Joshua Becker's Blog, page 31

How Will I Take Advantage of Today?

You and I are different, I’m sure, in countless ways:

Our family, our upbringing, our location, our career, our passions, our hobbies, our goals. In many ways, we are different.

But there is one thing that all of us have in common:

We woke up this morning.

And we have been provided this day to make the most of it.

We were given a beautiful gift with the opportunity of today and another one is not guaranteed.

So how will you decide to take advantage of this opportunity? How will you make the most of it?

What specific steps will you take to not waste this day?

Today is what you choose to make it:

What goal do you have in life that you can take another step toward achieving today?

What trial are you facing that requires another step forward in perseverance?

What opportunity do you have at work that you can pour yourself into fully?

Which person in your life can you show love today?

What area of study can you further yourself mentally?

Which area of self-improvement can you make intentional progress in today?

Who can you encourage?

What wisdom have you acquired that you can pass on?

The number of days in our lives will differ. But the number of hours in this day remain the same for all of us. The only difference is how we choose to use them. We can waste them or we can take full advantage of them.

Invest in yourself. Invest in others.

And make the most of today, for you will never have opportunity to live it again.

Encouraging Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything 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.

10 Ways Minimalism is More Than a Home Decor Trend | The Simplicity Habit by Cora Gold. Minimalism is a mindset and a healthy way of living in a chaotic world. Here are 10 ways that minimalism is more than a home decor trend.

The Golden Rules of Decluttering and Organizing Your Home | Housewife How To’s by Katie Berry. A full life is often a busy one, and busy lives lead to clutter. That doesn’t mean you’ve got to put up with the chaos, though.

The Most Important Feng Shui Rule For Your Bedroom | House Digest by Alexandria Taylor. You can’t get a good sleep in just any room; you need to create an environment that supports it, and that often starts in the bedroom.

7 Ways To Develop a Minimalist Mindset Today | The Minimalist Vegan by Michael Ofei. Countless people, especially Millennials, are swearing off material possessions and embracing a minimalist lifestyle to simplify their lives. But what are the pros and cons of minimalism? Is it worth giving up your stuff for the sake of simplicity?

15 Places (other than Possessions) to Apply Minimalist Principles | Joshua Becker on YouTube. Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it. With that understanding, we can begin to see how the principles of minimalism can apply to other areas of life besides possessions.

Why Minimalism is Especially Good for Introverts

Note: This is a guest post from Erica Layne of The Life On Purpose Movement.

I discovered minimalism when my kids were young and my house was full of hand-me-downs I didn’t like and baby gear we didn’t need. 

In just a few years, I had gone from the wide open blocks of time and space so common in your early twenties to an apartment that felt like it was exploding with toys, strollers, furniture, clothes, and most notably, three tiny humans who operated on one speed—loud and crazy. 

Overstimulated was the name of the game. And as an introvert and a highly sensitive person, I was feeling it. 

The only place in our home that felt restful to me—the only spot where I could pull myself back together—was the window view from our master bed. 

I’d lie on my side, watching tree branches sway in the wind on the other side of the window, and I’d gradually feel whole again. Like my nerves had been pulled back together. 

Then I learned about minimalism and realized that I could bring more of that peace, that beautiful sense of stillness I got while looking out the window, into my home. 

All I had to do was get rid of a lot of stuff. (Not the tiny humans, though. I kept them.) 

Are YOU an Introvert?  

Introversion is the tendency to be predominantly interested in your inner life, whereas extroverts are mainly interested in what’s outside the self.

But the most recognizable difference is where we draw our energy from. Introverts feel depleted after time spent with others and need time alone—solitude—in order to recharge. Extroverts get energy from being with others.

Highly Sensitive People, a term popularized by Elaine Aron in her book The Highly Sensitive Person, are easily overwhelmed by noise, texture, smells, busyness, and even their own thoughts. They’re often sensitive to physical discomfort, violence in media, and the emotions of others.

