As the new year goes on, my journey into different self-care routines continues. Everyone seems to be on the decluttering trend, purging their life on unnecessary things. Minimalism is on the rise yet again. However, I decided to take it shake things up. I’ve already tried to apply minimalism to my personal growth ideas, but it just didn’t work. The opposite seemed to make more sense. Maximalism was calling, promising an explosive live.
Table of Contents
What is maximalism?
More is more. The slogan of maximalists. It was created in reaction to minimalism. However, the focus remains on categories such as interior design, art, music. The core philosophy is an aesthetic of excess. Using the space given as much as possible. Being vibrant with a mixture of extravagant patterns and colours.
This caught my attention. Why not apply maximalism to my self-development toolkit. See, I’ve been living life, constantly feeling trapped. You must go this school. Get this grade. Apply for this job. Buy this house. It’s exhausting.
There are so many rules in how we need to behave. If we don’t follow social norms, then we’re immediately thrust aside without a second thought. Living a maximalist life means I’ll be freeing myself from these burdens. Finally, a life lived on my own terms. You must think it sounds too reckless, but I assure you that it’s exactly the opposite. Let’s look at the 3 ways in which I live an explosive maximalist life.
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3 Ways I live a maximalist life
More emotions
We have become so obsessed with positive emotions as a society, it’s unbelievable. We’ve been taught that if we’re not happy 24/7 then we must be doing something wrong. Feeling down, take a pill to ‘feel better in 7 days’. We’ll do anything to be happy again. Personally, I believe happiness is overrated.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to be happy. If you’re not happy with your life, that’s a major sign that something needs to change. My problem comes with obsessing over happiness. We’re humans. We’ve been blessed with a complex mess of emotions. Positive ones. Negatives ones. How can you live a full life with only a fraction of your emotions?
I’m using maximalism in the expression of my emotions. I want to feel them all. Failed a test. I want to be upset. Dumped by a partner. Let me cry my eyes out. This is the beauty of being human but so many of us want to repress these negative feelings.
It’s uncomfortable at first, I get it. Most of us wear a mask to the world showing how happy we are while struggling on the inside. We convince ourselves that if we pretend to be okay, then we’ll magically be okay. However, it never works. The negative emotions that we bury deep inside come out sooner or later.
Get in touch with yourself today. Try some meditation exercises. Take up journaling. Use them to feel all of your emotions. Acknowledge them. Thank them for being there. They are a wonderful part of you. Once you accept them, you can start accepting yourself.
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More failures
Now you might be tempted to leave when you see this heading. That’s right. I want to fail more in life. In fact, I want to become so comfortable with failure, that it no longer affects me.
As I am now, I hate failing. Just the thought of it is enough to send shivers down my spine. I know I’m not alone. So many of us would rather not try to do something than try and then fail. It’s a horrible feeling that triggers a core wound of not being enough.
However, failure can be a beautiful thing. If you let it be, that is. The stoics frequently talk about how you cannot control life events, but what you can control is your reaction to them. I believe this to be one of the most important truths you will ever hear in your life.
There are two types of people in this world. Those who fail and give up. The failure defines them. Consumes them. I was like this in my early years. If I failed an exam, I would simply stop trying in school. What’s the point in studying if I’m just going to fail?
However, as I grew older, I realised something. My emotions are mine. I have complete power over them. I slowly became the other kind of person. Those who learn and grow from failure. Now when I fail, I go into deep reflection mode.
How did I fail? What behaviours of mine lead to it? How can I be better? These are the thoughts that put you in a growth mindset. With maximalism, I want more failure because I want more experiences to challenge myself and grow. More chances to make mistakes. I do this because I know that the knowledge that I get from failing repeatedly will be put to good use. Eventually, these will end up being the foundation for my success in life.
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More me
This last one is very dear to my heart. Maximalism in my life means more of me being me. For so long I pretended to be something else. Growing up, I had no clue about who I was. I liked things for the sake of impressing others. Believed ideologies because they were trending.
The truth is that I was just afraid to be myself. I was scared that if I showed who I really was, then I was going to be rejected. By my friends. My family. Everyone. So, I lied. To the world and to myself. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I stopped and said to myself. Why am I even doing this? I hate this. These aren’t my people, and so enough was enough. I started using positive affirmations. Telling myself that I am enough. I don’t need to be anyone other than myself.
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No more needing to impress a partner. If they leave when I show my true self, then it’s their loss. My friends’ validation comes secondary to my own. I am going to live the life that I want to live. If that means making mistakes, then so be it. At least, I’ll know that I’m being free. I’m being just me.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever heard of maximalism or are you an avid supporter of minimalism? Let me know in the comments below, I’m truly curious.
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Interesting perspective and explanation!
thank you! 😀