MUSING MANAGEMENT OF MAXIMALIST TO MINIMALIST.

In the recent time, I have an opportunity to comprehend about minimalism - the way of life - introduced by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Many times, we are on the cross road of Maximalism & Minimalism perception paradox in our real life scenario! Morden minds are more inclined and involved in value proposition in terms of accumulating material that adds in dollar worth. And consumerism concept of promoting products & goods through advertising & marketing has created mass impact for sense of power purchasing. It has psychological satisfaction confined to the customer to consume product and goods even it is not necessary or needed.

I am certainly in synch with idea of Minimalism to the extend, provided, someone is contented in true sense of disciplining not to hoard. And so, it clearly defines thin line between identifying essential necessities of life, moderately monitor to stay away from victim of advance consumerism, rather enduring desire of life attracted by aggressive science of consumerism.??By exercising desire vs. necessity creates clear understanding of, what exist at psychological level as a desire, which is purely effect of gross advertisement & marketing you are attracted by, and what is accurately essential necessity of living life at this point of ease phenomena! This surely helps in improving your quality of life.

These two dudes, Joshua & Ryan have simple but lovely story of their own! However, it has some flow of survival instinct that makes one skeptical whether Minimalism – the way of life – is beyond fear of future disarray. Certainly, it is not, as our human minds are conditioned by approach of protectionism from future uncertainty & survival. Or social conditions are to maintain status, dignity, and hypocrisy to elevate our social presence. Therefore, there are many psychological factors are involved in this process of minimalism or maximalism.?

Joshua Field Millburn, born in Dayton, Ohio, who is introvert (INTJ) and lives in Montana. He says, he is not stoic and/or luddite. Though he does not have college degree but worked as a Director of Operations for 150 retail stores chain. He quit his job at the age of 30 inspite of having great opportunity to make career to further corporate ladder. In his own words, he says; “I wasn’t a minimalist,?until I was?in late 2009, after my mother died and my marriage ended (in the same month), I started questioning everything. That’s?when I discovered minimalism. It was a beacon in the darkest of nights. Now, I think, I own fewer than?288 things?(but I don’t actually?count my stuff)”.

Ryan Nicodemus born in Knoxville, Tennessee 1981 living in American dream until laid off in 2010. He is an extrovert (ENFP), having decade of coaching, mentoring, and teaching experiences in corporate world. He loves pretty much any kind of Boarding, except waterboarding.

Both were having good corporate life and luxury in their early age of career. They could have continued progressing in their career by earning more money and comforts of life. What happens in their early 30s that stops them and think about in opposite direction! There was something missing in their life that touched them to feel incomplete. Joshua mentioned that though life is full of material substance, however, the feel of me being doing my own is not fulfilling me. Similarly, Ryan said, I wasn’t living in my fullest potential in freedom of my own! He was surprised seeing his 20 years of friend – Joshua, so happy and smiling all the time! He asked him about joy of his life! What is happening in your life to see you so peaceful & happy all the time? And he said, I have learned to be minimalist! Isn’t it intriguing that life is offering you every comfort of worldly matter and inspite, you are feeling burden and clutter in your life!

But the approach discussed here by Joshua & Ryan has valid reason of unburden your living life by disengaging from sense of hoard or unclutter. For example, ask yourself, though you have a good car in your driveway, you would wish even to trade in for better. Why? We never ask beforehand this question, though you are required in your life to do so. Hence, that is the effect of desire unconsciously engendered by approach of morden consumerism. In present time, the science of digitization and devices development have tremendously transformed living life style of human. And advertising & marketing has taken fullest advantage of it to magnetize human minds towards consumerism. The global economies & GDPs are also projected based on consumer market response and product & commodities optimization. It is difficult for human to go back in previous time to live in without phone, internet, computer, and TV. Similarly, human tends to buy more clothes, shoes, accessories, and home improvement products even though they have sufficient number of items in place to enjoy & be happy. Yet, they could not refrain from buying more stuff. The idea of Minimalist need to expand its horizon in terms of examining various perspective of human life & conditions exit in real world scenario.?

This is the one way of looking towards Minimalism, where consumerism has direct effect on human minds and could be serious problem & hazard to the human society at a large. However, there is another point of view to minimalism, when we take life of maximalism in terms of passion, success, and ambition to achieve Minimalism, you need to be focused and passionate to achieve it. So, the sense of maximalist is a driving force to enhance minimalism not with aspect of consumerism but achieving it with life’s quality point of view. It is also important to experience pick of mountain than only one can talk about the depth of valley!?