Not all introverts are highly sensitive people, and not all HSPs are introverts, but they do often correlate. 

Do you see yourself in this description? 

Why Minimalism Is Especially Good for Introverts

1. An introvert’s brain chemistry is uniquely suited for minimalism. 

In her book The Introvert Advantage, psychologist Marti Olsen Laney wrote that extroverts are not as sensitive to the feel-good hormone of dopamine as introverts are, which means that extroverts typically need more stimulation to register the dopamine in their brain. This contrasts with introverts, who are more sensitive to dopamine and don’t need as much of it to get a sense of pleasure. 

In that case, could anyone be more suited to a minimalist lifestyle than an introvert? 

Those of us who land more on the introverted side of the spectrum don’t need another concert, another sports event, another shopping trip, another girls’ night out, or another weekend away to get pleasure in our lives. 

We can feel happy in a life with loads of white space on the calendar and white space on our walls. 

2. Introverts are especially susceptible to overwhelm, which minimalism reduces. 

Though anyone can get overwhelmed, introverts are constantly juggling both the vitality of their inner world and the busyness of the outer world. This combination—layered with how difficult it can be to get recharge time—often pushes introverts to overwhelm and burnout. 

A minimalist lifestyle, where everything from a person’s schedule to the number of belongings they own has been reduced, is a perfect solution. Less clutter on the inside and the outside means less overwhelm in your daily life. 

3. Introverts need a restful environment in order to recharge. 

I had to get my blood drawn recently, and as I sat in the waiting room, I noticed how calm I felt despite the fact that I was about to get a needle pushed into my vein. 

The waiting room was sparsely decorated, with just a couple of forest prints hanging on the walls and a single window bathing the room in natural light. 

While I definitely wouldn’t choose the style of a medical office for my own home, I could see how it worked. My mind felt still, without a lot of stimulation to keep it bouncing from one thing to another. 

Now that I’m more than ten years into a minimalist lifestyle, I immediately recognize and deeply appreciate any environment that allows my mind to slow down, and it’s been an unexpected joy to create that stillness in my own home by paring back our belongings and being intentional about the things that surround my family day to day. 

Introverts (or extroverts who love an introvert!): What have YOU noticed about the connection between minimalism and your introversion? Has moving toward minimalism helped you feel more comfortable in your (introverted) skin? 

***

Erica Layne is a podcast host, mom of three, bestselling author of The Minimalist Way, and founder of The Life On Purpose Movement. She helps women build their lives on what they value most, so they can let the rest slip away—guilt-free. Connect with her on Facebook and Instagram. 

How to Choose Minimalism

My very first media interview was for the Albany Times Union back in 2010.

I had found minimalism two years earlier, had started this blog, and a wonderful reporter for the paper in Albany emailed to see if I’d answer some questions for her article.

I was flattered, and immediately said yes.

Then, I proceeded to spend HOURS working on my reply to her 7 or 8 emailed questions—carefully working to craft each answer as perfect as I could get it… lots of pressure you know. :)

I thought long and hard about how to answer every single question. That was, until, I reached the last question of the interview.

While I don’t remember the exact wording, the last question was something like, “Do you think minimalism is just a phase you are going through? Or is this something you intend to keep up for the rest of your life?”

It was, by far, the easiest question of the entire interview.

I wrote quickly, “Minimalism is not just a phase of life for me. I will never go back to a life chasing and accumulating things I don’t need.”

I had just spent hours thinking about and answering questions about minimalism:

How were you introduced to it? What did it mean to me? What things have you gotten rid of? How has it positively affected your life?

After reflecting so specifically on how minimalism had improved my life, our family, our home, our finances, even stress levels, answering the final question was a no-brainer.

Why would I ever return to a life spending money and time accumulating physical possessions?

