Minimalism: The Myths And The Life-Changing Benefits
I of belatedly did an interview with Joshua Becker who is a quondam pastor too a widely respected thought-leader inward the minimalist movement.
He has a nifty spider web log and has written several books teaching his theory of practical minimalism.
Below are only a few things that we comprehend in this interview therefore cheque out the video together with/or transcript below.
- How a possession-filled American tin give the sack do a major transition too get to alive a simpler life.
- Why minimalism doesn’t receive got to take hold out scary and you tin dismiss ain more than than fifteen possessions.
- What is the best agency to approach what to proceed together with acquire rid of.
- What references receive been works inward the Bible to assistance residual motivated on this path.
- Practical offset steps for someone who wants to test the waters as well persuasion if minimalism is for them.
If you tin’t stance the video, banking concern check out the interview transcript below!
Bob Lotich (BL):
Hey guys I am excited to have Joshua Becker on the show today – he is kind of my hero when it comes to minimalism. He’s written a handful of books, he’s got a killer web log which has a huge engaged audience over in that location, as well as he’s locomote a pretty practiced friend of mine. I’m but really excited to handle him on because I think he has a lot of genuinely practiced insight to offering equally far as this thought of minimalism, inward summation to I hope nosotros tin give the axe variety of dispel some of the myths or at to the lowest even out some of the things that I thought, maybe the negative connotations I had going into it. Anyway, without whatever further ado, Joshua, glad to have yous here.
Joshua Becker (JB):
Yeah, it’s skillful to live here, I expect frontwards to the conversation. It’s weird having the video on, I don’t know how to react when you’re giving the introduction. Am I supposed to deed flattered, or scroll my eyes similar you’re making it all upward, I don’t know. This testament grip out fun.
BL:
Ha, I think yous did fine, I think you lot did skilful.
JB:
Okay, proficient.
BL:
Anyway, permit’s start amongst where you unremarkably start. Tell people your story in addition to sort of how you got roped into this. I assume at some signal inward your life you were living this clutter filled, possession filled American life that many of us do. How you went from inward that location to sort of where you lot are similar a shot.
JB:
Yeah, I grew up and have always lived very middle class, right smack dab in the middle. Never missed a meal, you know was never in need that way, but never living extravagant. Always just pretty, I don’t know, suburban American lifestyle is probably the best way to say it. Despite having all my needs met I usually just say that there were these two kind of streams of discontent. I was always a little discontented with my money, not just I was always living paycheck to paycheck despite getting pay increases, like it’s just shocking how we make more money but it just never seems to be there at the end of the month, right? Paycheck to paycheck, and then where I was spending my money … or better, who I was spending my money on. I think I always had a wishing for generosity, I grew upwardly, 50-50 pastored for years. Always grew upwardly sort of having this mindset that I’d honey to assist people but could never only regain the margin, or the infinite to do it.
Always discontented with my money, and together with then I was also discontented amongst, I but say the focus of my life’s loose energy is probably the best agency to tell it. This came out on a Sabbatum forenoon. We were doing what most Americans do on the weekend which was to create clean the house, run some errands, do some shopping. We were living inward Vermont besides I went out to do clean the garage with my v twelvemonth old boy thinking we’d simply forcefulness everything out, pile it upwardly inward the driveway, hose it all downwardly, as well as then get on amongst our lives, right? Like we do, every chip Americans. My five twelvemonth old manifestly didn’t want to assist me with the garage, therefore he went to the backyard to play. He’s bespeak me similar every twenty to xxx minutes to come upward play amongst him, too I’m e'er pushing him off, “I tin’t, I tin give the axe’t, I gotta do my job, this is what we do.”
