Joshua Becker's Blog, page 63

Advertising is Making You Unhappy. Here are Some Ways to Avoid It.

According to a recent study, advertising makes us unhappy.

This was the conclusion of a recent study that included 900,000 citizens of 27 European countries from 1980 – 2011. Whoa, that’s quite a study! You can read more of the methodology in the Harvard Business Review.

The results don’t surprise me—and probably don’t surprise you either. At the heart of every advertising message is a message that we are not as happy as we could be without their product in our lives. This item will lead to a happier, easier, more convenient, or more luxurious life.

Every advertisement seeks to stir up discontent and convince us that we are not as happy as we could be. No doubt then, that there would be some correlation between levels of unhappiness and frequency of advertisements that we see. You can read more in the article linked above.

Personally, I’m interested in a different conversation. If advertisements contribute to our unhappiness, how can we avoid them? What practical steps can we take in our everyday lives to remove ourselves from their constant barrage?

At one extreme, we could remove ourselves from civilization altogether. We could find a quiet cabin in the woods or on Walden Pond and never interact with anyone else.

That life might appeal to some, but not me. I like people, I like my neighborhood, and I like being involved in society. I enjoy social gatherings, my son’s soccer games, and hosting a small group in my home on Sunday nights. I could remove myself from civilization entirely, but that is not how I want to live.

Given the fact that I (along with many of you) will continue to live in the middle of a consumerist society, what steps can we take to limit the number of advertisements that we see? And ultimately increase our happiness because of it.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Do more things that make you forget to check your phone. By this, I mean, engage in more and more activites where you cannot be reached by advertisers. Play more board games with your family, spend more time in nature, read more books, or go play catch with your son in the backyard. When we get more involved with people or adventures, we see fewer advertisements.

2. Watch less television. Television is an entire medium based on the presumption that we can be manipulated into purchasing items advertised on the screen. It is true that streaming services have changed the industry quite a bit and you may believe that you are not being subjected to advertisements anymore. But I’d argue that’s not the case. Streaming services are still selling you something… even if it’s just on more and more of their streaming service. Spending less time on social media would have the same effect as watching less television.

3. Unsubscribe from email newsletters, magazines, and junk mail lists. One of the most proactive steps you can take today to reduce the number of advertisements you see is unsubscribe from email newsletters. At the bottom of every email newsletter you receive, you will find a “Click to unsubscribe” link. At first, going through this process may seem like a daunting task and never-ending battle. But just start clicking with each new email that arrives. You will be surprised how quickly they slow down and how quickly you’re able to get ahead of them. And while you’re at it, unsubscribe from ad-filled magazines and junk mail. Here’s some advice from Harvard on how to do that.

4. Go shopping less. Shopping is an interesting activity when you think about it. We are marketed to relentlessly outside of stores in order to get us inside. Once inside, we are subjected to even more advertisements and marketing messages. Spend less time at malls and department stores and you’ll see fewer advertisements. Equally so and maybe more important these days, spend less time at digital stores too.

5. Configure your computer to block pop-up ads. There are no fool-proof methods for blocking advertisements on your computer, but there are some reasonable steps you can take to limit the number you see. Here are some ideas for Mac users and some ideas for Windows users.

6. Don’t ignore ads, see through them instead. There is a tendency among all of us to think that advertisements don’t influence us. We foolishly believe we are unaffected by them. Or we assume if we aren’t paying attention, they are not influencing our thoughts. But the better approach, rather than ignoring ads, is to see through them instead. See through the false promises that they offer—that their product will help you get the girl, be the life of the party, or become the envy of the neighborhood. The more you recognize how a brand is trying to subtly stir up discontent in your life, the less likely they are to succeed.

The fewer advertisements we see, the happier we are. Which, by the way, may be one of the reasons you enjoy Becoming Minimalist so much (no ads).