That is why one of my most central themes on Becoming Minimalist has always been to focus on the positive aspects of minimalism. Articulate the benefits. List them. Define them. And repeat them over and over again.

Because the more we as individuals focus on the positive life-giving benefits of minimalism, the easier it becomes to reject the empty promises of consumerism.

Do you want to choose minimalism for your life? Then take time to consider how it will improve your life in practical ways.

–

Imagine, for just a moment, you are alone in a field.

To your left stands a large mass of people pursuing endless consumerism, thinking more stuff will bring them joy and happiness.

What kinds of lives do they live?

Notice them competing against one another for more money, nicer cars, bigger houses, and more clothes for their closet. They appear never content with what they have, always desiring more. They own a lot of stuff, but their arms and homes are too full. And yet, they continue to accumulate more.

To your right stand those who have purposefully chosen to live with fewer possessions.

They own what they need and are content with what they have. They have freed up time and energy to spend with their kids and the people in their lives. They experience a satisfied level of contentment in their belongings. Excess money is not required to accumulate more, but it can be easily shared with others.

Which now would you choose?

The crowd on the left may be larger and the billboards along the way may promise a better life by turning that direction. But the more we consider the lifestyle benefits of choosing right, the more likely we are to choose it.

Consider the options. Consider the benefits. And choose wisely.

Is it Beneficial?

There is a question we can use to make decisions that is incredibly helpful in almost every area of life.

The question is this: Is it beneficial?

This is a question I was first introduced to shortly after college and I have referred to it countless times—not just in big decisions, but also in smaller ones.

It is very easy in life to choose the things I want to do, to choose the things everyone else is doing, or to choose things simply because they are available to me.

But there is a wiser way to make decisions than simply thinking, “This is something I want to do.”

Adding a further question, “Is this beneficial?” forces greater intentionality and better decision-making into our lives. It invites us to think through our decisions in terms of how they will impact ourselves and if they will impact others in a positive way.

There are any number of things I can choose to do on a given day, but the reality is that not everything is beneficial.

Is it beneficial? is a question that can be applied to almost every decision in life:

How we spend our time.How we spend our money.Where we focus our energy.The words that we use.The work that we take on.The possessions we keep in our home.The habits we seek to develop.Even the choices we make when resting.

I can do anything I want today, but what is beneficial?

I can choose to spend my money any way I desire, but what is beneficial?

I can say anything I want, but what is beneficial?

I can eat anything I want, but what is beneficial?

I can fill my calendar with anything and everything, but what is beneficial?

I can post (almost) anything on social media today, but what is beneficial?

I’ll be quick to admit that there are no perfect human beings on planet earth. Learning to ask this question consistently and choose appropriately is a lifelong quest.

But our world would be a better place—and our lives would be more fulfilled—if we thought to ask it more often.

Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

My desire with each Weekend Reads is to provide you with articles and posts that encourage simplicity and minimalist living. Below, you will find links to blog posts and news stories that I hand-picked over the last couple weeks. I hope you find inspiration and practical help inside them.

But also, if you get a chance, share these posts with others via social media. With our efforts united, not only will each of us be inspired to own less and live more, but the life-giving message of minimalism will spread further and quicker, deeper and with greater effectiveness.

And that is my goal on Becoming Minimalist: to intentionally promote simplicity in a world that needs to hear it.

The Swedish Philosophy of Lagom: How “Just Enough” is All You Need | Big Think by Jonny Thomson. “It’s not simply learning to ‘enjoy the simple things,’ but also appreciating that sometimes less really is more.”

5 Powerful Lessons from Living a Simple Life | Balance Through Simplicity by Antonia Colins. “My simple life allowed me to press pause and reflect. To reconnect with myself and align my day with how I’d like to live my life.”

