Joshua Becker's Blog, page 103

Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

Never underestimate the importance of removing stuff you don’t need.

Encouragement is important in all areas of life, but especially when trying to live a life different than those around us.

Encouragement provides us with motivation to persevere. It invites us to dream dreams of significance for our lives. And it begs us to work diligently with optimism and promise.

Overcoming the pull of consumerism is a difficult challenge regardless of our stage in life. Simplicity requires encouragement. To that end, I hope you will find motivation in these articles below.

Each post was intentionality chosen to inspire simplicity in your life. For maximum effect, find a quiet moment this weekend and enjoy them with a fresh cup of coffee or tea.

How ‘Treat Yourself’ Became a Capitalist Command | The Atlantic by Ester Bloom. Corporations love telling Americans they “deserve” fancy electronics and indulgent food.

Our Stuff is Burying Us Alive | Salon by Brian Thill. Hoarding and the mountains of garbage we call “collections.”

How to Want Very Little | Zen Habits by Leo Babauta. What would happen if we broke from our addiction to wanting and buying more?

I Went 200 Days Without Buying Anything New. Here’s How You Can Do It, Too | Yahoo by Assya Barrette. You might say to yourself, “I’d never be able to do that.” I’m here to counter that voice with a huge “Yes, you can!“

The Other Letter | YouTube by IKEA (2:41). Before you waste any time shopping this holiday season, watch this.

5 Tips for a More Intentional Holiday Season

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Robin Shliakhau of Simplify and Pursue.

My journey into minimalism was initiated by my husband. His coming to America as an adult from eastern Europe was not without its challenges. If you’ve been to that part of the world you can appreciate a little bit of his backstory.

Growing up in the Former Soviet Union was not easy, he remembers waiting in queues in frigid temperatures for the most basic necessities.  Fast forward twenty years and he finds himself in America—the land he had heard about his entire life. As with most things, it’s not completely as he expected. The ease and access of pretty much anything was alluring, but also deceiving.

Throughout our marriage, our different backgrounds have not always been easy. And one argument that came up repeatedly was about our stuff.

My husband would get fed up with the clutter, the piles of stuff, and the cleaning, which he was always helpful with. The amount of things we owned proved to be very overwhelming to him. Our conversations often included him getting frustrated and venting about the number of things we owned. I’d agree on the surface that we did have a lot of “junk” and that I wished things weren’t so time consuming, but little would actually change.

That was, until… the week before Christmas of 2012.

I remember the day well. The stress of the holiday season was resting squarely on both of our shoulders when Andrei and I had an argument for the millionth time about “stuff.” It always followed the same tune. Life and stuff would be hectic and cluttered and he would tolerate until he couldn’t anymore. He would explain how he doesn’t even know where most of it came from and wished our house would burn down and we could start over. Seriously. And then I would agree that it was out of hand. I completely understood his point of view (I did not agree about the house burning down). Intellectually I understood, I just didn’t know where or how to start.

But I knew, this time, something needed to change. The holiday season made the burden of excess even more apparent in our lives. Days later, with the conversation still fresh in my mind, a friend shared something on Facebook from Becoming Minimalist… the words I read that day sounded just like my husband. Shortly after, I read The Joy of Less by Francine Jay. She helped me wrap my head around how to begin and offered a detailed method for minimizing my possessions.

As I look back at my story, before minimalism, the holiday season had become something both my husband and I had begun to dread. If you dread the holidays, that’s when you most need to stop, become observant, and notice what is going on around you.

The words that should describe the holidays, such as peace, joy, family, and giving, often become replaced with stress, anxiety, debt, and “I want’s.” But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can still discover and experience our ideal holiday season.

Here are some thoughts on how we can aim for a more intentional holiday season:

1. Check to see where your heart is. Take a few moments before all the hoopla begins and ask yourself some hard questions: Is there greed in your heart? When our desires turn to greed or we seek to fill a real need with more stuff, it is important to step back and refocus. Are you worried about keeping up with expectations of families and friends? Many times the expectations that give us anxiety are self imposed. Is there pride lurking in how you go about the holidays? Along with the expectations we’re trying to meet, there may also be an unhealthy competition and pride in how we celebrate. If we’re all honest, we struggle with these in varying levels. Being aware of these gives us an opportunity to let them go.