Similarly, whether this should be an individual approach to be minimalist or should be a mass motivation to be collective minimalist. Because this problem is more pertinent for society with privileged and wealthy one, where they have purchasing power to accumulate stuff beyond necessity. Most of the first world countries might fit in philosophy of minimalism. However, there are countries, societies, and people living in developing or underdeveloped countries cannot buy an idea of minimalism. They are still in state of underprivileged in all respects and far away from quality of life that exists mostly in western world. Probably, they are confined to live in compulsion of minimalism as they cannot afford to experience level of maximalism! Isn’t it??

Since, this sounds an individual discovery of happiness through minimalist, research in documentary film “happy” picturized in 2011 by Roko Belic has different facts. It compares life in fourteen countries. This motion picture translates the feeling of happiness has different conditions and belief based on culture, community, and country. Even rickshaw-wala in Kolkata, eastern part of India is much contented with his life than ratio of happiness recorded in North America! How come the person living in hut and hardly have basic need of life is contented? Because the study and research picturized in this film has its own limitations. This rickshaw-wala is not familiar with world of material and its psychological impact of happiness in human life. Similarly, People in Japan’s Okinawa island are the healthiest society in the world where maximum human longevity is recorded above 100 years. True for people living in this island, however, the life style of people in North America is totally different than Okinawa island. At the same time, woman living in cohousing community in Denmark feels most contented than person living with all luxury in North America! Because the cultural difference in society has huge impact, where people in Denmark feel comfortable living in cohousing community and person in NA is more private in life than sharing. Now comparisons are paradoxical and sometimes baseless too. Happiness is more relative psychological expression based on level of an individual condition of bringing-up, education, culture, community, and county. The situation of rickshaw-wala and feeling of his happiness does not exist in North America. It is most impractical way of comparison of happiness. Relative terms must have similarity of all aspects of comparisons for subject matter, which I found absent in this case.

Coming back to minimalist approach of life; I can authentically illustrate life of Francis Mallmann and Magnus Nilsson, who in true sense happy in life. They both touched pick of maximalism and then beautifully curved their life towards minimalism. Somewhat Joshua & Ryan talks about but without giving up legacy of maximalism. In human life, it is most important to taste evolving pinnacle performance of opportunities in life then one can travel back to heritage height with feel of contentment. Here in this case of Francis & Magnus, minimalism message is not about wealth in terms of money and/or material that is dollar worth. But they exemplify that the passion, ambition, and success cannot be achieved only in terms of dollar worth, but also possible to accomplish by way of satisfying need of virtuosities. They had the same feelings, what Joshua & Ryan had, when they gave up their corporate positions. Since Joshua & Ryan chose to write a blog & book, visit various places, conduct mentoring session and getting great moment of joy. Similarly, Francis & Magnus ignited their lives by going back to their roots and created new legacy in chefs’ discoveries!

Francis Mallmann, while watching, his interview with Lynn Rosetto Kasper in live stage organized in celebrating 20th?anniversary of?“The Splendid Table”,?he mentioned that unless life has uncertainty, probability of survival is nonexistence! Born on 14th?January, 1956 in Acassuso, Argentina. Raised in Patagonia by his father Carlos Mallmann, who was head in Balseiro Institute, where in 1970 Francis started as a cook on a boat for a tourist on lake Nahuel Huapi. He says, his life is on the edge of uncertainty. And the same philosophy he implied to his children and students in his training sessions. Having an opportunity to grow with the finest cuisines of world in France and/or opening most elegant restaurant in one of the poshest location in New York, he chose to go back to Patagonia! The most inspirational message he quoted in Chef’s Table that “I did not want to lead my life by someone, I should have freedom of believing in myself, and I should be allowed to be my own the way I want! This determination of freedom he made when he was eight years old.

It is very fascinating life style of Francis, where he worked hard, proved himself in elite society, and maximized his personality through passion of simplicity & minimalism! He is truly romantic not only in relationship but also with every element of his food ingredients that represent rich taste and colours. He is totally in love with Nature. He is not refined with his restaurants though he owns many around the world! But he is excellent the way he prepares the food in country side wild-life with texture of taste & composite colours. This is – the way of life – minimalism should be! Thus, you touch peak of maximalism by way of excellence yourself in field of expert and pursue life as a minimalist.?