My neighbour form of notices this whole thing taking identify as good as we take handgrip a short conversation only sound-nigh owning homes, together with how much 4th dimension together with endeavor goes into it, together with she returned amongst the sentence where she said, “You know that’s why my daughter is a minimalist, she keeps telling me I don’t demand to ain all this materials.” I never heard the term minimalist before but I just ring upwards looking dorsum at this pile of unclean, dusty materials piled upwardly in my driveway that I spent all forenoon take attention of too knowing total goodness that my possessions weren’t bringing happiness to my life. We all admit that of course of written report of pedagogy, but beyond that equally I noticed this pile of things, I noticed my 5 solar twelvemonth old man child who had been lone inwards the backyard all morning time, but this realization that everything we have got was non only NOT making me happy, but it was actually distracting me from the rattling things that do take happiness, in addition to joy, as well as purpose, too fulfillment into our lives.
Which is a rattling different realization, as good it was the i that simply spurred me to state, “I don’t know why I ain all this stuff, why have got got I spent my whole life chasing likewise accumulating this materials that’s genuinely likely simply taking me away from the things that genuinely create me happy.”
BL:
I think most people tin give the sack resonate amongst that as good john sympathise that. There was something that diverseness of scared me when I read my starting time volume on minimalism but as I read a few to a greater extent I started getting a improve understanding of it. Particularly you inward addition to your approach with it, it’s less scary than what I e'er thought it was which was every theatre is similar a museum and inwards that location’s literally ane fork, together with ane knife, besides 1 plate. Just all of this stuff where it’s like, who wants to live similar that? I don’t want to do that. Anyway, I say all of that because your approach, what yous telephone band rational minimalism, correct?
JB:
Yeah.
BL:
Can y'all explicate a footling flake of that together with sort of how perchance it makes it less scary than some people think it should be?
JB:
Yeah, sure. The offset affair I did was I went to the info processing organisation together with searched what is minimalism? Up pops all of these people online who were living a minimalist life they called it, too I met a guy named Collin who lived out of a backpack also moved every 4 months to a different solid basis, also I met Dave Bruno in San Diego who owned only one hundred things, likewise that was his issue, he wasn’t owning whatever to a greater extent than or whatever less. I met Tammy together with Logan Stroble inwards Portland who moved into similar a 250 foursquare pes domicile. It was really interesting because I could consider how my possessions were weighing me downward, distracting me from bigger together with meliorate things than my life could live nigh, but I didn’t wishing to move every 4 months, I didn’t want to last inwards a 200 foursquare human foot domicile, nosotros had groups coming together inward our house, 2 or 3 groups a calendar calendar week. I didn’t wishing a canvass of newspaper with everything I had listed on it, I think we only realized really early that minimalism for us was going to seem different than minimalism for anyone else. It should, because I have got different values than whatsoever of them. Traveling the world isn’t an of import value to me, but existence hospitable is.
Eventually nosotros just defined it similar this, minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value, together with the removal of anything that distracts us from it. In that agency it’s what do I want to attain amongst my life, what tools and possessions do I demand to aid me do that, too too then what is all the other stuff that I’ve simply unintentionally held onto, that are only sucking fourth dimension as well energy away from doing the things that really convey fulfillment into my life. In that agency it’s real freeing to people. I didn’t usage the word rational minimalism but someone left a comment on the weblog ane fourth dimension and said, “I really similar your minimalism, it sounds thence rational.” I’m similar, that’s belike a pretty skillful term. It’s a really thoughtful approach to what do I wishing my life to live most, so what do I demand to proceed, too what tin I get rid of thence I tin forcefulness out do more than of that.
BL:
Yeah, that only feels skillful to me. You know as nosotros were going through this physical process, Linda together with I, likewise for everybody watching or listening, we, I don’t know, inwards all probability almost nine months agone or a yr agone, we variety of pigeon in top Canis familiaris long with this too genuinely made a purge too got rid of a whole lot of stuff. I was floored at how much clearer my top dog was – I think that was ane of the big things for me. Honestly the simplicity of my closet, thence I went from in all likelihood 30 something pairs of shoes, I similar shoes, but at that spot’s no debate for me to handle that many pairs of shoes, inwards improver to cutting that downward in all probability lxx, lxxx%. I did the same thing with my shirts in addition to pants, also only really simplified everything I had going on. It just feels thus goodness, it’s similar I only grip things I honey right away. It genuinely, genuinely feels skilful.