My Ever-Evolving Relationship With My Clothes | Frugal Woods by Elizabeth Willard Thames. “I’m starting to unravel the emotions I carried in my clothes and my appearance.“

Thoughts on Doing Scary Things | No Sidebar by Danielle Massett. “These are the thoughts that keep me from trying things, from living life. And it’s sad. It makes me sad. I don’t want to let these fears hold me back.“

Minimalist Living: 14 Simple Ways To Easily Improve Your Life | The Savvy Couple by Brittany Kline. “If you can identify even just a few areas of your life where simplifying would give you noticeable benefits, then I’d say it’s time you just dive in and get started! “

The Difference Between Busy and Non Busy People | Becoming Minimalist on YouTube. Some people are not busy. They appear calm, collected, and in control… but still productive. They are enviable in the life they live. What do they understand about life that others do not?

7 Decluttering Principles from the Uncluttered Course

How much time and effort have you put into trying to declutter your home, find clarity, and enjoy more rest in your life?

Too much?

If so, I have a solution.

I have been running the Uncluttered Course consistently for six years—over 75,000 people, from all over the world, have used the 12-week course to finally breakthrough and declutter their home.

It’s one of my favorite things I’m involved in.

Do you want to know why? Because of who I created the course for.

It’s one thing to read about owning less and desire it to be true, but it can be something very different for people to apply it in their lives. In many ways, the Uncluttered Course is my greatest opportunity to help people move from reading words on a screen to actually applying the changes in their home and life.

Through weekly challenges, live webinars, motivation, inspiration, conversations, a loving 24/7 community, and opportunity to ask me specific questions, I provide the structure you need to finally declutter your home—once and for all.

To give you a sneak peek at why the Uncluttered approach has been so effective, here are 7 decluttering principles the course is built on:

1. Identify the purpose of a room and get rid of anything that doesn’t serve that purpose.

This is such an eye-opening principle. Think about it. Your bathroom doesn’t need a Peloton. Your kitchen doesn’t need a video game station. Your bedroom doesn’t need piles of boxes in the corner. Find purpose for every space, or everything will remain confused and out of balance.

2. Distinguish between decluttering and organizing.

Simply put, these things are not the same. It’s like the difference between rearranging the furniture and renovating a space. Let’s focus on decluttering (removing unneeded things from your home) and you’ll find the organizing becomes a thousand times easier.

3. Start with the easier spaces and move on to harder ones.

Overwhelm is a true mind-killer. Some people say “eat the frog” and tackle the most excruciating task first. While this may work for some, I find it’s better to get some quick wins, create momentum, and work your way up to the bigger tasks.

This approach also helps with the, “I don’t even know where to start” thinking that keeps too many of us stuck. You won’t declutter your entire home in one week, but maybe you can declutter the easiest room. And before you know it, you will declutter your entire home.

4. Choose one of three options for every object: remove it, relocate it, leave it.

Success and speed go hand-in-hand. When it comes to evaluating possessions, it’s time to be decisive and categorize each object and then move on. Rinse and repeat… moving as many items “out the door” as possible.

5. Focus on the gains, not the subtractions.

Minimizing isn’t just about getting rid of clutter. It’s about adding freedom and control back into your life. Celebrate your wins in the form of new freedom, not in the number of items you eliminate (although it can be pretty cool to keep count!).

6. You are not alone.

There is power in community and in knowing that you are not alone.

Whether you have a specific question (Have you ever gotten rid of……?) or need encouragement (I’m determined to declutter my kitchen today, send me some positive words), you’ll find a responsive and understanding community any time, day or night, 24/7.

And because everybody works on the same decluttering weekly project, the conversations are always relevant.

7. Count the “clutter cost.”

Think about your money, your energy and the days and hours of your life spent addressing clutter. All that time clutter takes away from what matters most. From this standpoint, who among us can truly “afford” to live a cluttered existence?

This course will take you through all of these points and a lot more over the course of twelve weeks.

But again, the real help comes in experiencing these ideas and challenges together in a community of like-minded people—all moving toward the same goal together.

