under those types of post nowadays. So it's not being received well, and understandably so. But I think this is a really key example
Starting point is 00:05:50 of a maximalist lifestyle being trendy in our culture and desirable as well, even though it was so unattainable. It's so funny to me how it's almost considered sort of cringe now. I know cringe is sort of a weird one. Cringe. It is kind of cringe though. I don't know. I feel like that sort of flexing just doesn't come off as cool anymore. To me or to almost anyone. It just isn't cool anymore. It's much cooler nowadays, I think, to be humble and to have actually decent priorities in morals, which is great,
Starting point is 00:06:39 actually. I don't think that's a bad thing. I think the sort of flex culture era was not the best example of good morals. I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with spending your money the way you want to, who am I to judge. I also don't think there's anything wrong with hosting whatever you want, as long as it's not harming anyone, which arguably flexing doesn't harm anyone. Everyone has the freedom to spend their money the way they want and post about it however they want. But that doesn't mean it's a display of good morals,
Starting point is 00:07:16 you know, but at the same time, I don't know, that's a tough one though, because people can do whatever they want. I don't know, I don't know. that's a tough one though, because people can do whatever they want. I don't know, I don't know. But long story short, this was arguably a dark time in our culture and on the internet. But now it's cringe, or it's considered cringe by many. But although this lifestyle trend sort of died out, I wouldn't say
Starting point is 00:07:45 It ended there because more recently within the past three years mainly since TikTok took over there's a new kind of lifestyle that's taking over This is in the form of consumerism, I would say. I feel like people are obsessed with having a bunch of products and clothes and things. And this is definitely due to the internet. Specifically on TikTok, products go viral all the time. I can name a few just to refresh your memory, chlorophyll drops.
Starting point is 00:08:31 Why is that the only one I can remember? I'm like trying, like trying to, oh, the Stanley Cup, if you know what I'm talking about, you know what I'm talking about. How do you even explain the Stanley Cup? If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google it, etc. Okay, I don't have more examples. I will be honest, I haven't been on TikTok in like two years now.
Starting point is 00:08:52 So I don't really know what's going on there anymore. So I'm super out of the loop, but I do hear constantly about how products are constantly going viral. And everyone rushes and goes and buys that thing. And then everyone kind of gets over it, like a month later. And it starts to just collect dust in their closet, right? Same thing with clothes, though. The trend cycle with clothes has gotten so short that people
Starting point is 00:09:20 are much more concerned about quantity than quality in order to stay on trend. It's also interesting to me how people don't like to repeat outfits on social media. So that's another reason why quantity is a priority. I think the maximum of today is being a consistent consumer of viral online products and being a constant consumer of rapidly changing trends and accumulating so much stuff that just ends up collecting dust in your closet because it becomes irrelevant within six months. And that's generous. But what's interesting is as a reaction to this more 2023 version of maximalism, people are already rejecting it.
Starting point is 00:10:19 People are already rejecting this social media fueled maximalist lifestyle. I've been seeing a lot of videos going viral of people basically talking about all the viral trends in products that you shouldn't buy instead of promoting that you should participate in whatever trend or product hype that is going on. With both of those examples of maximalist lifestyles, they very quickly gone out of favor. People aren't into it anymore.
Starting point is 00:10:54 And I think at this point, a lot of people are over it all together. They're like, the last few years were filled with this over-the-top, exhausting, extreme maximalism. And I'm fucking over it, and I'm ready to just ignore all of this noise and just go back to a level of simplicity. So I think minimalism is coming back in style. So what is a minimalist lifestyle? According to the internet, people who practice a minimalist lifestyle only own items that serve a purpose in their lives and eliminate the things that distract from the clothing, decor, hobbies,
Starting point is 00:11:44 and tools that they truly value. Minimalists believe that when you remove the clothing, decor, hobbies, and tools that they truly value. Minimals believe that when you remove the unnecessary, you free of your time and capacity to focus on the things that truly matter in your life. Less is more. This concept has existed for a very long time. It's not like this is a new thing that's just now being created as a reaction to the last few years of maximalism. Absolutely not. People have been doing this and living this way for a long time. And obviously, people were minimalist even during the 2017 flex era. Okay, this is, you know, this has been happening, whether it was trendy or not. But I think it's about to come back into trend. It's going to become a conversation again
Starting point is 00:12:32 in a big way. With this lifestyle sort of coming back into trend, I wanted to discuss the positive lessons that can be learned from a minimalist lifestyle, whether you wanna participate in it or not. Because, I don't know, calling yourself a minimalist is similar to calling yourself a vegan. It's like, once you call yourself a minimalist, the second you buy something you don't need, you feel like you're breaking the rules. You know, it's the same thing as calling yourself a vegan.
