Joshua Becker's Blog, page 133

On Influence and Resources

“We get almost all our wonders second hand.” ― Mark Twain

Influence requires resources. Whether you are seeking to promote positive change in your world, your neighborhood, or your family, fuel is required.

This is a natural law of physics—a body in straight line motion will stay in straight line motion unless acted on by an outside force.

Similarly, this appears to be the natural law of society—culture will continue on its current trajectory unless a new influence begins to change the direction of its existing path.

But this new influence must always find its source somewhere. It will always require the spending of resources.

Unfortunately, too many make the mistake of equating resources solely with money. Now, don’t get me wrong, money is a valuable resource for influence—anyone who has ever followed a political campaign can recognize that truth. But money is not our only resource available for influence.

We can also change the trajectory of our world by directing our time, energy, creativity, intelligence, willpower, and/or skill set towards the change we’d like to see. Influence requires fuel, but that fuel can come from any number of sources. And each of us are equipped with many.

One of the greatest benefits of minimalism I have seen in my life is the opportunity to redirect my life’s resources. By removing the pursuit of physical possessions, my financial resources have been freed to pursue influence of higher worth. And by removing the distraction of physical possessions, I have discovered even more resources (time, money, energy, mental capacity) to direct elsewhere.

My hope is that these newfound resources will be spent towards positive influence and positive change in our world. May each of us do the same.

What I’m Working On. Where I’m Speaking.

I am looking forward to a number of conversations around the country about minimalism in the coming months. Some opportunities stem from things I was previously working on, while others have pushed me to further explore the intersection of minimalism and life.

In either case, I continue to find living with fewer possessions a life-giving pursuit. It is one that frees the human spirit and the human heart from material possessions. It allows us freedom to direct our focus towards more meaningful pursuits. And in every opportunity, it is always my hope to share this inspiration. If you find yourself located near any of these upcoming opportunities, consider joining us:

_Thinking Richer About Money.

February. Journey Church. Peoria AZ.

Our lives are too valuable to waste chasing possessions. Unfortunately, both outside and inside the church, the pursuit of wealth and materialism remains one of the greatest undiagnosed distractions of our time. But Jesus offered bold, life-giving teachings on money and possessions. Correctly understood, his ideas bring life, freedom, meaning, and fulfillment to those who choose to embrace them. This 6-week conversation (every other Tuesday evening) based on the Scriptural account of Jesus is designed to redefine our thinking on money, possessions, income, work, and generosity.

Open to the public. If you live in the Peoria/Pheonix-area and are interested in joining us, contact me directly for more information: becomingminimalist [at] gmail.

_How Minimalism Is Changing Entrepreneurship.

March 11. SXSW Interactive. Austin, TX.

People can earn a living doing what they love. We’ve all heard this before. But most people don’t realize they don’t need to earn as much money as they think to live contently. And with the fear-of-money obstacle out of the way, entrepreneurship becomes far more achievable—far realer.

I am excited to be teaming up with Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists and Courtney Carver of Be More With Less to show people that they can live more meaningful lives while earning considerably less money. Through inspiration, personal stories, and practical application, our desire is to inspire others to finally pursue their passions in entrepreneurship.

After all, you don’t have to live your life fed-up with your career; you needn’t be stressed out by the rat race. Using the principles of minimalism, you can pursue your dream, make less money, and live a more meaningful life at the same time.

Registration through SXSW required. Information here. If you will be at SXSW next month, be sure to schedule our panel today.

_Life Grows Out of Gratitude.

April 14. Journey Church. Peoria, AZ.

I am looking forward to be officially presenting on the importance of developing gratitude in our lives in April. Gratitude is a discipline I have come to appreciate more and more over the past number of years in my life. It is a topic that I write about often. In fact, it would certainly be considered a recurring theme on this site. It will be a pleasure to present it to a brand-new audience.

Open to the public. Information available here.

_Jesus, Consumerism and America

July 12, LIFE 2013 Student Conference. St. Louis, MO.

This July, I will be presenting at one of the nation’s largest Christian conferences for high school students on the benefits of embracing minimalism as a lifestyle. Our most recent book, Living with Less: An Unexpected Key to Happiness, is specifically tailored for young adults and high school students. Our hope with the book has been to introduce as many people as possible to the life-giving message of minimalism before they become saddled with a high mortgage, credit card debt, or jobs they don’t enjoy. LIFE 2013 will be another opportunity to do the same.