As nosotros were going through this physical process of just getting rid of our stuff, at that place’s those inevitable form of forks inwards the route where you lot have got got this object as good as it’s similar, “But I don’t wish to acquire rid of it.” You withdraw handgrip to require yourself, “Well why are yous keeping it? Can you supersede it if you demand to?” I institute that we had a lot of those lilliputian forks inwards the road, but 50-50 if … I don’t know, I’m trying to think. I estimate you lot should response this, but what do you think the best agency to approach those things are? When you have those objects where it’s similar you tin lav’t really determine if you should get rid of it.
JB:
Yeah, apparently it’s event past times times event on some of those things. You know, materials that, to lump anything into i large attention. There’s a issue of factors I think, Dave Bruno who ended upwardly writing a volume nigh the 1 hundred thing challenge, the list, he had an interesting subtext inward his book, The One Hundred Thing Challenge. Reduce, reuse, rejigger. He talked close when he got downwardly to i hundred things that ane of the surprising things that he discovered was that he could really acquire past times pretty good with the things he had. He discovered novel ways to solve problems, he discovered that he really could acquire yesteryear amongst less materials than he ever thought. Mi Angelo says it hence goodness, she says, “We demand thence much less than we think we demand.”
We’re only never forced to diversity of solve those problems on our ain when we move along property onto things, inwards add-on to similar the other thought that I assay to assistance people think through is that nosotros don’t usually realize the emotional anxiety perhaps, the physical distraction that all of these things are inwards our business solid. We think, oh gosh it would price me hence much money to locomote supervene upon whatever it powerfulness grip out. We don’t l-l realize how we walk past times that detail a i i K times sitting on our slice of work bench, I’m thinking of some tool. It distracts us every unmarried quaternary dimension we walk by it likewise just rarely count the damage of what it is to really take hold onto something.
Someone sent me an e-postal service i time in addition to she’s similar, “Okay so what’s the big handle if I withdraw handle an extra set of PRC inwards my basement?” I said, “Hmm, that’s a skilful interrogation.” I wrote back together with I said, “If yous only had one extra laid of People's Republic of Red China inward your basement together with and then it inwards all likelihood wouldn’t survive that big of a manage. The trouble is no ane just has i extra set of Cathay in their basement, we have got boxes, likewise boxes of things. We’ve held onto this, in improver to we’ve held onto that, as well as it simply becomes real cumbersome together with rattling distracting for anything else that nosotros desire to do inward add-on to strength out accomplish with our lives.”
BL:
You know, beingness a pastor, I’m curious what you have got got constitute in the bible, I hateful at that topographic bespeak’s a few obvious sort of references to this type of living. How take hold got you reconciled everything, or how is what yous flora inward the bible kind of motivated you lot one agency or some other with all of this?
JB:
You know what it’s done, probably, and I can list some of the specific examples that mean a lot to me if you want to. More than that you know what it’s done is it’s totally changed my view of everything that Jesus said about money and possessions. I used to read anything that Jesus would say about possessions, you know. If you have two tunics give one to the poor. Don’t stock pile treasures here on earth, woe to you who are rich. The rich hand ruler walks away. All of these things and I would read them, and you know what I thought? I would say, “Man Jesus wants me to live a really crummy life. Jesus is calling me to give up everything that is fun, and just live this boring, destitute life thence that I tin assist the poor. Maybe I’ll acquire rewards inwards sky at the cease, also that’s the merchandise off.”
As we started owning less stuff on purpose, as good as every fleck nosotros got rid of things we didn’t demand, besides stopped buying novel things, together with of a sudden constitute out that nosotros had to a greater extent than than quaternary dimension, we had to a greater extent than energy, we had to a greater extent liberty, we had less stress, less worry, nosotros were a amend illustration for our kids, nosotros constitute greater contentment, as good as generosity, in addition to gratitude. We institute all of these life giving benefits of owning less, as well as all of a precipitous everything that Jesus said wasn’t nigh calling me to sacrifice forthwith for the sake of him but it was just an invitation to a ameliorate way to alive. He knew what he was talking nearly, go figure correct? I justice is similar everything else he says, “Don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, don’t live dishonest.” Well how come up? Those are pretty misfortunate ways to hold upwards your life when yous acquire downward to it, hence he says, “Don’t stock pile treasures hither on globe.” How come? Well because at that topographic betoken’s genuinely meliorate ways to live on.