Starting point is 00:13:06 The second you accidentally eat something with bacon in it, you feel like you've broken the rules. I don't think you have to call yourself a minimalist or live by every minimalist rule in order to benefit from the philosophies that come from that lifestyle. So I want to discuss the potential positive lessons. Number one, when you make the decision to narrow down your belongings, get rid of stuff that's no longer serving you, you're forced to reevaluate what you have. And just by nature, you end up appreciating the stuff that you have more.
Starting point is 00:13:56 Because on a day to day basis, we're just taking everything for granted. You know, we're taking it for granted that we have 30 shirts in our closet. And we say, I have nothing to wear. But when you're faced with scaling down and you're having to make decisions about whether or not something adds value to your life, you're looking at each thing in your closet or each thing in your drawer or each thing in your garage and ask yourself, is this serving a purpose? And when you answer yes to something, you just naturally end up feeling gratitude for that object, whereas normally that object would just collect dust in your garage and you
Starting point is 00:14:38 would not even think about it. But when you challenge yourself to go through all your belongings and only keep the things that mean something to you, you're able to find gratitude for the stuff that you do have, that you do care about, that you do want to keep. And not to sound totally, totally corny, but I do think any opportunity to feel grateful is an opportunity that you should take. And personally, I try to go through my belongings every few months or so and really dig through everything I own and get rid of all of the shit that's no longer serving me.
Starting point is 00:15:22 And have a little moment with the stuff that I do care about and say, you know what, I'm gonna appreciate you a little more. Because you've just been collecting dust for the last few months and I haven't given you any attention. But you know, I am grateful for you. I'm grateful that you're one of my belongings. And I'm going to appreciate you more moving forward. This sounds ridiculous, but I do think that is a really interesting and positive tool
Starting point is 00:15:54 that you can integrate into your life, whether you want to be a minimalist or not. Because going through your belongings and picking out shit that you don't need anymore, is something that probably everybody needs to do every once in a while. Doesn't mean you're getting rid of everything. You could be left with a closet packed full of clothes and a drawer packed full of art supplies and you could be left with much more than what you actually need.
Starting point is 00:16:21 But maybe in your heart and in your mind, you need all that stuff. And you want all it. And you don't want to get rid of it. And that's okay too. But I think reassessing and being mindful is great. I think it's great. So one point for the minimalists, okay? One point. I also think the minimalist mentality is right about how belongings can distract you from the things that actually add to your life. I've heard so many people talk about how your belongings have energy. And I'm no specialist on that.
Starting point is 00:17:03 So, you know, I don't know for sure how that works, but I believe it actually, because I think it's true. I remember when I moved into my new house that I'm living in now. I did a six month long, I'm not even kidding. A six month long, I'm not even kidding, a six month long purge where I just looked through everything I owned and got rid of everything that I was no longer using.
Starting point is 00:17:34 And it was long overdue. I hadn't done that in years and I can't even tell you how much shit I got rid of. Oh my God. So much, so much. And it felt fucking amazing. I felt lighter as a person. It sounds ridiculous, but only having things that I truly wanted made me feel energetically lighter in a way that I can't explain. And there probably is some sort of explanation, but it was amazing.