Registration is now open until September 18 for the next Edition of Uncluttered.

It’s just $99 (USD) for lifetime access for the course—so you can take it at your own pace and pause, re-start, or return to it any time you’d like.

*If it helps, there is a 25% off discount code in the back of my book, The Minimalist Home. The book is not required for the course, but it’s usually cheaper to buy the book and use the discount than it is to pay full price. So I always try to mention that.

I hope you’ll join me for Uncluttered.

You Can’t Have it All. Sometimes You Have to Choose.

There are some pursuits in life that are both/and.

For example, “I want to be successful at work AND invest in my family.”

This is a both/and type of proposition. I know lots of men and women who are both successful in their careers and find time to intentionally invest in their families. In fact, I hope I am one of them.

But not every pursuit in life is a both/and proposition. Some pursuits are either/or.

And we face grave consequences when we incorrectly discern between them.

As an easy example, consider someone who thinks to themselves, “I want to be healthy AND never exercise or change my diet.”

It’s a rudimentary example, but the proposition above cannot come true. We can’t both be healthy and not exercise. Eventually, one will win out over the other. And in the example here, health is the positive outcome that will be sacrificed if we continue to assume both can be true.

This is, of course, a foolish example. Most people know that you can’t both be healthy and never exercise. Right?

But what about harder to discern scenarios?

I would like financial calm in my life AND continue my spending habits.

I would like a more peaceful home AND keep all my stuff.

I would like a more spiritual existence AND value the things of this world.

I would like more time with my family AND my calendar full of events with friends.

I would like to write that book AND watch television every night.

Incorrect assumptions about what pursuits are both/and vs. either/or can keep us stuck in a rut.

Even worse, too often when we don’t realize which options stand in opposition to one another, we slide toward the less desired outcome: we get unhealthier, our finances stay in the red, our homes remain cluttered, our family gets neglected, or the book never gets written.

Those are the grave consequences of not discerning correctly.

Steven Wright, the comedian, once quipped, “You can’t have it all. Where would you put it?”

And he was right. You can’t have it all. Sometimes you must choose.

As we consider the lives we are living, we would be wise to evaluate the direction of them.

Is there something we desire more of in our lives? Healthier habits, a calmer home, more intentional parenting, a more loving marriage, more generosity or gratitude, reaching a greater potential?

If so, what is the either/or proposition that might be getting in the way of that pursuit? What needs to be removed so the greater good can flourish?

The Three Most Essential Habits for Living Well

There are countless healthy habits that improve our lives. But I have found that when I practice just three effectively, most of the others take care of themselves.

I consider them the three most important habits in my life.

Now, if we were to sit down and create a list of habits we think essential for success in life, there’s no doubt we could create a lengthy list without much thought:

Healthy DietReadingExercisingPlanningBudgetingMeditatingArriving on TimeSetting goalsEvaluating the Day

As a matter of fact, the longer we think about healthy habits, the more we’d add. Our list would grow and grow:

Avoiding addictionSleeping wellValuing relationshipsSmilingAvoiding distractionsQuitting smokingSaying “I love you”

And each of those habits are, indeed, healthy. I would never discourage anyone from pursuing any of them.

But I have found, surprisingly enough, that when I intentionally practice just three from the list above, other habits begin to fall into place—almost naturally.

Conversely, when I let any of these three drop in importance, everything else suffers.

That’s why I call them essential.

The three most essential habits in my life for living well:1. Exercise.

Our physical bodies are the instruments through which we make a difference in the world. And taking care of them lays the foundation for all other pursuits in life.

When I make a commitment to exercise regularly (4 or more times/week), I feel better about myself, I experience more energy and motivation in my day, and I feel a sense of control over my life that spills into other areas.

There is not one specific practice of exercise that must be practiced by all. I have friends who get their exercise by hiking regularly, running often, playing tennis, attending a fitness class, or lifting weights at the gym. I also have older friends who simply make a commitment to walk 30 minutes each day.

