The simplicity of our steps

Although having a minimalist mindset does not mean having very little money or nothing at all, the truth is that having this mindset greatly influences us when we do not have money to spare. It is easy to become discouraged and even sad because everyone around us has something and we do not, or even when others are doing well financially and we, for the moment, are not doing so well.

But for me, having a simple mindset is, without a doubt, learning to be grateful for what we have, but beyond that, learning to be happy even if we don't have all the comforts of the world. I can tell you about my example: where I live, many things are really far away, so we depend on public transportation or my husband's bike to get around, and honestly, we've gotten used to this routine.

But there are days when we see close friends around us who have managed to get a means of transportation that, honestly, makes their lives much easier, and obviously it crosses our minds to want one, mostly because it's also necessary to have one. I must admit that some time ago I felt a little sad that we couldn't do it; our plan was to buy another bicycle so that we could both get around without using fuel and so on, but for now we haven't been able to do so.

Talking about it with my husband, we concluded that when we start looking at what others have and we don't, it's very easy to feel sad, because no matter how many things we have, there will always be someone who has something we don't, even things that are not material or physical. It's easy to notice what we're missing; someone could ask you to make a list and you would write it without thinking too much about it.

But what requires effort is noticing what we already have. That's what keeps us from thinking so much about what we lack; when we make an effort to think about it, the truth is that there isn't much time left to see what others have, and that's all that's good in this life. I've noticed these days that we've had some financial difficulties, which are hard enough to deal with on their own, but when we also look at what others have, it's three times more complicated.

Of course, we have goals and plans. We know we need to get something to transport us, and that's our goal, and we're working towards it. But in the meantime, having a simple mindset helps us walk longer if necessary (which is also healthy), or adapt to what we have with the most positive attitude possible; that makes us feel lighter emotionally when we have to take public transportation or walk for hours.

In life, we will always lack something financially, because every day something new is promoted, but what we really must not lack in order to have a full life is to carefully observe what cannot be paid for with money and yet we still have. That is the greatest fortune of all. Obviously, it's difficult because everything is on display and so on, but we have to make the effort; otherwise, we will live sadly, and that, for me, is one of the superpowers of minimalism: effort and gratitude when we lack something.