It is likely impossible for you to remove every advertisement from your everyday life, but there are certainly positive steps we can take to limit them—and become happier because of it.

How Many Towels Do You Need?

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Rose Lounsbury.

How many towels do you need? This was the surprisingly life-changing question I faced on a Saturday afternoon in early 2012, as I scrutinized my linen cupboard.

I had just started on a minimalist journey, inspired by my 1,500 square foot house that could no longer comfortably contain the possessions of me, my husband, and our three 2-year-olds (yes, you read that right… triplets).

A few weeks earlier, we’d returned from visiting out-of-state relatives for Christmas with a van absolutely packed full of presents. As I walked into my house and assessed our already stuffed surroundings, a slow, frightening realization came upon me:

We didn’t have room for the things we already owned. Where was I going to put this new stuff?

I felt defeated and overwhelmed. I knew the gifts had been given in love. I knew they were supposed to make me and my children happy. But more than anything, they added stress to my already stressful full-time-working-mom-of-triplets life.

Luckily, though, a change was coming.

About a week after Christmas I had lunch with a good friend, and I explained my problem. I thought the solution was to either buy a bigger house or allow no one to buy my kids Christmas presents again, ever.

But my friend looked at me between bites of soup and casually suggested another idea, “Or… you could just become a minimalist.”

I immediately thought of monks living in a cave or college students traversing Europe with all their possessions on their backs or black-clad hipsters lounging on white couches in apartments that doubled as art galleries. None of that sounded like my real life in the Ohio suburbs with three kids, two cars, and a mortgage.

But my friend reassured me that minimalism was just a philosophy, a less-is-more approach to living, and that any modern American could adopt it. Skeptical but intrigued, I went home and started reading. I was hooked.

Which brought me, a few weeks later, to January of 2012, when I went to put away some towels in my linen cupboard and asked myself the aforementioned life-changing question:

How many towels do you need?

Now I want you to realize, this wasn’t the first time I’d asked myself questions about my stuff. Unbeknownst to me, I’d been asking myself questions about my stuff my entire life (and you probably have, too).

But those questions sounded different. They sounded more like this…

“Rose, how much stuff could you AFFORD to buy?” I was a dedicated closeout, clearance, and coupon shopper, always scouring the racks for the best “deal” I could find.

Another favorite: “Rose, how much stuff could you FIT in here?” I used every spare inch in my snug home to cram in as much as possible, often resorting to space saver bags and bins stacked precariously high in my attic.

And, finally, the Big Daddy of them all, the question I continually asked every night as I spent hours putting away toys, shoes, sippy cups, and errant paper: “Rose, how could you better ORGANIZE this stuff?”

I thought organizing was the answer, the Holy Grail, the thing that—if I could just master it and buy the right bins with the right labels—would solve my problem. I’d finally have the home in the magazines. I’d finally stop feeling like every day was a continual battle between me and the chaos.

But that Saturday afternoon, I wasn’t asking myself any of those questions. That day, fresh in my nascent minimalist awakening, I was asking myself a very different question: 

Rose, how many towels do you NEED?

That’s the kind of question that just might change your life.

The answer was surprisingly clear: two per person.

Which immediately felt wrong. Because if you passed third grade math you know that’s only 10 towels for a family of five, which certainly wasn’t the number of towels I’d registered for on my Bed, Bath, and Beyond wedding gift registry. It wasn’t the number of towels in my friend’s homes. And it certainly wasn’t the towel message I received from Better Homes and Gardens magazine. They were telling me I needed pink towels for spring and yellow towels for summer and towels with festive reindeer prancing across them for Christmas! Ten towels just didn’t feel right.

So, I did something I rarely do. I entered the sanctum of my husband’s man cave on a Saturday afternoon (aka prime sports-watching time) to ask him a very serious question, “Honey, is it okay if we have just 10 towels?”

Josh paused. He looked at me for a long time. I’m certain that during this time he was deeply pondering the critical issue of the towel supply. He eventually responded with a somewhat confused, “Yeah, I guess. I mean, that sounds about right.”

