I consider myself a realist, and I’m generally pretty moderate in my views of various things (i.e., I like to find the “happy medium”). This applies to my view of minimalism as well. I don’t necessarily think that the “own only 100 things” or “only have 33 items of clothing” ideas can logically apply to everyone. I don’t personally abide by these popular ‘minimalist maxims’; but I do see the appeal in the ideals of minimalism. I like Joshua Becker’s definition of minimalism best: “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.”  There are a lot of benefits to adapting this mindset; here are a few that are important to me!