2. Set an example to others. Have the hard conversations early in the season of letting extended family know that you are trying to get out of debt or are changing the way that you celebrate. There may be some pushback, but chances are your friends and family are struggling with the same feelings of semi-dread around the holidays. When we are bold, it gives others the courage to make similar decisions. We may inspire them to rethink the expectations they have also been struggling to meet.

3. Focus on the giving. Giving is the heart of the holiday season. Besides giving thoughtful gifts to family and friends, there are ways that you and your family can give to others. Many organizations have catalogs or campaigns for this time of year in which you can give those in impoverished areas some of the most basic of necessities. Also, look in your area for soup kitchens, shelters, or refugee centers to help those in your own city. You can also give time. Start by spending quality time together as family and then volunteer at one of your local organizations.

4. Dream of how you can do the holidays well.  Rather than having unrealistic images of the holidays, take a few moments to think of what you’d like to do differently this year. Talk with your family about what they are most looking forward to this holiday season. Ask them who they would like to help during this season. I’m often pleasantly surprised of how aware my children are. Involve them in this process. Your idea of the holidays should reflect your values, beliefs, and passions.

5. Give yourself and others grace. By design, this is a season of expectation and waiting. Excitement builds with each day. Be sure to let yourself enjoy this season. If you find yourself stressed, take a breath and refocus. If others push their expectations on you or disregard your wishes, extend grace to them but remain committed to your vision for the holidays. The swim against the culture will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

Call it a hunch, but I think most of us yearn for a little less stress during the holiday season and more time to enjoy those closest to us. It was this time of year that caused me to finally put into practice the words of my husband.

Let’s fill the holidays with such good memories and new traditions that no one even gives a second thought to a smaller pile of gifts under the tree. Because this is not about giving less, it’s about adding depth and meaning to this special time of the year.

***

Robin Shliakhau blogs at Simplify and Pursue where she helps others simplify their life and home in order to pursue relationships, dreams, and goals. You can also find her on Facebook.

Celebrating Four Years of Simplify

“Practical and to the point. Half way through this book we began cleaning out our cars, then our dresser, and now our closets. Very motivating.” —Jane Mayer

Four years ago, we released Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life on the Amazon Kindle.

By the end of the day, it was the #1 Self-Help book on Amazon. Eventually, the book would go on to sell more than 100,000 copies. It has changed countless lives. Even today, it continues to inspire more and more people to live a better life by owning fewer possessions.

Simplify provides the motivation and practical help to encourage others to simplify their home and declutter their possessions. It argues we find more life by owning less. We can discover more time, energy, and finances to pursue our greatest passions. And we begin to experience a greater sense of freedom.

To celebrate the four-year anniversary of its release, we are offering Simplify for just $0.99 for the next 10 days.

This is a win-win situation. It allows you to own the book for the cheapest price it has ever been offered. And it helps us generate increased interest, sales, and reviews.

Simplify retells our story of finding minimalism and the most important lessons we learned during the journey. But more importantly, it provides the motivation and blueprint for you to begin your own journey towards a better life. It invites its readers to discover a new life-giving truth: There is more joy to be found in owning less than we can ever discover in pursuing more. And it will likely change the way you view possessions forever.

Leo Babauta called it “a must-read.”
Courtney Carver listed it as “one of her favorite books on the topic.“
The Albany Times Union said, “If you’re looking for specific advice on how to live well with less, this book is worth a look.”
Anna Reid wrote about the book, “Life-changing. I recommend it to anyone feeling overwhelmed in life.”

Purchase a copy today. It can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords for only $0.99.

After 10 days, it will return to its regular price of $2.99. Currently, Simplify is only available in digital formats.

Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show.

The simplicity/minimalism movement is a beautiful community. It is friendly, encouraging, and helpful. There is a genuine understanding that any promotion of simplicity is good for society—and there is little concern over who gets the credit.