That settled it. Ten towels.

Now remember… that was EIGHT YEARS ago. In that time, I have not increased our number of towels and everyone in our family has been dry when they needed to be dry.

This early venture into minimalism taught me two very clear things:

I can live with a lot less than I think I can. I can definitely live with a lot less than society tells me I should. 

In my closet right now, you would see five bath towels—because the other five are in use. You would also find 5 pool towels on the bottom shelf. So yes, technically we have three towels per person: 2 bath towels + 1 pool towel. The surprising thing about this is that my kids are on a swim team every summer and we’ve gotten by on this number of towels.

The most interesting thing about minimalism is how it changes my mindset.

Every June when I see the pool towels on sale at big box stores, I think, “Maybe I should just buy a couple more.” But then we get through the swim season just fine and I’m reminded again of lessons #1 and #2.

My towels are just one example of minimalist thinking. After I decluttered my towel cupboard, I went through the rest of my house, asking myself different variations of that original question:

Rose, how many coffee cups do you need?

Rose, how many pairs of shoes do you need?

Rose, how many boxes of holiday decorations do you really need?

And slowly, over a period of almost one year, my home physically transformed. My cluttered corners turned into open spaces. My formerly crammed cupboards had room to breathe. My now unstuffed drawers opened and closed easily.

So yes, my home looked neat and tidy, but that wasn’t the point. That wasn’t why I kept doing what I was doing. The reason I kept doing it was because of how I felt. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I felt free. I felt at peace. I started to find myself, at the ends of my long working + parenting days, relaxing on my couch instead of frantically picking up my stuff.

So today I want to encourage you: ask yourself a life-changing question.

Insert any word you like (towels, sweaters, hammers, wine glasses, email subscriptions, volunteer commitments, etc.) into the blank space:

How many _______________ do you need?

My wish is that this simple question starts you on a journey toward a more peaceful life, full of the possibilities of open spaces.

Cheers to less stuff and more you! 

***

Rose Lounsbury is a minimalism and simplicity coach, speaker, and author of the Amazon bestselling Less: Minimalism for Real. Rose spends her days speaking, writing, coaching her clients and online students to stuff-free freedom. Rose’s advice has been featured in USA Today, and she’s been a guest on Good Day Columbus, NPR, Good Morning Cincinnati, and Living Dayton. You can find her online at RoseLounsbury.com.

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 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.

I tried ‘Kakeibo’: The Japanese art of saving money—and it completely changed how I spend my money | CNBC by Sarah Harvey. Our spending habits are deeply cemented into our daily routine, and the act of spending also includes an emotional aspect that is difficult to detach from.

Minimize the environmental impact of your wardrobe — and look good doing it | CBC by Jeanniene Tazzioli. Have fewer, high-quality clothes from ethical sources, says this environmental engineer and seamstress.

20 Tiny Changes You Can Make in Your Home to Make Life Simpler in 2020 | Marc and Angel Hack Life. Does your home serve you—or do you serve your home?

13 things you should give up if you want to be successful | CNBC by Zdravko Cvijetic. There are certain things that are universal, which will make you successful if you give up on them, even though each one of us could have a different definition of success.

The 10 Most Important Things to Minimize in Your Life | Joshua Becker on YouTube.

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Uncluttered. If you’re looking for help trying to minimize your possessions, our 12-week course will help you own less, live more, and discover the life you want. Registrations ends this Sunday, January 12. The course begins on Tuesday.

Big Family Minimalism

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Jillian Johnsrud, host of the Everyday Courage podcast.

I never searched out minimalism. Rather I stumbled upon it first as a type of survival tool. Our story is a bit of a winding and twisting journey. But our minimalism story started in 2014, while I was sitting in a job interview and honestly killing it. I was trying to hold focus on the interview but my phone was exploding with text messages and missed calls.