Registration through LIFE 2013 required.

_Thinking Richer About Money

August 5-9, Okoboji Lakes Conference. Okoboji, IA.

Towards the end of the summer, I will be in the beautiful lakes region of Okoboji, IA presenting thoughts designed to redefine our thinking on money, possessions, income, work, and generosity. The Okoboji Conference presentation will take place over the course of 5 sessions. Attendees are welcome to attend any or all morning sessions.

Open to the public. Information available here.

If home for you is not located near any of these presentations, you can still find me writing here on a regular basis. Or even better, invite me to speak in your community.

***

Becoming Minimalist is now available for subscription on the Kindle. Kindle blogs are fully downloadable so you can read them even when you’re not wirelessly connected. The cost is set by Amazon at $0.99/month. The same material will still be provided here at Becoming Minimalist for free; but if you enjoy the convenience of a Kindle, the option is now available.

Weekend Reads

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 perspective. I’m sure you will too.

Delete it. | Jon Acuff’s Blog by Jon Acuff. What if we macheted our calendars until only the most important things remained? It’s possible. And more than that, it’s powerful.

| by Sarah Chia. Sarah reminds us why priorities matter. And why saying no to one thing is the same as saying yes to another.

Do You Find Yourself Falling for These 12 Familiar Myths about Clutter? | The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. A helpful list for someone who needs extra motivation to journey towards simplicity. Also, a helpful list for anyone who needs extra encouragement to continue along it.

Those People | Seth Godin by Seth Godin. Every human being holds potential to become generous, original, and inspiring. And the more often we remind ourselves this truth about others, the more often we begin to believe it about ourselves.

A special thanks to each of you in the Becoming Minimalist community. This past week, the Becoming Minimalist Facebook Page passed 25,000 members and Twitter followers exceeded 10,000. Both are quite impressive milestones. May the opportunity to inspire others to discover minimalism continue to expand.

Image: beatplusmelody

11 Reasons to Embrace a Technology-Free Bedroom

“Where do we live, and what do we live for?” 

Our world is changing rapidly. Often times, for the better. Advancing technology provides new opportunity for us to stay informed, connected, entertained, and engaged. Technology is becoming smaller, lighter, and more portable. And these are good things. I fully embrace the opportunity that they provide.

But an unintentional side effect of the ever-increasing portability of technology is that it continues to make inroads into areas of our lives where it offers more distraction and harm than benefit. Dinner tables, conversations, and relationships just to name a few. Because of this, it is wise for us to take opportunity to pull back and evaluate if there are areas of our life where technology is doing more harm than good.

With that as the backdrop, is it possible there are areas of our homes that would benefit from the absence of technology (TV, Laptops, iPads, Video games) too? Mindfulness and scientific research seem to support this assumption.

Benefits of a Technology-Free Bedroom
1. More/Better Sleep.

The studies on this issue continue to surface on a consistent basis. The more TV people watch before bedtime, the less sleep they get. In this case, studies confirm what we already know to be true: the lure of the screen is just too strong for many to turn off. Additionally, artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed makes it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.

2. More Conversation.

For married couples, some of your most important, intimate conversations will take place in your bedroom during the waning hours of the day… unless of course, the laptop is sitting on your lap instead.

3. More Conscious Reflection.

The evening provides valuable opportunity to meditate, evaluate, and assess your day. This examination leads to better learning from our mistakes and growing as humans. It is a far worthier cause than pursuing entertainment—and the exchange of it is a foolish transaction.

4. More/Better sex.

Couples who keep a TV in the bedroom have sex half as often as those who don’t. And spouses who choose to interact with one another on an emotional level have better, more fulfilling sex. In other words, there are more stimulating behaviors available in the bedroom than playing Angry Birds.

5. More Reading.

Light reading in the evening helps many fall asleep faster. But even if it doesn’t help you sleep, the benefits of reading still far outweigh the benefits of mindless technological consumption. Removing the television, laptop, Ipad, or phone from your bedroom will almost always naturally encourage more reading in your life.

6. More Mindfulness in the Morning.

Others have covered this topic well: there are good reasons not to check your email first thing in the morning. Additionally, checking Facebook/Twitter before putting your feet on the floor could be argued against with the same rationale.