Starting point is 00:18:11 And it allowed me to organize my home in a way that made so much sense. I wasn't having to shove things into drawers just to give them a place. I was able to truly organize my home in a way that made sense where everything had its place and everything had a purpose. It was amazing. And I'm not a minimalist by any means. You know, I'm definitely a clothing collector. Okay, I have a lot of clothes. I'm definitely like a little trinket collector. I love finding cute little random trinkets when I'm traveling or whatever.
Starting point is 00:18:50 I have quite a few of those types of things. I don't need those things, but I do enjoy having them. So in a way, to me, yeah, they do serve a purpose, but I'm not a minimalist because I don't need those things. I really do believe that less belongings mean less distractions from things that actually add to your life on a spiritual level, to be honest. In a way, belongings can be time-waistors. I'll give you an example.
Starting point is 00:19:26 If you have so many clothes in your closet that you don't even know what to do, and every time you go in there to try to pick out an outfit, you don't even know where to start, that waist to your time in one way or another. That's not necessarily a good use of your time. I mean, somewhat argue it is, maybe it is, but there's definitely a better use of your time. I mean, someone argue it is, you know, maybe it is, but there's definitely a better use of your time probably. I don't know. I mean, I guess if fashion is something you care about, it is for me, then having options in your closet is important, but arguably, even as a fashion lover myself, I can admit that spending an hour picking out an outfit is not the
Starting point is 00:20:05 best use of my time. It's not. It's simply not. I can admit that as someone who actively does that, right? A minimalist has a few shirts and a few pairs of hands in their closet. Picking out an outfit takes five seconds. And that leaves more time to do other things with their day. Having 10 different pots and pans in your cupboard, in half of them being ones that you don't need,
Starting point is 00:20:31 making breakfast a little bit more complicated and time-consuming than if you just had one pan that you use every morning to cook your breakfast. I think you get what I'm saying. Options and belongings create distractions and they kind of waste time sometimes. And so I do think this is an interesting concept and on a personal level I'm not gonna scale my closet down to three shirts and three pairs of pants because I personally like having options. And I don't mind wasting in our picking out an outfit sometimes.
Starting point is 00:21:12 But keeping this sort of philosophy in the back of my head is beneficial for me because when I want to go buy something that I really don't need. I might remind myself, hey, but this is adding to a potential problem in your life. And there is something freeing about having less belongings. And having that philosophy in the back of my head just helps me be a better consumer in a lot of ways. It forces me to be a more thoughtful shopper in general. I also think the minimalist lifestyle is inspiring
Starting point is 00:21:50 because minimalist can pack up all their belongings into one suitcase and move across the world in 24 hours if they want to. A real traditional strict minimalist has only what they need to survive. So they can throw all of their belongings into a suitcase or two and move across the world at the drop of a hat if they want. And there's something about that that I fantasize about. Although I have no desire to go move across the world. I envy that freedom in some ways because as much as I am so grateful for all of my things,
Starting point is 00:22:32 if I wanted to pick up and travel across the world, it would be a fucking nightmare. It would be a nightmare. And even though I don't really wanna do that, the fact that I couldn't easily, I don't know, all I'm saying is it would be really cool to be able to just pick up and move wherever at the drop of a hat. Belongings are in a way responsibilities.
Starting point is 00:22:58 You know, you can't just pick up and move across the world and leave all your ship behind. I mean, I guess you could, but you should in. And I don't know why you would want to. You know what I'm saying? There's just something so freeing about having only what you need. You know? I don't know. I'm so grateful for the things that I have, but I also would love the feeling of not being tied down by the sort of weight of my belongings. It's interesting. It's interesting. And I think it's okay to feel gratitude, but at the same time, I don't know, maybe some resentment at times towards the things that you've accumulated.
Starting point is 00:23:45 I don't know, I think that you can feel both things and I think that that's okay. Although for the most part, I'm very grateful. I'm not like sitting in my bed at night, like I need to get rid of everything because I need to move across the world in one suitcase. No, but sometimes when I think about that idea, you know, it makes me reevaluate my whole life pretty much.