See, while I was interviewing my heart out, a 5-year-old boy with big hazel eyes had just been dropped off at our house by a social worker.

He had been in foster care for a while and had disrupted from the last 5 homes. (This happens when foster parents or birth family aren’t able to meet the child’s needs and a new family has to be found.) The social worker was rather confident we couldn’t handle him either. I have soft eyes and a sweet smile that hides the depth of my love, tenacity, and grit.

She mentioned, almost offhandedly, he also had two little sisters. No other family had been able to keep them together and the State didn’t want to attempt to place them together again. I just smiled my sweet smile and said, “Well, we aren’t every other family. When you are ready, we are ready for anything.”

It was a lie. No one is ever fully ready. His little sisters moved in a few months later. I quit my job and lived at the end of my rope for the next year.

Having four little kids at home is a lot (6, 5, 2, and 1). Just that alone. But it wasn’t just that. Because these kiddos had high needs and were in foster care, we had 12 appointments a week of various meetings, therapies, and with professionals. There were difficult visits with birth parents. There were court dates and a rotating door of overworked social workers. There were lawyers, judges, and court-appointed advocates. There was the uncertainty of not knowing what the future held for these kids I loved so much.

Plus, there were these sweet kids. They had seen so much trauma and neglect in their short lives that every behavior was broken. I had the skill, knowledge, tools, and love that was needed. But I was exhausted—like lay on the floor at night after I tucked them in and cry silent, hot tears exhausted. 

It’s all too much. A life at the end of our rope.

We were all at the ends of our rope. While it was challenging to be the ringleader of this circus, it wasn’t any easier for my kids. The two-year-old had lived with 5 different families before us. She called me and her birth mom, mama. 

Just getting them ready for the twice-weekly visits with birth parents would nearly break us. They were excited, terrified, overwhelmed, full of dread, happy, conflicted: all at the same time. So they hit each other, melted down, took off their clothes, bit each other, screamed, hid, and lost their coats.

It was like dressing a whole litter of angry kittens into costumes and taking their picture. I would arrive to drop the kids off at the visit only to be criticized, belittled, or ignored by the birth family. I would smile my sweet smile then go cry alone in my mini-van.

The foster care process isn’t easy or fun for anyone, not the kids, not the birth families or the foster parents. We all lived in a constant state of anxiety not knowing if they would be with us for the next birthday, or at Christmas, or when school starts. No one knew.

So minimalism found us.

I imagine most people start with minimalism with their stuff. Decluttering and all. Maybe they read an awesome blog, or hear a podcast, and think, “I SHOULD get rid of some of this stuff!”

I needed it in every area of my life, all at once. I dubbed 2015 the year of “Easier, not harder.” That was my only litmus test. Is this easier or harder?

I stopped wearing color because I didn’t have the time or skill to coordinate outfits.

I opted out of most of my commitments that were, in fact, optional.

I pulled my kids from sports.

I ate the same breakfast every day.

I told all my kids’ teachers we weren’t doing any homework. None. No reading charts, no math worksheets, no flashcards. I was so thankful for what the teachers were doing at school, but I couldn’t add “teacher” to my list of things to squeeze into our evenings.

I had to set boundaries with professionals. “No, I can’t change our appointment time every single week. Either keep our time, or we skip it.”

I had to learn minimalism in my relationships. Most people were incredibly supportive, encouraging, and really understood the importance of what we were doing. But some people….didn’t. I didn’t have any leftover emotional energy to hear, “Why are you doing this? Why don’t you just give them back? The system is so broken, you shouldn’t have to put up with this.”

I started owning the fact that I live in a real human body that needs food, water, exercise, and sleep. I started to accommodate those seemingly unreasonable demands of my non-robot body.

Bit by bit, we were doing better. Not just surviving with our nose barely above the waves, but almost flourishing.

Then in the same week in June 2015: We were officially asked to adopt our kids, and we found out we were pregnant.