But each of them, to the extent they are able, practice regular physical exercise.

Personally, I spend one hour each weekday morning lifting weights.

And when I’m doing that consistently, the second essential habit comes easier:

2. Healthy Diet.

If our physical bodies are the instruments through which we make a difference in the world, our diet is the fuel for them.

It has been said that 46% of Americans have a poor-quality diet—which means that almost half of us are not properly fueling ourselves for our best lives.

But the research gets even worse. Not only are we not properly preparing ourselves for optimal living, our diet may actually be cutting our lives short. According to the same study, “suboptimal diet is among the leading causes of poor health, particularly obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and diet-related cancers.”

Bringing greater intentionality to the food we eat is a habit that pays off immediately in the short-term (more energy) and in the long-term (better health).

I’m not a nutritionist and each of us are unique, so I’m not here to offer prescriptive steps on this habit.

But for me personally, I have found the following steps to be most helpful in creating a more healthy diet: Remove processed sugar*, limit carbohydrates, eliminate alcohol, and increase my daily intake of vegetables.

There is a lot of wiggle-room in that diet for me to practice it effectively, but those are the four guardrails I’ve found most helpful.

*Eliminating processed sugar is by far the hardest for me to follow and when I begin to fall into bad habits around diet, this is always the first place I slip up. I have learned that I do best eliminating it entirely—rather than limiting consumption.

3. Solitude/Meditation/Prayer.

Each of the first two essential habits in my life deal with the physical body, but life is more than skin and bones.

A healthy life also concerns itself with matters of the heart and soul. In order for me to be living my best, I must make time for solitude, meditation, and/or prayer.

Our world is noisy and constantly clamoring for our attention. Not because it is out for our good—sometimes it is just trying to bend our will toward the cultural pursuit of the day or direct our passion towards whatever it is hoping to sell us.

The only way to listen to our heart and center ourselves around more important pursuits is to withdraw from the world in stillness, solitude, or meditation.

I believe that Blaise Pascal was right when he said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

We can embrace every positive habit change in the world, but if our heart and soul is not centered on worthy pursuits, we will end up wasting the one life we’ve been given effectively chasing all the wrong things.

The practice of meditation and/or solitude is practiced by people of every faith and nonfaith background, so it is not difficult to find different ways to embrace this habit in your life. I’m not necessarily here to prescribe that for you.

But personally, I spend 30 minutes every day in quietness, contemplation, faith-based reading (Bible), and prayer. Without it, I too quickly lose my way.

There are other healthy habits that I am intentional about pursuing in my life, my marriage, my family, and my work.

But when I am doing well with these three habits, all the others become easier and easier.

Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

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

The simplicity/minimalism movement is a beautiful community. And I enjoy any opportunity to promote writing that encourages people to live more by owning less.

I invite you to 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.

What Does it Really Mean to Live a Simple Life? | Medium by Ioana Mircea. “How can you do it in a way that will make you happy?”

On the Shortness of Life | Zen Habits by Leo Babauta. “We could use a daily contemplation on how limited our time is in this life. Most of us avoid thinking about it, or get worked up or sad when we think about it. But it’s a powerful contemplation.”

Living Ultralight: Minimalism in the Wilderness and at Home | No Sidebar by Leslie Watson. “Whether camping in the backcountry or spending a relaxing day at home, it’s freeing to have everything you need and nothing more.”

How to Stop Shopping Impulsively in 2022: 22 Frugal Tips! | Barefoot Minimalists. “For most of us, very few of the many purchases we make actually add value to our lives. Instead, we are buying things that we think will make us happy, when in reality, material things never will.”

14 Reasons I’ve Been Able to Sustain Minimalism for 14 Years | Joshua Becker on YouTube. The longest video I’ve ever published to YouTube. If you want to listen to me on your next 14-minute walk, this will be perfect for you, lol.