Starting point is 00:24:08 Anyway, another benefit to the minimalist lifestyle is the structure in the rules that come with it. You know, when you go online and see what it means to live like a minimalist, you see pretty specific rules. You know, you only keep the stuff you need. You get rid of the stuff that you don't. You buy as little as possible. You're as resourceful as you possibly can be, et cetera.
Starting point is 00:24:34 And I think for some people having a set structure and rule book for life can be really helpful. As long as you don't beat yourself up when you go against the rules every once in a while and by yourself a little unnecessary item or something, I think it can be really healthy to have a little bit of structure like that and to sort of adopt a set of rules that have been tested by thousands of other people, possibly millions of other people, and to implement it into your own life. Like, I don't think that's a bad thing as long as you have a healthy relationship with it.
Starting point is 00:25:17 And you don't beat yourself up if you don't do it perfectly. I also think living a minimalist lifestyle allows you to spend your money in a wiser way. Because by nature, you're not consuming a lot of product. You're not buying a lot of product. You're just naturally saving money. And so this can help you prepare for your future in a lot of ways. You can invest in stocks or save up for a nicer living space or a more ideal living space.
Starting point is 00:25:56 I don't know. I just think being a minimalist means spending no money. You're still spending money, but it's so much cheaper to be a minimalist. And so I don't know, I think that can allow you to accumulate money, which you can use for whatever you can invest it. You can start saving it for whatever you want to save it for. And I mean, there's something to be said for that. And last but not least, being a minimalist
Starting point is 00:26:27 eliminates a level of guilt. I think another tricky part about being a maximalist is that you have a lot of stuff. And we all know that not everyone has a lot of stuff. You have to have the resources to be a maximalist. You can't just, like, it's a full-time job, and it requires having a full-time job, or someone having a full-time job to support the maximalist lifestyle. In order to live that life, you have to have a lot of stuff and you have to have the resources to pay for that stuff.
Starting point is 00:27:08 It's an expensive lifestyle and it's excessive and it's maybe in some ways sort of greedy in a way. I don't know if greedy is the right word, but I don't know, maybe at times guilt can come with that level of consumption and with that type of lifestyle. And I think if you're living a minimalist lifestyle, you're definitely not going to experience any guilt or shame because you only have the stuff that you need. You know, you're not living an excessive lifestyle at all.
Starting point is 00:27:42 So I don't know. I mean, I don't know if that's necessarily an argument for minimalism as much as it is in argument against maximalism, but regardless, just some food for thought. And now let's discuss the negative side effects of this lifestyle, you know, where it can go wrong, because all good things can go bad, you know, I mean, well, yeah, I would say that's true. There is always yin and yang in the universe.
Starting point is 00:28:27 There's balance, which means there are some downsides to minimalism as well. Number one, I've noticed a lot of people adopt a minimalist lifestyle because it's a trend, because it's been a trend in the past. I remember, I don't remember what year it was, but I remember this almost borderline cult-like obsession with minimalism. It might have been right after the 2017 flex culture explosion.
Starting point is 00:29:00 I don't know. The timeline is uncertain to me, but I don't know. I've seen minimalism come in as a trend, similar to how flex culture was a trend, right? And the problem with a lifestyle becoming a trend is that there are going to be people who alter their entire lives, change their entire lives, restructure their entire lives in order to fit this trend. Because a lot of times when lifestyles become a trend, there's sort of this hope that if you follow that trend,
Starting point is 00:29:39 issues in your life will be solved. I'll use minimalism as an example. You know, people who are minimalist and share their experience on social media might say, my life was changed. It cured my depression. It cured my anxiety. I feel free.
Starting point is 00:29:55 I'm happier than I've ever been in my life. Everything is fixed just because I changed over to a minimalist lifestyle. I'm free, right? And then people see that and they start looking at their own lives and they start thinking, well, my life is fucked up here and it's kind of fucked up here and it's kind of fucked up here. And this person who's talking about minimalism said that it saved their life, I should do it. I have to try it because I have issues that could be solved by this lifestyle shift.