It is a pleasure to be part of such a wonderful group of people. And I enjoy every opportunity to promote writing that encourages people to live more by owning less.

So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea. Find a quiet moment this weekend. And enjoy some encouraging words to inspire more simplicity in your life today.

Everything You Could Ever Want | Matthew Varney by Matthew Varney. All the material wealth and earthly pleasures in the world won’t satisfy he who is without discipline.

A Japanese How-To Has Americans Tossing Out Clutter by the Bagful | USA Today by Hollie Deese. The new minimalism is a shift away from the materialistic mindset that has been pervasive in recent years.

The Evolution of Simplicity | New York Times by David Brooks. Striving for fullness and variety has always sparked a counter-impulse toward simplicity and naturalness.

Teen Instagram Star Speaks Out About The Ugly Truth Behind Social Media Fame | TIME by Megan McCluskey. It’s a system based on social approval, likes, validation in views, success in followers.

Instead Of Decluttering, It May Be Time To Think About ‘De-owning’ | WPR with Joy Cardin. I don’t think people realize how much time, how much of their lives are being taken away by the things they own.

The Hope Effect: Changing How the World Cares for Orphans

Let’s be known for the lives we live—not the things we can buy.

I have experienced countless benefits since deciding to minimize my possessions and remove the pursuit for more. Among the greatest, I have learned my life is too valuable to waste chasing material possessions. But beyond that, I have learned, when the pursuit of material possessions is removed, our lives are opened up to accomplish far greater things than we could ever imagine.

And so, with that as the backdrop, I am able to write a blog post today that years ago, I never would have dreamt possible. I am hoping, that together, we can literally change the world. And I don’t use that phrase as an idealistic cliché, I legitimately believe it is possible.

The Background

In 1978, as a newborn, my wife was left by her birth mother at a hospital in South Dakota. A call was immediately placed to a local attorney looking for some help. He was new to town, and with very little background in his new community, he didn’t have many answers. But he did know somebody, hours away, who might be able to help.

Later that night, on a warm Midwestern summer evening, he dialed the number of a young couple in Omaha, NE. At the time, they were unable to have kids but wanted a larger family. And the judge knew of their desire. The unsuspecting parents answered the phone that evening having no idea who would be on the other end or how their lives would change. But within hours, their bags were packed, and they were on their way to South Dakota to pick up their daughter.

Because of her past, Kim and I have always held a special place in our hearts for the orphan. It doesn’t always work out for others as it did for my wife—not every orphaned child is able to be raised in a loving family. And we think something needs to be done.

So we did something. Late last year, we founded a nonprofit organization, The Hope Effect, to change how the world cares for orphans.

The Problem Nobody Talks About

Over 26 million children worldwide live without parents. Less than 1% will ever be adopted, so how we care for the remaining 99% matters. And to be honest, on a global-scale, we don’t do a very good job.

Many people believe the orphan crisis is being adequately addressed… but the facts tell a different story.

For decades, research has pointed out the damaging effects on children of traditional, institutional orphan care—those orphanages around the world that most of us think about, usually involving high child to caregiver ratios.

Unfortunately, when children do not receive adequate personal interaction within a loving environment, development is stunted and learning abilities are delayed or lost. Many orphanages are simply unaware of the damaging physical and psychological impact institutional care has on children. Some studies reveal 60-70% of children who age out of these institutions end up homeless, incarcerated, or in prostitution.

There is a worldwide problem in how we care for orphans—but almost nobody is talking about it.

The Solution

Our nonprofit, The Hope Effect, is addressing this problem by changing orphan care around the world. Our model for orphan care provides solutions that better mimic the family.

Our campus setting will include an administrative building and smaller housing units. Each house will provide a home for 8 children and 2 parents. In so doing, these family-style homes will provide opportunity for each child to flourish and thrive. They will receive all the love, attention, and affection they would in a traditional family—and receive an example of how a family operates for when they start one of their own.