It’s non the American dream – it’s like it’s Jesus’ dream too we multifariousness of confused the ii. I referenced some of them but of a precipitous it was, how-do-you-do he was really simply giving me pedagogy on a meliorate way to alive life than the world tells me I should live it.”
BL:
Yeah that’s really good. I feel like I’ve done the same thing, I haven’t seen it in that light. It’s like the deeper you go into the bible and the more you learn about any principle, it seems like there’s always these positive side effects that God has for the things that he does. I feel like that’s just a perfect example, regardless of what the main motivation was. If the main motivation is to give more so you can help the poor, well then the side effect is you benefit from this. Or if the focus is here, I want to help you by getting rid of your stuff, then the benefit is you’re helping other people, or giving it away. Regardless of what it is, it’s just similar, I love that when yous reckon those things, when you follow those biblical sort of principles as good as guidelines, besides just to acquire to consider all of these wonderful side effects.
Most things, they have negative side effects, you know what I think?
JB:
Yeah. Just similar, Luke Chapter 3 is this rattling fascinating passage where John the Baptist is preparing the way for Jesus, inward add-on to the Israelites come to him besides they say, “Okay what should we do to acquire create for this Messiah that yous’re promising? What do we take away handgrip to do to acquire cook for the kingdom of heaven?” John the Baptist tells the people, “If yous hold 2 coats, give i to the human who has none. If you take hold nutrient do the same.” He tells the tax collectors, “Don’t collect anymore money than you’re required to,” together with he tells the soldiers, “Be content with your pay, don’t bill people falsely, together with don’t extort money.” It’s rattling interesting as you lot mentioned what the side effects are for us personally of some of these things because I would read that together with I would think, issue i that would live on pretty hard. Number ii, okay I consider how the poor would do audio from me sharing with them, but this wasn’t most how do I assist the poor. This was how do I educate my ticker for Christ.
BL:
Yeah, that’s practiced.
JB:
John says, “Get rid of the stuff that y'all don’t need.” How come upward? Number ane we observe out that it’s pretty hard to acquire rid of the stuff that we don’t demand. That it really is really hard too we of a precipitous we uncovering that maybe we are a little to a greater extent tied to the world than we ever thought, peradventure we do love the world a trivial chip more than than we would hold ever said that nosotros did. Then we start to realize, I just think all the lies that we’ve bought into. Why do nosotros have to a greater extent TV’s inward our topographic point than people living inward it, right? Why do nosotros have basements full of things, in add-on to garages total of stuff? Why did we purchase a bunch of things that we didn’t demand inwards the offset position? Then I think we started to realize nosotros’re a piddling to a greater extent than susceptible to the world’s lies, as good as we really believe that far to a greater extent than we ever realize nosotros did.
BL:
Yeah. The thing that stands out from what you just said about preparing your hearts for Jesus to come then. It’s like, you know, we’re getting closer and closer to a second coming and I feel like the church building edifice as a whole is becoming more and more distracted. Even if it’s not from things per say, which it surely is, there’s just so many distractions. That kind of leads maybe into this whole other idea of information diets, thinking a little more minimalistically as far as what we’re consuming, and the constant entertaining of ourselves that I think so many of us naturally tend to with Facebook, and Pinterest, and whatever. Hulu and Netflix, it’s like just watch stuff and be entertained, and non-stop wanting, never have a minute to sit and to think, or let alone get solely too pray. Anyway, that’s pretty intriguing.