I am trying to extend potential idea of minimalism shared by Joshua & Ryan through nurturing art of creativity and not only by protecting self from consumerism. Consumerism is one aspect of practicing minimalism, where you practice in deconditioning your mind from so called consumer approach of collecting. However, by cultivating art of own in happiness is another aspect of human life, where you maximise potential of self-nurturing in the environment of natural minimalism. Francis is the organic example of Persona in Joy! The way he brings technique of preparing food with natural ingredients and using fire eloquently as a main source of cooking, is an ultimate art of culinary. The idea of happiness through minimalism by Joshua & Ryan has some sort of mind game. Which could be deliberate delay of desires mongering at subtle sense of mental phenomena. There is every possibility of repetitive behaviour in absence of mindfulness! However, once the human mind is contented in true sense of fulfillment, one will not require to repeat same behaviour. This is a very natural process of accomplishment. It is very essential for minimalist to become maximalist! Because, unless one learn to evaporate sense of desire from consumer conditioning, one cannot become minimalist. It is simple act of instinct e.g. if you are thirsty, you need a water to drink. But once you have a water, your instinct intellect will automatically decide, how much water you need to drink! Even though, you may have extra water to drink. But you don’t drink beyond, as your thirst is satisfied. Similar sense of instinct should be triggered at every level of living life than only approach of minimalism will be autonomous.?

Magnus Nilsson, another finest chef in pursuit of happiness without any dilemma of desires! Minimalism is a natural act of his life in cultivating culinary art in Faviken, a remote estate in northwestern Sweden. At one point after returning from France, he dropped an idea to become a chef, because the produce was not up to the quality that he had in France. So, he wanted to be wine writer instead of cooking. When you are free of your own to decide about life, your instinct directs you exactly where your joy is! Faviken Estate wasn’t known for restaurant but it was a stop by food?place for people visiting ski resort.?Until Nilsson took over as a head chef, the produce was coming from all over the world. He was not happy with it. He became a mascot of hyperlocal cooking, preservation, and New Nordic Cuisine. Now, unless had he been maximized potential of Faviken Estate, he would have not been known to the world of culinary. Till Nilsson be a part of restaurant, Faviken was minimalist in level of cooking science.

Sometimes life’s subtle ambitions manifest its own version of creative outcome! This man joined Faviken Estate to develop wine cellar and destined to put one of the talked about dinning destination in Sweden northwestern territory, where he introduced new Nordic movement of food in Faviken. He has been named rising star of Nordic cooking in 2012. Now look at the extreme situation, where weather is the biggest challenge for him to cultivate every produce locally and preserve it for whole year supply. However, things were just evolved even in those minimalism, and become source of creativity. He said, “If you don't have that luxury of availability, it can yield very interesting results” and it’s true. Here the sense of maximalist essential not only for to survive, but also to evolve in process of conscious joyfulness in cultivating new way of life. Determinedly, he wanted to build a restaurant that gives him full freedom of self-direction & decision, and he made it within minimalist approach. In this case, minimalism has nothing to do with consumerist sense of satisfying oneself, hence, it opened-up wings of maximalism within impossible realities! Therefore, it is significant to be a maximalist in the awkward situation of life, thereby, the sense of minimalism justifies true meaning of joy in human life.?

It is very important to understand science of happiness. Those who are nearer to Nature always sing a song of joy! Therefore, look at the life of Francis & Nilsson! However, in the world of material, it is difficult to confined nearer to nature all the time. The human mind is perfectly polluted with material matters, which are important & meaningful in relative terms of happiness at psychological extend. And so, Human is inclined to conquer joy in material worth, which is nothing but insanity in absence of awareness. But to be happy in life, is more relative term in modern human society than science of joy in the world of reality. Joy is more happening process at the fabrics of human sensory system than psychological sphere. It is totally different science. Minimalist may be an approach that leads to unburden human from race of material metaphor. But it is not permanent state of joy that exists in regardless of life’s situation. It is temporary, till you are occupied in disciplining mind to be away from consumerism temptations or for that matter nurture your psychology to be less greedy. Maximalism need hard work, efforts, inspirations, passion, and determination with believing in oneself. It does not represent reactive behaviour emerging out of human desires, greediness, and material madness. This process is beyond consumer concept. While pursuing your passion, you are not confined to accumulate material worth but you are focused in contemplating determined goal of life or purpose. That eventually brings material worth behind it. In this state of being-ness, one is not worried about material entangled with success, but surely one is mindful to keep that joy alive till life exist! At one point, material may depart from life but joy of purposeful life remains forever. I think, this understanding evolves only, when one pass through exceptional phase of maximalism. so, one become matured in experiencing life with & without opportunities in progressive life, where one does not require to work hard for minimalism. It is an automatic reflection of maximalist marvel that transcends whole purpose of human life and its significance! I am certainly in agreement with Joshua & Ryan for their effort of being minimalist. It has its own benefits to disengage mind from clutter conditioning of life. And so, I see the greatest qualitative possibility in pursuing this idea of minimalism in validation of balancing life with another polar of maximalism! In nut shell, human life is like vast space with many probabilities! Intriguing exploration can only take you to the experience of vastness. Once you travel either way of polarity (Minimalist to Maximalist or Maximalist to Minimalist), you will realize that life needs both polar to exist in balance…