Additionally, access to health, dental, and social care is provided while each child is prepared for the future through education, responsibility, support, and the structure that parents were designed to provide.

We carry out our work with the highest level of excellence, treating each child as if he or she is our own.

With your support, The Hope Effect is building its first family-style home on the campus of La Providencia in Siguatepeque, Honduras (the second poorest country in Central America). La Providencia has proven experience with this model of orphan care and we look forward to partnering with them. Our goal is to raise $125,000 for construction and two years of operation.

Following the completion of this project, The Hope Effect will construct its first full campus in Mexico.

The Becoming Minimalist Community

I have often wondered what is next for the Becoming Minimalist community—selling t-shirts or mouse pads never seemed quite right.

You comprise one of the most engaged, highly sought-after communities on the Internet. I receive emails every day from people who want to guest post on this blog and get their name in front of you (and that doesn’t even count all the advertisement pitches I receive). But growth for the sake of selfish and personal financial return never felt quite right either.

And, yet, on any given month, 800,000 – 1,200,000 unique visitors stop by Becoming Minimalist. Almost 1 million people every month.

That’s 1 million people who have decided they don’t want to buy stuff. One million people who realize they were called to something greater!

What could we accomplish if we focus that energy and those resources? What if we bonded together and set out to solve a real problem in the world today—a problem that all of us could get behind, regardless of our faith background, social status, or political views. What if we rallied around a problem that has existed for decades but nobody is talking about? What about orphan care?

What if we set out to change how the world cares for orphans?

Together, as a community, we can change the course of history.

Get Involved

If you consider yourself a part of the Becoming Minimalist community, if you have received any value from this site, or if the desire to be generous lives in your heart, join me.

Your decision to no longer pursue material possessions has freed you for something greater. It has freed you to provide homes and families to the most vulnerable in our society… and I can’t imagine ever experiencing a greater joy or level of fulfillment.

We have created two very simple ways for you to get involved. Choose one (or both) of the options below to get started:

1. Participate in our Homes for the Holidays Campaign. Got enough stuff already? Of course you do! Here’s a solution for your holiday season.

Rather than adding to the clutter in your home this holiday season, ask your friends and family to help you provide homes for orphans by making a donation rather than purchasing another present. It’s easy to do: Create your very own personalized fundraising page and share it with your friends and family. Sign-up today and we’ll send you a reminder e-mail on December 1st.

Our goal is to have 5,000 people participate in our Homes for the Holiday Campaign this year. I’ve already created my page. Join me this holiday season.

2. Join our $10 team. The simplest and most effective way for you to get involved changing orphan care around the world is to commit to donate just $10/month. We call it our $10 Team. Consider this, for the price of a Netflix subscription, you can provide loving homes and families for orphans around the world. It’s simple and safe to sign-up. The commitment is small, but the impact will be significant.

Our goal is to get 2,000 people to sign-up and join our Team. Providing the foundation for our work, they would generate nearly $250,000/year for orphan care—not just construction, but food and clothing and education and continuing medical care.

Our commitment to you is that 100% of your donation will be used exclusively for orphan care (construction of homes and operation of orphan care communities). My investment into The Hope Effect has provided the administrative funding so all public donations can be used for the reason it was intended. You can read more here. And because we are a registered 501(c)(3) organization, your donation is tax-deductible.

PS: If you are a blogger, we have a special opportunity for you to get involved in other ways. Read more here.

What to Expect

This is an important day for me and one of the most significant in the history of Becoming Minimalist. Because of our collective desire to own less and pursue greater things with our lives, we are on the brink of making history and changing the lives of orphans around the world.

Let’s be known for the lives we live—not the things we can buy. (tweet that)

From time to time on this blog, I will make announcements concerning The Hope Effect and offer continuing opportunities to get involved.

But through it all, Becoming Minimalist will always stay true to its core message that there is more joy to be found in owning less than can be found in pursuing more. And we will continue to invite as many as possible to discover this truth in their lives. I hope you will join us.

To receive more-regular updates about The Hope Effect, visit the website, start your own fundraising campaign, join our $10 Team or make a one-time donation. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

I intend to be very active this week answering any questions you might have in the comment section below. If this cause resonates in your heart, I urge you to take action today.