JB:
Solitude is existent difficult, it is hard to be tranquility. Not only because we’re so stimulated as well so used to existence stimulated, it’s but hard because we were forced to sit downwardly inwards who nosotros are a picayune flake. I had a college course of study together with occupation subdivision of the assignment was we had to pass ii i threescore minutes blocks each week inward total placidity. We couldn’t withdraw a bible to read, we couldn’t withdraw a prayer listing, or worship music. You merely had to sit down quietly for an sixty minutes, together with inwards improver to therefore we had to record our thoughts. It ended upward being ane of the most heightened seasons of spiritual growth inward my life, but it was incredibly difficult because when yous do that you lot start to realize I think the depravity of our hearts, right? You start to expect at your life as well as some of the things that have got motivated you lot, together with some of the things that yous said, also why you said them, and what some of these things are that let on 1 that we demand Jesus for, but you know, only, I think that it’s only far easier to pose on a tv set exhibit when things acquire hard rather than existence forced to sit down inwards why do I experience this way, together with what is motivating me inward most of my life.
BL:
Yeah, you shape of, wrestling through too going through some of those things that mayhap demand to live gone through rather than just burying them.
JB:
Yeah.
BL:
We’re getting pretty deep hither.
JB:
Anyway, yeah I’ll say, distressing.
BL:
We’re going to live, goodness I don’t know, psychiatrists when we’re done with all of this.
JB:
Yeah, distressing bud.
BL:
No, I Pb us downwardly at that topographic betoken. It’s non a bad thing, I mean value this is of import material. These are but genuinely of import things, hence I’m glad nosotros’re chatting almost it.
JB:
It is related to this conversation, it is related to minimalism. As nosotros began getting rid of things I recall commenting to my friend 1 quaternary dimension, simply how emotionally hard that it was. Not that was I attached to things, but simply the thought procedure of that thing that you utter nearly, that do I maintain it, do I acquire rid of it in add-on to why is this thence hard. He wrote back, he made a comment, real wisely he said, “It seems to me that minimalism would forcefulness questions of value on your life. As yous’re going through your household you’re forced to involve, okay, what do I wishing my life to live around? What is it going to be?” This procedure just spurs intentionality inward all areas of life that I but don’t think nosotros uncovering anyway else.
BL:
Yeah, really sound said. I concur. Here’s the affair, this is intimidating to a lot of people. I hateful, I know it was a petty fight for me, it truly was for Linda my married adult adult female. People I talked to, inwards a little chip of a agency I’m becoming a little fleck of an evangelist for minimalism equally a whole. Some of my friends who have seen what we’re doing are like, “What’s the bargain? Why are you lot doing this?” It’s forcing me to have to take away handgrip a trivial fleck of an explanation of why, also defend it to an extent. Anyway, all of that to tell, what are some skilful shape of practical kickoff steps that yous typically recommend for somebody who but wants to effort out the waters also reckon?
JB:
Yeah, that’s practiced. Most people when nosotros take hold this conversation, most … sound issue one, really few people disagree with me. When they outset hear minimalism they’re similar, “Oh I don’t wishing whatsoever of that.” When you lot get into the description of what I’m talking most, as good how it benefits, most people think, “Oh yeah, you’re right, I demand to do something.” The problem is most minds rush to like the hardest affair inward their life that they’d ever have to acquire rid of. Oh I honey books, I could never acquire rid of my books. I could never get rid of my yarn. I honey shoes, I could never get rid of shoes. They e'er rush to the hardest affair. I e'er state, “You don’t start at the hardest thing inwards your household to acquire rid of. Start with the real tardily things.” Literally I started inwards my motorcar. We had pulled the cars out of the garage to create clean them as well as every bit I pulled the machine inwards I’m but looking around and inwards that location’s a whole bunch of stuff in the auto that didn’t need to live there. Happy repast toys, CD’s that no i listened to, inward add-on to Ketchup packets, sunglasses together with maps. All of these that just didn’t even demand to be in that location.