7. More Relationship within Family.

At any age, removing technology from bedrooms fosters interaction. I’m not against the use of technology in our homes, I do it everyday. But rather than retiring to our separate bedrooms for homework, Internet-surfing, television, or video games, keeping technology in the living areas of our homes encourages greater interaction. It also aids in monitoring the online activities of our children.

8. Less Sleep-Texting.

The fact that our world is experiencing a rise in people sending revealing and embarrassing texts in their sleep ought to give us pause to seriously reconsider the habits we have embraced.

9. Less Accessibility.

Few of us need to live our lives accessible to others at all times of the day. Text alerts, Facebook notifications, Twitter mentions, and emails are often nothing more than distractions that keep us from the world right in front of us. They clutter our mind with nonessential information. Keeping your bedroom as a notification-free zone results in a more peaceful, engaged, calming environment. And it allows space for our minds to separate from the day’s activities.

10. Less of the Emotions Attached to Social Media.

The studies are not healthy. People who spend time on social media tend to experience higher levels of envy, loneliness, frustration, and anger. Social media interaction holds some benefit. But if we can intentionally remove these unhealthy emotions from our bedroom, I’ll argue for that any day.

11. Rooms serve purposes.

Rooms serve purposes: kitchens are for cooking, dining rooms are for eating, and offices are for working. The better we define those rooms and their purposes, the more productive they become. Use your bedroom for better relaxation, sleep, and sex by taking the laptops, video games, and televisions out of them.

The idea of a technology-free bedroom is a counter-cultural thought. And for many, the typical response to the idea of embracing it will be met with all the reasons it is simply not possible:

“My phone is my alarm clock.”
“I need to check the weather in the morning.”
“I read on my Ipad in bed.”
“I have to watch my TV or I can’t fall asleep.”

But the benefits of a technology-free bedroom should not be overlooked and dismissed so quickly. Besides, most of our excuses can be overcome with some creative thinking and extra intentionality—which help stand as another important reminder:  Technology ought to serve us, not the other way around.

Image: LBG Photography

Your Son/Daughter is a Minimalist. This is Good News.

Dear Mother/Father/Grandparent of a Minimalist,

I should probably start with a quick introduction. My name is Joshua. I’m 38 years old. I live in Peoria, AZ with my beautiful wife and two wonderful kids. For most of my life, I lived a relatively-typical suburban existence. But then something changed, I decided to become a minimalist.

For me, the change happened one Saturday afternoon while cleaning my garage. My driveway began to fill up with physical possessions that needed to be cleaned and reorganized. Meanwhile, in the backyard, my son played alone kindly asking. He wanted to play.

At one point, I commented to my neighbor about all the time and energy required to maintain my house and my belongings. She replied, “Well, maybe you don’t need to own all this stuff.” I remember the comment like it was yesterday. I looked at the pile of junk in my driveway… I glanced at my young son alone in the backyard… and in that moment, I realized my possessions were not bringing me joy. Even worse, they were distracting me from the things that did. A minimalist was born.

Today, I wanted to write you a letter.

Someone you love dearly has recently made the same decision I made years ago. They have decided to intentionally live with fewer possessions. And now, they are forwarding this article to you because they would like to further explain minimalism and their decision.

Likely, there are a few things they’d like you to know:

1. Minimalism may be counter-cultural. But the lifestyle is not new—neither is the appeal. For thousands of years, people have been intentionally choosing to simplify their lives and live with fewer possessions. Minimalism is not new, nor is it a fringe movement. Material possessions have always failed to satisfy the deepest longings of our heart. And it is great to see in our world today, simplicity becoming more and more popular.

2. Minimalism is highly customizable. People embrace minimalism for any number of reasons: travel, entrepreneurship, the environment, or simply so they can focus more time on the things that matter most. Regardless of the motivation behind the decision, minimalism will always be applied uniquely. It has to be. We all enter at different stages in life with different passions. As a result, minimalism has no hard-and-fast rules. We are all going to apply it a little bit differently.

3. We are experiencing many life benefits living with less. We may try to convince you. Apologies in advance for any lack of patience. Minimalism offers countless life benefits. Almost immediately, we find more time, energy, focus, and money for the things that bring lasting joy into our lives. We spend far less time shopping, organizing, cleaning, and rearranging. We find greater opportunity to pursue our greatest passions. It’s fantastic! And because we love you, we are going to try and convince you of the same. Apologies in advance for anything we say that is not motivated by love, grace, and patience.