A New, Minimalist Economy

The first time I heard the question, I was sitting in the living room at my mother-in-law’s house. We had tuned into MSNBC for Tammy Strobel’s interview. After their appearance on the TODAY Show and in the New York Times, the Strobel’s were being interviewed on the cable network about their experience with minimalism and tiny house living.

At the end of their conversation, the host asked Tammy a pointed question. Relatively new to the movement, it came across to me, as a “gotcha” question—an odd send-off to an otherwise friendly interview. The interviewer asked:

But Tammy, what if your way of life caught on and everybody chose to live minimalist? What would happen to our economy? Have you given any thought to the ramifications?

Since then, I have come to understand, while terrribly mistimed in this specific interview, questions concerning the impact of minimalism on our economy are important ones—and quite significant to a percentage of the population. On a semi-regular basis, I am asked similar questions and have come to expect them. Recently, after an event here in Phoenix, I was approached by a CFO with the same concern.

Joshua, I understand what you are saying about owning less and I don’t disagree on a personal level. However, our national well-being requires people to buy things they don’t need. If minimalism caught on nationally, our economy would be ruined.

Now, before I move on to address his specific concern, I do think in the short-term and to some extent, he is probably right.

There are numerous factors that contribute to the overconsumption so prevelant in almost every wealthy society in our world today. There are personal, heart issues that give rise to overconsumption: greed, jealousy, lack of empathy, desire to impress, pride, compensating for personal shortcomings, our propensity to look for happiness in the things we possess, and general unawareness of the damaging affects of overconsumption.

But beyond that, there are also societal issues at play. Our economy, to a large degree, is based on overconsumption and the need for people of every social class to spend more than they have. Disappointing retail figures and sluggish consumer confidence are always reported as doomsday scenarios.

“We must get people spending,” is the mantra of the journalist as the only way to revive a slowing economy. In fact, just this past week, a news story lamented the possibility of consumers paying down debts: “If [consumers] trouser the savings to pay down debts instead, expect more gloom ahead.”

My first question after reading the article was, “What kind of society have we built that requires people to go into debt to sustain it?” How long can that last anyway? But, beyond that, I was reminded of the often-asked question I first heard addressed to Tammy on MSNBC.

Can minimalism and a thriving economy co-exist?

I believe they can (and I am not alone). For starters, those who argue they are incompatible fail to miss the bigger picture on two significant fronts: the flexibility of our capitalist system and the misunderstanding that minimalism represents zero spending.

First, concerning the flexibility of our economy, it is widely assumed that markets and business dictate consumer behavior. And again, to a degree, they are correct. Marketers work long hours and make good money devising new ways to shape our consumer behavior and bend it toward their specific product line. However, business, at its very heart, is about catering to the desires of the consumer—not the other way around.

For example, on a consistent basis, there is outrage over fast fashion—these outlets that offer cheap textiles with an ever-revolving supply entering and exiting their store. The reality exists that to create such a large quantity of clothing at such low prices requires somebody, somewhere to be paid very little to produce it. We throw our hands up in disgust… and then we drive to the store to buy our cheap t-shirts. As a result, more inexpensive t-shirts, sweaters, dresses, and sneakers are produced.

However, if the consumer masses finally said, “Enough! I am willing to pay more money for my fashion to ensure proper working conditions around the world,” and truly meant it, these outlets would change their practice and their strategy to meet the new demands of the public they desire to clothe.

Businesses may influence some aspects of consumer spending. But as a long-term rule, they respond to consumer demands far more than they create them.

Which brings me back to the original question. Would our economy decline and our nation falter if minimalism became the norm? In the short-term, yes, there would absolutely be some hiccups along the way. But an economy based on free-market, capitalist principles will always be able to re-invent itself. Entrepreneurial spirits will always find new ways to generate revenue. And they would do so in a new, minimalist economy as well.

This, then, introduces the second misconception mentioned above: the belief that minimalism represents zero spending.

