I found this post today and I felt it really gets to the point of some of the deeper reasons we decided to downsize. It's not just about living with less. We traded our space for more freedom over the long run: fewer financial constraints, fewer responsibilities and fewer ties to a home we have to spend time, money and energy keeping up.
And who doesn't love the idea of retiring 10 years early?!
http://tinyhouselistings.com/why-my-wife-and-i-are-building-a-tiny-home/