Let me be very clear: I am no minimalist.
I have a large house with lots of stuff (mostly books and toys). I fully recognize that I am abundantly blessed beyond all I deserve. And I love a clean and organized space. But I don’t spend a lot of time reading about or actively trying to simplify or declutter or whatever.*
Still, I struggle with the concept of enough. Specifically, defining it. And minimalist or not, I hope I’m not alone in that.
I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out if “it” is enough.
- Is that enough spaghetti for the whole family without having pounds of leftovers? (Seriously, what is it about spaghetti?)
- Do I have enough time to do this?
- Is this amount of PTO commitment enough?
- Have I read my Bible or prayed enough?
I mean, what exactly is enough?
And while there are some areas where it would be hard to actually do too much (think prayer or spending time with my family), in most of my life, I am coming to realize that “enough” is far less than I thought.
That’s where the shampoo comes in. Somewhere along the way, I read a minimalist something or other (can’t remember the exact source) that proposed an interesting challenge.
For those of us who are used to abundance, it can be hard to determine just how much abundance defines our lives. It doesn’t feel like abundance, does it? We see our monthly budgets, feel the crunch of another fundraiser request, feel the stress of how much time it feels as if we don’t have. But when we shift our perspective a bit, we can quickly learn how much more we have than we realize.
Here was the challenge: Think about your shampoo when you shower. On Day 1 of the challenge, purposely use half as much shampoo as usual. Then, every day after that, keep cutting the amount of shampoo in your hand in half until you finally reach an amount that is too small to wash your hair sufficiently (add a little back in that day, if needed).
Your “enough” isn’t going to be the same as someone else’s. Hair length and style affect the outcome. If you use other products, you might need more than someone else. But after a few days (and likely within a week), what you will probably find is that the amount of shampoo you actually need to wash your hair is much, much smaller than the amount you squirt into your hand on any given day.
Now, at this point, the article I read went into a minimalist application of some sort.
But I have used this test as a reminder. How I define enough often has nothing to do with a sufficient amount (of time, money, clothes, weight) and much more with how I feel about those things. But when I stop and actually focus on what I need, not what I feel like I need, enough comes much sooner than I expected.
I highly recommend trying the shampoo test. Or try it in another area (like dish soap or creamer in your coffee). It isn’t a perfect test, and of course, it doesn’t work in every area. But it was the first actionable step I found to face my own mis-definition of enough. Of course, I’m still working on it, but I’d love for you to try it and see what you learn in the process.
Engage with me: Do you have a good sense of “enough” in your life? Would you consider trying the shampoo test? If you did try, what did you discover?
*The best book on minimalism I’ve ever read is called More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity by Jeff Shinabarger. I can’t remember if he was the source of the shampoo test or not, but either way, I highly recommend the book.