Minimalism, as a lifestyle, does not require (or even invite) people to stop spending money altogether. Instead, it merely redirects their money toward non-material pursuits.

As the wave of minimalism expands (which it continues to do), a new economy will begin to emerge. Economists, take heart: money will still be spent. It will just be spent on more rewarding things than material possessions. It will focus on things like:

Experiences. From concerts and eating out to museums and sporting events, minimalists prefer experiences over possessions. Spending will begin to move in that direction.

Travel and Tourism. Many minimalists refer to travel as the “ultimate experience” and some embrace the lifestyle purely for its pursuit. Others recognize it as merely a nice byproduct of owning less. Both approaches impact our economy significantly: as dollars are directed away from fleeting material possessions, travel will become more attainable—and so will the many industries required to support it.

Art. While not every minimalist considers themselves an artist in practice or appreciation, there is little doubt that a new, minimalist economy will place a higher value upon it. Minimalism allows more people to practice it and in turn, provides more opportunity for people to appreciate it.

Higher-Quality Consumer Products. To live is to consume. We all need food and shelter and clothing. We also have passions and purposes that we desire to fulfill with our short lives. These needs and these purposes require material goods. Minimalism does not reject all material purchases, but it does provide the opportunity (and the desire) to own higher-quality items. In a minimalist economy, well-designed, multi-purpose, quality-crafted items will be desired and purchased.

Services. In a minimalist economy, services become more desired than retail products. As a short anecdote, my friend recently hired a personal chef to complement his use of a personal trainer. He would credit minimalism as a means to that end. Because he spends less money on things and less time caring for them, he has found the space in his schedule and budget to hire these services—services that, in the long-run, are an investment into his health, well-being, and productivity.

Research and Problem Solving. As Mr. Money Mustache eloquently argues, the savers and investors represent the true engine of economic growth:

Only by sacrificing current consumption, can people put money into banks or share offerings, which end up in the hands of new and existing businesses who can then use that money to create new technology, factories, or human capital, allowing them to increase their productivity. Capital creates productivity, and productivity is the driver of our standard of living.

Sharing. The movement is already underway—technology has made it possible. Resources and products are being shared today among citizens at a far-greater rate than they have been in generations. From Uber and AirBnb, to Fon and NiceRide, there exist examples all around us of this growing industry providing a snapshot into our future economy. Again, each one represents the ingenuity of individuals and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Public good. This, then, represents the greatest benefit of minimalism on a macro-level. Minimalism provides opportunity for the individual to practice generosity on a larger scale than ever before. Minimalism allows us to redirect our finite resources away from our wants and begin to use them in practical ways to meet other people’s needs. Whether we are feeding the hungry, housing the orphan, saving the environment, protecting animals, or speaking up for the disenfranchised, our resources can make this world a better place for everybody.

Will the economy falter if minimalism grows to a nationwide movement? Certainly, our existing one based almost entirely on individual overconsumption will slow—and it will hiccup in the short-term.

But it will re-invent itself. Indeed, it always has.

—

On Sunday, November 1st, I will be making one of the most significant announcements in the history of Becoming Minimalist. It will, in very real ways, begin to test the potential of a new, minimalist economy. And it will begin to move this idea out of philosophy and into reality.

I have spent the previous 11 months working quietly and ambitiously on one of the most important projects I have ever undertaken—founding a nonprofit organization to solve one of the most overlooked problems in our world today: how we care for orphans.

The details will be announced here first. It is a significant opportunity to improve the public good, but it will only succeed if this community rallies around the issue. I am excited to see firsthand what a community of people who have decided not to buy worthless possessions can accomplish with their money and lives. And I am excited to see how this very real opportunity can begin to lay a foundation for a new economy built on things that matter.

Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

There’s more to life than buying stuff.

There are many wonderful people pursuing and promoting simplicity. Fortunately, some of them are gifted in communication and choose to encourage and inspire us with their words. I enjoy reading their unique perspective. I’m sure you will too.

So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea on this beautiful weekend. Find a quiet moment. And enjoy some encouraging words about finding more simplicity in your life today.