I but grabbed it all together with I place it to the side. The next morning I sat inwards my machine as well as it felt thence freeing, similar just thus refreshing that inward that location wasn’t all this clutter around me. I state if y'all want to acquire started start in an tardily livable surface surface area, grab a lived in surface surface area, catch a handle, take grip of a box, together with but grab everything that you don’t 50-fifty want at that spot, that you lot don’t 50-l want inward your menage anymore. Then simply sit down downwardly inwards that for a niggling spell inward summation to consider if yous like it improve, I think most people volition. Then you endeavor some other surface area of the menage, you lot assay the bedroom, the closet, yous essay to acquire rid of some clothing, you lot know you assay to acquire rid of some old souvenir cups inwards the cupboard that don’t demand to be inwards that location. I think every fleck yous gain momentum you’re diverseness of noticing how this is improving your life. It gives you momentum hence when you acquire to the books, or when you lot acquire to the yarn, when you acquire to the shoes you lot have a piffling momentum behind you lot.
I think literally I would but tell go inwards your living room and only take grip of everything that you don’t l-l wishing inward your living room anymore together with regard how it feels, thus go endeavour some other room that would terminal tardily to tackle.
BL:
Yeah that’s what we did, we just went room by room. The really surprising thing for me was that I still almost nine months. a year in, I don’t remember exactly what it is, I still get a thrill whenever I realize, oh, I don’t need that, I can get rid of that. It gets me excited, and especially because you know … a lot of the stuff we’ve given to Goodwill, but a lot of it we have sold on Craigslist or Ebay. I wrote that post six months ago or whenever, I made over two thousand dollars in a month just selling a lot of the stuff on Craigslist. You can actually put some money back into your pocket if you need it, or you can bless the heck out of your neighbors, or people at Goodwill or other charities.
Anyway, patently I’m sold. I wish to, for people who wishing to acquire a footling chip more than sort of motivation to do this, as good as mayhap notice out a picayune scrap to a greater extent information … as good as this is what worked for Linda. I read a couplet books, together with thence I diversity of explained it to her likewise she’s similar, “Eh.” I’m similar, “Just read this volume.” Then she read, I don’t recollect if she read 1 of your books showtime or somebody else’s, I don’t recall. As soon as she read that volume she was sold. Then she diversity of started wading a lilliputian flake later a few months, as well as in addition to so she read some other volume as well she was committed. There’s something nigh I think reading together with diving deeper into the theme a petty chip, inward improver to thankfully you lot take away handgrip a whole bunch of books. Is at that location i that yous would signal a beginner to at this signal?
JB:
Yeah, I would transportation them to the book Simplify, which is merely digital, $2.99, Kindle, Nook, they’re available in that location. The PDF is available, it’s rattling brusk likewise it reads really apace, I think you tin read it inwards twoscore 5, threescore minutes. It simply makes the representative for minimalism. It’s non going to tell, “Here’s what socks to locomote on, together with hither’s what socks to acquire rid of,” correct? It gives the overall thought of it together with I think people observe it rattling motivating. If yous hold kids, Clutter Free amongst Kids is a good overlap. If you lot take away handgrip kids and are worried nigh that role I’d read Clutter Free amongst Kids. If you don’t hold kids I’d simply read the volume Simplify. I don’t think anyone needs to read both of them, at that position’s a lot of overlap betwixt them. That’s where I would ship people, inwards add-on to I would concur that I don’t think I would live where I am today if I wasn’t writing around this all the fourth dimension. I was e'er thinking goodness-nigh it, and ever noticing form of consumerism around me, also how it was effecting me. That’s what propelled me forrard.
For becoming a minimalist, I write a lot but most owning less inward addition to simply the benefits of it, together with I just move on going dorsum to it, similar we but demand to hear that. We regard like v yard advertisements a xx-iv hours that tell us to purchase to a greater extent than, as good as purchase whatever they’re selling. We but need the, similar we bought into that inwards the start location, we need a vox somewhere. There’s other people writing well-nigh it if a different web log resonates amend with someone than they should be reading that. Just to concluding constantly sort of rechecking as well as reevaluating what we’re doing.
BL:
Yeah, yeah, that’s proficient. All right human goodness it was proficient chatting, thank you for coming on. I appreciate all your wisdom too insight.
JB:
Well, words anyway, hope in that location’s some wisdom inwards in that location.
BL:
Oh definitely, definitely.
JB:
This was fun, it was a sound conversation.
BL:
All right, take attending.
JB:
You bet.
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