4. This could be a passing fad for your son/daughter, but it’s probably not. Certainly, there are some people who choose to embrace minimalism for only a passing season. But most people I know choose to embrace it for the rest of their lives. It’s just a better way to live.

5. Removal of the things you have given is not a rejection of you or your love. One of the most-asked questions I receive comes from people who are afraid of offending someone by getting rid of something that was given to them. There is a fear that removing it will result in hard feelings by the original giver. Most likely, this includes things you have given to your son, daughter, or grandchild. Some of them are going to be sold, donated, or thrown away. Rest assured this is not a rejection of you or your love in any way. Instead, it is based solely and entirely in their pursuit of living with less. Please do not take it personally.

6. Kindly reconsider the gifts you are going to give. Minimalists find great joy and intentionality living with less. We have worked hard to remove the clutter from our home and life. And it probably took far more physical and emotional energy than we realized when we first got started. But now, we fear the slippery-slope of accumulating clutter and allowing consumer-based happiness to creep back into our lives. You can help by reconsidering the gifts you give them and their kids. Minimalists are not against gift-giving. We really do appreciate them. But we enjoy experiences over possessions, quality over quantity, and needs over wants. We hope you will respect that decision.

In conclusion, your son/daughter has decided to simplify their lives. They have decided their lives are far too valuable to waste chasing possessions. You ought to be very proud of them. This is good news.

Sincerely, Joshua Becker

Image: Glyn Lowe Photoworks

Weekend Reads

Up until last year, I lived my entire life in cold weather areas of the country. When I did, there was always something enjoyable about the disruption caused by a heavy, heavy snowfall. Maybe it was the uniqueness of the day, maybe it was the beauty of a white-covered earth, or maybe it was just the fact that a heavy snowfall forced all of us to slow down a little bit. But either way, despite the inconvenience, there was always plenty of joy to be found in the marvel of a crippling snowfall.

May those of you living in the midst of a winter storm find joy within it today. And similarly, may those of you currently living through a stormy season of life also find yourself able to discover joy and peace within it.

Perhaps a nice warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate and some encouraging words will be helpful:

How I Live: Being a Minimalist (or Minimal-ish) | All Things Campbell by Lisa Campbell. Lisa writes of the joy and impact on well-being that she has found in keeping material belongings pared down to a comfortable, manageable amount.

Minimalist Style: The 10-Item Capsule Wardrobe | Huffington Post Blog by Francine Jay. Whether a 10-piece wardrobe is perfect for you or not, I always appreciate the accessibility with which Francine writes. The principles she promotes in her writing are always highly-transferrable.

7 Things Happy People Say Every Day | Marc and Angel Hack Life by Marc and Angel Chernoff. Oozing with positivity and truth, these 7 simple statements do indeed help change our mind and our attitude.

One Hour That Will Change Your Life | Stephanie Lynn Stevens by Stephanie Lynn Stephens. This past week, I absolutely fell in love with Stephanie’s blog dedicated to the fact that “less makes room for more.” And if you happen to be reading this post during the quiet of an early morning, you know exactly why I included it.

How to Do Less and Influence More | Relevant Magazine by Jeff Shinabarger. The greatest influencers in our lives rarely have huge followings through social media. A one-on-one conversation by a person who speaks into a life is exponentially more influential than having 50,000 Twitter followers.

Find Hope. Give Hope.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” — Mark Twain.

15 years ago, at a Burger King restaurant in Omaha, NE, I sat across the table from an important mentor in my life named Rudy. I had questions about my future. Specifically, I had doubts about a path I had chosen with my life. I needed some encouragement to continue.

After describing the emotions and fears I had been experiencing over the past several months, Rudy responded with a simple statement, “I think you can do it. In fact, there is no doubt in my mind that you can accomplish what you are seeking. I have complete confidence in you.”

15 years later, I still recall that specific conversation as one of the most influential moments in my life. Not because it solved my problems or eliminated the hard work ahead of me. But because it gave me the one resource needed to persevere: hope.

Hope is one of the greatest assets in the entire world. It is one of the greatest treasures we can ever find for ourselves. And it is one of the greatest gifts we can ever give to somebody else.

Hope provides us with motivation to persevere. It calls us to dream dreams of significance and influence. It begs us to work diligently with optimism and promise.