Buying begets buying: how stuff has consumed the average American’s life | The Guardian by Madeleine Somerville. Our addiction to consuming things is a vicious cycle, and buying a bigger house to store it all isn’t the answer.

Declutter your wardrobe: Lessons from people who’ve done it | CNN by Emanuella Grinberg. “You may have fewer items of clothing in your closet, but you have more space, more time to enjoy your morning, more opportunity to wear your favorite clothes.”

Drastically Increase Your Standards | New Minimalism. Clutter builds up when we stop making decisions about our stuff.

This couple lives on 6% of their income so they can give $100,000 a year to charity | Quartz by William MacAskill. We constantly overestimate the impact income will have on our happiness levels.

Photographer Removes Phones From His Photos To Show How Terribly Addicted We’ve Become | Bored Panda by Dainius. The project inspiration came from a chance encounter in a NYC cafe.

12 Simple Living Graphics to Share and Inspire Others

For the past several years, I have been creating graphics that help inspire simplicity. At first, it was simply fun to do. But soon, the graphics became an important strategy in promoting and encouraging owning less, buying less, and living better.

I have been thanked repeatedly for them—and the graphics continue to attract interest (our Facebook group is now over 300,000 followers).

I thought it might be helpful to post some of the most popular images all in one place. So here they are.

I encourage you to share them with others. Share the graphics on your Facebook page or other social media accounts. Send them to your friends via email. Or print out your favorites to post in your home or office for daily inspiration.

Either way, may our lives continue to invite more and more people to experience the life-giving benefits of owning less.

Owning Less

 

Buying Less

 

Living Better

You are welcome to share these graphics wherever you desire. High-resolution images are available by clicking through the image provided. Links back to this website are helpful, but certainly not required.

The Productivity of Being Non-Productive

“Habit rules the unreflecting soul.” ―William Wordsworth

Years ago, in a controlled setting, I took the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment. It was helpful. In fact, I’d recommend it to most anyone.

The theory is that each individual possesses a certain number of character attributes, which, together, result in a person’s tendency to develop certain skills more easily and excel in certain fields. Of the 34 distinct attributes, the StrengthsFinder test will help an individual discover their top five.

As these assessments usually do, the results brought new words and meaning to my personality, talents, and motivations. Based on the research, a person’s strengths do not change over the course of their lifetime. In other words, though many things have changed in my life over the past ten years, my top five themes have not.

Here they are:

Achiever. People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
Competition. People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.
Significance. People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.
Context. People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.
Woo. People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

Of the most significant driving forces in my life, the desire to achieve, compete, and gain significance rank among the most influential. And I can feel each of them within me every day.

The assessment is based on an important premise: It is wise for us to focus on building our strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses. However, every strength can become a weakness if we do not learn to recognize and control it.

The strengths that bring definition to our motivations can just as easily become a detriment to us if we allow them to gain mastery over us. In my own life, I can see how a theme’s excess has caused unhealthy pursuits. In fact, I have written about some of them prior (competition / significance).

But recently, I am beginning to recognize how another strength in my life left unchecked soon becomes a weakness. In this case, Achiever.

I take great satisfaction from being busy and I find fulfillment at the end of a day knowing something has been accomplished. And to a fault, I become restless when sitting idle—I prefer periods of productivity instead.

It’s important for me to add this does not mean every moment of my day is filled with hard work and productive outcomes—I struggle with procrastination and distraction just like everyone. But it does mean that I am naturally drawn to the idea of being productive and tend to fill my hours with pursuits that fit the definition in my mind.

But I am learning more and more, especially over the past year, that being nonproductive is actually essential to mindful, intentional living. In fact, being nonproductive is one of the most productive things we can ever do—even if the behavior wars against every inclination in our body.

This year has been ambitious. I submitted a completed manuscript to my publisher last week, we are launching a nonprofit organization here on November 1st, I have been preparing an at-home program for people looking to implement minimalism in their unique context, speaking heavily, and I’ve been focused on a few other surprises that I can’t mention quite yet.