Starting point is 00:30:27 So I have to try it. And then they buy into the trend and they go full steam ahead. They dive in head first. They get rid of all of their shit. They go full minimalist. And then what happens when that doesn't solve all of their issues? Because the truth is buying something might make somebody smile, not buying something, might make somebody smile.
Starting point is 00:30:53 Having a closet full of clothes might make somebody smile. Having a closet with two shirts and two pants might make somebody smile. But these things are not enough. There's much more to a fulfilling life than a certain lifestyle choice, much more. And I think sometimes people see something that's trendy and they might participate thinking that it will fulfill them in some way and then they end up disappointed. And I think that's one of the dangers of the minimalist lifestyle.
Starting point is 00:31:30 Is this false promise that it'll fix all of your problems? It might improve your life greatly, but it's not that easy. There's much more work that needs to be done. You know, what's your social life like? What's your work life like? Do you go to therapy? Should you be going to therapy? Is that not your thing?
Starting point is 00:31:52 Like, there's so much more to a fulfilling life than being a minimalist or being a maximalist. You know what I'm saying? I don't know. So I think there's a risk that, you know, when a lifestyle is trendy that you might participate just because it's trendy. And the cult like following can suck you in even deeper. To a point where you might feel like you can't stop,
Starting point is 00:32:22 even if that lifestyle isn't serving you anymore, because now you're all involved in the online community of other minimalist and maybe you're in some Facebook groups or you make YouTube videos about it or you have a podcast about it, you might get all wrapped up in this lifestyle and then come to the conclusion that it's actually not really working for you. And that's scary.
Starting point is 00:32:45 I also think the problem with the minimalist lifestyle is that it has a label. You know, the second you slap a label on something, shake it's weird. You know what I'm saying? Like again, same thing with calling yourself a vegan. You know, it's like, if you call yourself a vegan and then you have a bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel in New York City because you're their bitch and you want that shit and it looks so good and it smells good
Starting point is 00:33:13 and it's like 40 degrees out and you want the bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel because it's cold out and it just sounds so good and warm your tummy. It would keep you warm all day because when you eat a bacon, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel, it just sounds so good to warm your tummy. It would keep you warm all day because when you eat a bacon egg and cheese on an everything bagel, it just keeps your body warm all day in the cold New York City frigid, crispy air. And you get a fucking hot black coffee on the side and you're eating that like a classic
Starting point is 00:33:38 New York babe and your loving life and you're living your best life. But you're a vegan so you're not supposed to have that. So then you're like, fuck, I'm breaking a rule, but I want this so bad, just this once, and then you feel guilty, and then you feel shame, and then you feel like a rule breaker. And that's not healthy either, I'm sorry, that's not healthy. And I'm not saying that eating meat
Starting point is 00:34:01 is the right thing to do, or not eating meat is the right thing to do, not my meat is the right thing to do, not my business. I personally am a vegetarian, but and I call myself that because that's what I am 99% of the time. But I've tried meat before and sometimes there'll be, you know, like a dish that comes out at a restaurant that has meat products close to it or on it or in it. And sometimes I'll try it. close to it or on it or in it. And sometimes I'll try it. And I don't allow myself to feel shame for that because it's okay. You know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 00:34:31 Just I don't know. My point is the label of calling yourself a minimalist can sometimes put you into a box that doesn't allow you to live intuitively and make choices because you fucking feel like it. You know, like, let's say you're a minimalist and you see this gorgeous, crata purse and you've been saving up money
Starting point is 00:34:56 for years now as a minimalist. You have a lot of extra cash. You can totally afford this Prada bag and you love it so much. But you're like, I don't need this. I don't need this. This doesn't align with my lifestyle. This is kind of excessive. It's designer. It's obviously, you know, people debate that designers overpriced. And I think that's a rational argument that I think a lot of minimalist hold. And so you think yourself, okay, well, I can afford it. And I haven't bought something fancy for myself in a while.