And as I discovered that Tuesday afternoon on 114th and Dodge, hope is often found in the relationships we have secured around us. After all, when hope in ourselves begins to diminish (as it will at times), we must look elsewhere. In those moments, we look towards those around us for confidence and hope.

Therefore, surround yourself with people who speak confidence in your life. Nurture relationships with optimistic people who have overcome trial and hardship. Remove people from your direct sphere of influence who discourage you, trample your creativity, or who are so self-absorbed they never help others. Instead, seek people who inspire and believe in you.

In turn, do the same for others. See the good. Believe in potential. Encourage daily. And sow hope in the souls of everyone you meet.

Image: Aah-Yeah

7 Life Misconceptions Portrayed in the Super Bowl Ads

“That feeling of freedom, open highways of possibilities, has kind of been lost to materialism and marketing.” - Sheryl Crow

For the past 16 years, I have planned and hosted Super Bowl parties—sometimes as a community event with 100+ teenagers, other times in my neighborhood with 20-25 of my closest neighbors.

However, for various reasons, this year was different. For most of the game, I sat with my 10-year old son and his best friend from across the street. And for the first time in 15+ years, I was able to just sit down and watch the football game… and all of the commercials.

Now, just to be fair, I appreciate entertainment just as much as the next guy and find great enjoyment in clever advertisements. But as somebody who has developed great frustration over the consumer-driven culture that we live in, I observe marketing with a skeptical eye. I often seek to determine the underlying promise of any advertisement and uncover what else, other than the product itself, marketers are trying to sell me.

Far too often, I discover their underlying message promotes foolish misconceptions about life. We would be wise to recognize and intentionally reject each of them. Consider just a few misconceptions on display during Sunday night’s Super Bowl.

7 Life Misconceptions Portrayed in the Super Bowl Ads

1. Happiness is for sale.

Marketers often seek to convince us their products will increase our happiness. From soda and alcohol to fashion and automobiles, happiness is offered to us in our very next purchase. I was surprised at the level of boldness some products used in promoting this misconception. Coca-Cola (“Open happiness”) and Volkswagen (“Get in. Get happy.”) stand out among the rest. The truth of life is that happiness cannot be purchased no matter how hard we search for it in material possessions. And advertisers do a great disservice to their audience by promising it in temporal packages.

2. Self-confidence can be quickly found in the right purchase.

Every person desires to be comfortable in their skin and self-confident in their abilities. We have an ingrained desire to accomplish, succeed, and make something of our lives. But many of us are held back by a lack of self-confidence. Thus, we desire any quick advantage to find it. This again is a common theme among marketers and many will offer it to us in exchange for our dollars. Both Audi and Speed Stick (among others) employed it on Sunday. But putting your confidence in an automobile or stick of deodorant is not the same as finding it in yourself. Instead, focus on your strengths, celebrate your uniqueness, and learn from past failures rather than dwelling on them.

3. Youth culture represents the pinnacle of life’s seasons.

Advertisers idolize youth culture and our society rewards them for it. For example, watch this Taco Bell commercial. Apparently, the “youth” season of life is to be among the most praised, promoted, and desired. And while I often look back on my college years with fond memories, I have come to the conclusion there are far greater things to accomplish in life than rejecting authority and staying up late. I have learned the value of family, service, contribution, mentoring, and improving the lives of those in community around me. Maturity and wisdom have taken root. And the only reason I’d want to relive my youth is to do it all differently.

4. Sex is the ultimate goal.

Sex is best enjoyed and brings the greatest fulfillment in a committed relationship. For marketers to esteem it in any other light is painful for me to watch—especially with two 10-year olds in the room. My hope is that both of them—and society—will grow to appreciate all the beauty and value and perspective that women bring into our world. Marketers that seek to sell their products using women as objects of sex to be conquered are degrading to both males and females. I am not expecting the trend to end anytime soon, but Axe Body Spray, Gildan, Fiat, and GoDaddy stand out among the worst offenders last night.

5. To watch television is to experience life.

Network television advertisements often use this misconception when promoting their television shows (to be fair, movie studios do the same). In their marketing, to watch their show is to experience life at its fullest. They appear to offer the very best thing you can possibly choose to do with your next 30/60 minutes. Coupled with the subtle lie that everyone else is watching (#1 Show / #1 Network / #1 Movie), this becomes a motivating sell. We begin to believe that if everyone else is spending their evening watching… I must really be missing out. But you are not missing out. Life is not meant to be observed. Life is meant to be lived.

