We tend to think of minimalism as the rejection of materialism. Oooo, stuff is bad, right? No, it’s that too much stuff is bad, the wrong stuff is bad. How can you tell whether you have too much stuff or the wrong stuff? Well, is the acquisition, care and safekeeping of your stuff getting in the way of doing what’s important to you? Is it keeping you from being the person you want to be? Because “stuff” isn’t just material goods. It’s also all the ways we spend our time—doing stuff.
How can you tell what’s truly important? Ask yourself, “If I had six months to live, is this what I would be doing? What if I had a year to live? Six years? Is this how I would spend my remaining time?” I think over and over you’d find that it’s not.
Find the thing that’s important to you, then do that thing. Make it a priority. Make the time and space to do it. When you do, it will break the monotony, break the power the wrong stuff has over you. And it will give your life meaning and a purpose beyond merely surviving or killing time.
Find your own life values. Don’t blindly follow someone else’s values, including mine. That doesn’t mean to automatically reject everyone else’s values. It means your values have to come from your own heart, soul and mind. Socrates said that an unexamined life isn’t worth living. I would add that unexamined values are not worth having.
Do your values have value? By what standards should you measure the worth of your values? Do they lead to joy? Do they make you the type of person your want to be? Do they make life better and more meaningful not only for yourself but for others as well? Could you proclaim your values with pride, without shame? Then you’re probably on the right path for you.
Living in a vehicle doesn’t just minimize our possessions, it minimizes all the stuff of life we might be tangled in. It minimizes pointless distractions and maximizes our opportunities for doing the things that are actually important to us. And if you don’t really know what’s important to you, living like this is a way to find out. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover that living in a building is very important to you after all.
I value the posts that come from your site. Very grateful
Likewise here !
I crave to have freedom and piece of mind and peace and quiet! I live with an abusive husband who has brain damage and am trying to scrape together enough money to escape and live my van life or up to my unimproved 120 square foot cabin is of paramount interest to me. I am living on social security and am always paying for things that he has done and that I’m trying to pay off. I am making great progress in that regard. But living on $791 a month and paying $252 car payment, $95 car insurance, $300 credit cards and other living expenses. Not much is left for saving. So, right now all that I can do is be happy for others and keep praying that my health holds out until I can escape.
I enjoy reading of others success.
There are organizations out there to help you “escape” and get back on track. You just have to be open to them. It’s never ok to stay in an abusive relationship. I wish you peace and happiness.
I discovered that making my husband happy by moving back to Minnesota was more important to me than living in my van in the south all winter. I miss all of you but I missed him more. I still do what I can to support the mobile community but I now do it from home. I hope all of you stay happy out there.
Marriage is important. Best to you and your husband
yup, I would put my husband before many other things… kidnap him and take him to his favorite movie, restaurant, sports. …wrap him up in a cushy new bathrobe ..u can guess what is next.
What’s important: life, a consciousness being enlightened and conscientious.
“Been there, done that”, lived out of a teardrop trailer, AZ winters & CO/WY summers enjoyed that life ‘chapter’, but now have a lovely rural USDA subsidized senior 1-BR apt. where I can enjoy living with the eclectic mix of family & personal “stuff” I had in rural storage – LESS expensive than “being on the road” and LOTS more comfortable ! ! ! ! !
Still have a perfect-condition 29′ Alpenlite 5-th wheel RV parked in a lovely RV Park in Eastern Wyoming, which is ‘For Sale’ – hate to give it up . . . [posted @ RVT.com for pics & details].
Wise thoughts– simple and important. Thsnks
A lot of people battle within themselves on this very question. Myself included. But the decision has become easier over the years. Basically, if it makes me happy & doesn’t hurt others, it’s important to me. Just like you said, Bob. Thank you for sharing with us all.
I’ve been on the road now for 9 years. Cultivating healthy relationships have become the most important to me this stage in life. This means that I visit with friends and family in their homes for days, weeks, and sometimes months at a time. But, the road, especially the Eastern Sierra, CA, always calls me and my van back to her.
The most important thing to me is my animals. I have a small older fifth wheel, in pristine shape, one slide and only 7000 lbs. that I bought specifically to hit the road in perfect right? I have sat here for almost 3 years trying to figure out how to make it work for my animals, which all I have decided is it was a HUGE MISTAKE. I need something drivable, not towable. I just wanted out so bad.. my brain disengaged. Hopefully can sell this and find what I need.
A wonderful, thought-provoking post. Thank you!
I (we) traveled for many summers years ago (educators off in the summer). I have lived in Deutschland, and several states in the old U.S. We visited throughout Europe, Mexico, Caribbean , India, Iceland, Scotland, Canada and the Philippines. We have retired in a place called Kempton, Pa. about 11 years ago. The travel bug has not left us. Perhaps someday soon we will meet on the open road, God willing, living simply and freely. Our goal is to downsize from our farmette to a van/trailer.
When we were younger we spent out road time in a V Dub Camper. Maybe something a little larger and fuel efficient this time? Your post are always inspiring.
What is so good about Bob’s posts is that they make one stop and think. The ideas he talks about are not hard to understand, yet I would think that for many folks the topics he discusses here may never have crossed anyone’s mind, simply because people are in general, too wrapped up in daily life. Probably those who have experienced life on the road have given thought to such things, while others who have not taken the step to try to experience such a life (eg. like myself) have not. For people such as myself the “fear factor” that Bob often speaks of I suppose, is still too great to take the step. So at least in these posts we can stop and think about it.
Thought provoking. I value views of nature. Parked here with the womens caravan I don’t worry about safety which relieves that particular stress, allowing me to soothe my soul with the joy of nature’s glory. I also value the conversations with other nomads, enjoying the smiles and listening to their lives interests. And ultimately I value the peace and calm of being alone, where I can whistle with the birds, smile at the seconds long visit from hummingbirds, howl with the coyotes, and on and on. All the while feeling unselfconscious as no one is around. My nomad life fulfills my dreams. Thanks to CRVL and Bob, HOWA and Suanne.