Starting point is 00:35:27 But this doesn't align with my lifestyle. I'm a minimalist. This goes against everything that I've been practicing for years. You know? And you feel guilty that you even want the bag. Because you're like, this just goes against everything I believe in, right? Or you're like, well, if I get this bag, I have to get rid of my other bag that I have because I only really need one bag.
Starting point is 00:35:47 Two bags is excessive. And so then you end up buying the Prada bag, but then you feel so guilty, you feel so bad. When in reality, you did nothing fucking wrong. But my point is you can start to guilt yourself into living up to the label that you gave yourself in a way that's so unhealthy. And I think minimalism can bring that out in people at times. In conclusion, I think there's a lot to be learned from both minimalism and maximalism.
Starting point is 00:36:19 But the reason why today's episode was focused on minimalism was because I think the lesson that can be learned from maximalism is obvious. Whereas for minimalism, it's a little more hidden beneath the surface, in my opinion. The obvious lesson to be learned from maximalism is the beauty of options in life, the beauty of spoiling yourself in life, the beauty of not putting limits on yourself and what you can enjoy. I think that there is a lot of beauty there and there is a great philosophy there to an
Starting point is 00:36:57 extent. But I also think minimalism has a lot of useful and important philosophies to offer. I don't think you have to be a minimalist to benefit from those philosophies. Focusing on mindfulness around what you have and what you buy is important. And I do think that it's a good thing to practice. Scaling down in some areas of your life in order to make your routine easier and more seamless can be an incredible philosophy to add to your life. But the truth is there's no right way to do it. There's no right way to do it. For some people, being an extreme minimalist is the way to go. For some, being an extreme maximalist is the way to go.
Starting point is 00:37:51 But for the majority of us, we're somewhere in between. And I think the best thing that you can do as an individual is look at both philosophies and pick and choose what makes sense for you and build your own ideal structure for your life. But also give yourself some wiggle room. I mean, as we grow up and we change in our priorities change, soak in our lifestyle choices and they will naturally. And I think when you put yourself in a box, you prevent yourself from exploring and finding the perfect balance for you.
Starting point is 00:38:31 At this point, for me, I know that I love clothes. I love fashion. I love all of that. And so I've gotten my closet to a point where I don't have too much, but I also definitely don't feel like I don't have enough at all. Like I have options, I can play around, I'm so grateful for that, I feel like it's in
Starting point is 00:38:55 a perfect place. When it comes to my car, I don't care about cars. You know, that's not a priority for me. So I have my one car, I love it, and that's it. When it comes to makeup products, I'm simple. You know, I have my routine, and I stick to it. So my makeup collection is much more concise. When it comes to the decor in my house,
Starting point is 00:39:24 I love a home that feels cozy and decorated and personal. And so I'm maybe a little bit more maximalist with the way that I decorate my house. I love bright colors. I love having special objects all around me everywhere, and I'm maybe a little bit more of a maximalist there. When I travel, I'm a complete minimalist. I only pack a carry on almost every time I travel now. That's my new thing. I'm pretty much a complete minimalist
Starting point is 00:39:53 when I travel. I barely bring anything with me. The moral of the story is there's no right answer for you and you don't need to put a label on it. but there's a lot to be learned from minimalism and maximalism, but probably more from minimalism. Anyway, that's all I have for today. Wow, that was really fun. Thank you for listening. I hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned for two more episodes about minimalism.
Starting point is 00:40:21 I have an episode about how I travel like a minimalist coming soon, and then I have an episode about fashion minimalism, which is going to be really interesting as well. So tune in if you feel like it. New episodes of anything goes every Thursday and Sunday. You can follow anything goes on Instagram at anything goes or on Twitter at AG podcast. You can follow me on Instagram at Emma Chamberlain. You can check out my coffee company, Chamberlaincoffee.com. Use code AG15 for a little special discount. And I'm excited to talk to you soon.
Starting point is 00:40:57 I really love and appreciate all of you. Bye. Bye.

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