The Luxury of Less Starts With the Privilege of More

These days, it has become strangely fashionable to distance yourself from everything you already have.

You have a fridge full of food? Then cutting down your meals is now the in thing.

Your wardrobe is overflowing? Then owning fewer clothes is a trend worth flaunting.

Your home is stacked with things you’ve collected over the years? Time to romanticize “downsizing” and call it minimalism.

Look, there’s nothing wrong with simplifying your life. In fact, living within your means, decluttering, and letting go of excess baggage can be powerful, healing, and freeing. But here’s the part that often gets skipped in this modern “cut down everything” movement:

Gratitude.

Before you cut back on what you have,

have you ever paused to appreciate that you have it?

Because here’s the truth — what you are living right now could very well be someone else’s dream life.

The luxury of choosing to eat less comes only to those who have always had enough to eat.

The option of owning fewer clothes is only available to those who already have too many.

Minimalism sounds poetic when your shelves are full and your bills are paid.

It’s easy to forget that abundance is a privilege.

It’s even easier to pretend like it’s a burden when the rest of the world is watching.

But before you jump on the latest trend of letting go, just stop for a second and take stock.

Have you truly acknowledged what you already have?

Have you expressed thanks for it — not out of guilt, but out of sheer awareness?

If you feel the need to cut down, that’s absolutely okay. But don’t just throw your things away to “feel lighter.”

Pass it forward.

Give it to someone who might be thrilled to have what you no longer need.

Let your minimalism be mindful, not performative.

Because while you’re worried about owning too many clothes,

there’s someone out there stitching a torn shirt to wear tomorrow.

While you’re reading articles on intermittent fasting and clean eating,

there’s someone else praying they can afford a full meal for their child tonight.

You don’t need to feel guilty for what you have.

Just stay grounded in this one truth: what you take for granted today may be someone else’s miracle.

So yes, simplify. Let go of clutter. Declutter your surroundings.

But don’t forget to appreciate before you subtract.

Because gratitude always comes before minimalism.