In all this pursuit of productivity, the important periods of nonproductivity are harder to find—but have become even more essential for me and those closest to me.

It is imperative for me to structure intentional periods and disciplines of nonproductivity into my life. (By nonproductivity, I mean nonproductive on the surface. In each of these pursuits, there is productivity to be found—it’s just not the type that typically motivates me.)

One of the ways I have begun to push against the excess of the achievement strength in my life is to articulate and understand the specific productivity of being nonproductive.

If you struggle with the constant need for busyness and/or achievement in your life, maybe you will find some motivation in the list I have been collecting. In each case, I recognize an essential, “nonproductive” pursuit that does not come natural to me, and then I focus on the benefit it provides for me.

For example:

Relationship. My wife values quality time. She needs and expects periods of time in our day where I am not focused on anything but spending time with her. This can be difficult for me because it feels unproductive at times. But it becomes easier when I remind myself that investing time into a relationship is one essential key to a healthy and stable marriage.

Meditation/Devotion. When I meditate, I focus on my spirituality and my belief in a God who cares about his creation. It is easy to be pulled away from this discipline by the demands of the day. But only those who set aside the time to intentionally pursue a Higher Power, appreciate what is discovered.

Solitude. Different than meditation, I use solitude to focus inward—to discern my motivations and the voices I allow to direct my life. Not only does the spirit of solitude go against my natural inclination to achieve, the pursuit inward is difficult for every human being. But I remind myself: it is in times of solitude and quiet that I am directed toward the pursuits and achievements that matter most.

Rest. Rest is an exercise in contentment. It is the ability to look back at the work I have accomplished over a period of time and slow down in appreciation of it. It requires one to be content with their lot in life and, for a moment, not strive for more. But instead to rest, satisfied. And again, it turns out rest is one of the most productive things we can ever do.

Play. Playing with my kids, literally getting on the floor with them, is important for their well-being and my desire to communicate love and stability in my family. This is productive. But so is play with other adults. Whether it be a game of Settlers of Catan at our kitchen table or a round of tennis with my opponent down the street, play holds enormous benefit for our lives. And adults who don’t recognize the productive nature of it, miss it altogether.

Investing into Others. This past weekend, I asked my son to help with some yard work. We don’t have a large area around our home and, to be honest, I probably could have finished it in less time if I hadn’t asked him to help. But appreciation for hard work is something I want to instill into his life—and getting dirty on Saturday was a good way to do it. Whether at home, at work, or at church, investing into others doesn’t always feel like the most productive use of our time. But in the long run, everybody benefits.

Our natural inclination is to fill our hours with activities we deem to be highly-productive. But this is almost never the healthiest path for us, our families, or our community. So we must push against this habit constantly reminding ourselves…

Lasting productivity requires periods of nonproductivity—or, better yet, a new definition of what true productivity actually looks like.

Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle that stands against the culture of overconsumption that surrounds us.

The world we live in is not friendly to the pursuit of minimalism. Its tendencies and relentless advertising campaigns call us to acquire more, better, faster, and newer. The journey of finding simplicity requires consistent inspiration.

For that reason, I hope you will make an effort this weekend to find a quiet moment with a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy some of these hand-picked articles to encourage more simplicity in your life.

Can you shop your way to happiness? | The Guardian by Oliver Burkeman. That new item expresses something about who you want to be. So you buy it.

Technology is not ruining our kids. Parents (and their technology) are ruining them. | Quartz by Jenny Anderson. Many of us worry what technology is doing to our kids. So we parents set timers, lock away devices and drone on about the importance of actual real-live human interaction. And then we check our phones.

TV Ads Are About to Get Personal With New Targeting Tools | Bloomberg Business by Gerry Smith. As brands shift more of their spending to the Web where ads are more precise, the TV industry is pushing back.

The Money Spent Selling Sugar to Americans Is Staggering | The Atlantic by James Hamblin. Why do we eat what we eat?

I Live In My Car | Dear Buzzfeed (YouTube) with Chris Sawey. Such an interesting perspective. (3:32)