6. Adventure/Respect is discovered in the right automobile.

The automobile industry doesn’t sell just cars anymore, it sells respect, confidence (see above), and adventure. After all, with most cars nowadays driving well past 100,000+ miles, marketers must sell us something different than a simple mode of transportation. Some will seek to convince us their vehicle is good for the environment… some will promise us respect and envy… others will promise us adventure. But they are all wrong. A certain model/style of vehicle will not bring the promised results. It will get you from Point A to Point B. And there are far greater places to earn respect and find adventure than a car dealership.

7. A website will solve your life problems.

Cars.com promises to make buying a car simple and easy. GoDaddy.co promises wealth and luxury. They are both over exaggerating. Websites offer information and inspiration, but they do not solve your problems. They will not accomplish the truly important things in life for you. Hard work, dedication, discipline, and focus result in the type of life change many of us desire. Too often, websites and the over-delivery of information only cause us to postpone the hard work necessary to secure lasting change in our lives. Don’t look for a website to solve your problems. Look for them to provide inspiration. But then, put the computer away, and get to work doing something about it.

Image: AP/PepsiCo

Weekend Reads

There are many wonderful people online pursuing and promoting simplicity. When you find some time this weekend with a nice cup of coffee or tea, may you find inspiration in these words as they encourage others to find more life by owning fewer possessions:

Finding Contentment — Thoughts on the Downsized Life | Storyline by Donald Miller. Donald writes of his experience moving into a smaller space (a twenty-year old Volkswagen camping van) and the freedom he has enjoyed because of it. He writes, “There’s a lot that goes into happiness and I’m not saying downsizing is the key. But I think it’s a big part of it.”

16 Ways to Become More Content | Money Saving Mom by Crystal Paine. If you are struggling to be content with your lot in life right now, here are 16 ways to help cultivate contentment and a love for the life you have been given. Many wonderful ideas.

What is enough food? 147 Meals Later. | Huffington Post Religion by Jeff Shinabarger. After receiving his holiday-spending credit card statement in the mail, Jeff asked a bold question, “What if we didn’t buy any groceries for the entire month? But lived on all the food in our kitchen pantry, refrigerator and freezer?”

A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance | University of California. “Contemporary US households have more possessions per household than any society in global history.” In the first episode of this three-part series, three UCLA social scientists present a stunning, visual ethnography that reveals the material culture of today’s modern household.

Becoming Minimalist With Joshua Becker | Simple Life Together. I enjoyed being featured on this recent Simple Life Together Podcast with Dan and Vanessa Hayes. We talked all things minimalism with a special emphasis on families. If you are a spouse or a parent, you’ll find value in it.

The World Needs Your Story

“The universe is made of stories, not atoms.” — Muriel Rukeyser

Our world needs good stories. Stories of life change encourage us, inspire us, and challenge us. They make this world better. They remind us that life can be improved… and new joy can be discovered.

Over the years, I’ve heard countless stories of people discovering minimalism. Some found it through their parents. Some were introduced through disaster (fire, burglary, downsizing). Some were introduced by a friend. Others were looking for a new way to live and discovered it themselves. But each time, I am encouraged by their example.

No story is the same and each is told from a unique perspective with a unique voice. Know that your story of overcoming obstacles, developing discipline, changing habits, finding significance, or discovering new joy holds wonderful, life-giving potential. And the world needs to hear it.

Your story…

is unique.
is entertaining.
is easy to listen to.
is hard to interrupt.
cannot be argued with.
takes only minutes to tell.
illustrates that change is possible.
provides anecdotal evidence for truth.

So share your story with your friends, your family members, your co-workers, and your neighbors. Look for opportunities to retell it over coffee, during a meal, or around the water cooler. If you need help, a simple sentence to get you started is this, “Have I ever told you about the time I changed/overcame/discovered _____________? For me, it all started…”

Be bold with this truth. Don’t be afraid of the questions or the rejection of the message. No matter how your story is received in the moment, it will always spark a new thought-process in the mind of your listener. And for some, it will become the first step in their own personal journey of discovering a better life.

Our world desperately needs to rediscover joy, potential, and opportunity. They can find it in your story. And that is why we all need to hear it.