Enter minimalism, level ninja.

I’ll admit, I had a bit of a mommy meltdown when I found out we were pregnant. Sure, we had spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on fertility treatments over the years. Sure, we had tried for 7 years. But now? Adding a baby definitely didn’t fall into my “easier not harder” motto.

We had been shopping for a bigger house. We were a family of 6 in 1,650 cozy square feet. A bigger house seemed to make sense. Every single person who came to our house echoed the words, “So when are you moving to a bigger place?” like it was the chorus line in a Disney movie.

But the saying “a baby changes everything” is true.

Turns out, we didn’t want more and bigger. Our entire life already felt “more and bigger.” We wanted less. Actually, we all needed less.

Less clutter. Less cleaning. Less overwhelm. Less hectic.  Less appointments.

We needed margin for the right kind of more: More engagement. More quiet. More stories and cuddles. More adventure. More travel. More time in the garden. More focused time. More creativity.

More stuff and more space weren’t going to give us any of that.

We donated 50% of the kid’s toys. And only kept three out at a time to play with. And I saw the kids settle in. Instead of the anxiety, overwhelm, fighting, and frustration they felt when confronted with a massive heap of toys, they just played. Slowly, carefully, and thoughtfully with one toy. There was no cleaning up at the end of the night. Each child set one toy on a shelf and it was over. That one simple change freed up a mountain of emotional and relational energy.

I made it a mission to touch every item in our house. I would ask a few questions. 

Is this a “hard-working” item, or is it “lazy?” We didn’t have space for lazy items. Our home couldn’t be a storage unit for barely-used items. 

I would ask, “If I didn’t already own this and saw it at a yard sale for $5 would I buy it instantly, with joy?” Because if it doesn’t add $5 of value, it doesn’t deserve a place in our home.

Good things happen in the margin.

Minimalism is an act of faith at first. We pared our life down. Appointments, relationships, classes, sports, commitments, stuff with no guarantee of a better outcome. There was no promise in writing that what we would gain would be better than what we were letting go of.

You pull your kid from a sport and just hope. Hope that the extra two hours a week somehow adds as much value as the sport was adding. It takes a bit of faith to hold space. To create margin and not rush to fill it up again.

We got rid of “perfectly good” toys. (OK, and a crap ton of Mcdonald’s Happy Meal toys.) It’s an act of faith to say, “We are going to donate all these “perfectly good” toys that at one point we actually spent money on,” and just hope that “less is more.”

To the mama’s.

I kind of just want to give you a hug at this point. I’ve raised six kids (my oldest passed away). I have to say that motherhood, in the thick of it, is the hardest and most beautiful part of my life. It has been my defining work.

So if you feel like your kids will kick, scream and cry themselves into a puddle if there were less toys, less classes, less sports, less commitments. Remember this: If you’re maxed out, they are maxed out.

My very normal kids hate picking up toys. Actually, I think they hated it even more than I did. They hated being corralled into the van. They hated the rush and my grumpy voice saying “Where in the world are your shoes!? Why are they in the bathtub? Can anyone answer me this!?! WAIT!?! Why are you covered in purple paint? OMG, I don’t even care. Come on. We are SO late. Please, please, please just put your shoes on.” 

Despite what it seems, minimalism is a perfect fit for families. If anyone needs this: it’s families.

Here is how we started this journey with the toys. (Because no one likes living in a house that looks like a daycare crossed paths with a tornado)! I had this conversation with my four kids who at the time were 3-8:

“I think I haven’t been doing a good job. I think maybe I’ve made it too hard for you guys to pick up your room. The job is simply too hard. And that’s my fault. So here’s what we will do. You pick up as many toys as you can handle. Then I will come clean up the rest. I’ll put them away on this special toy shelf. Anything you can take care of, just pick up and you can keep that in your room. The only rule is, only keep as much as you can handle. If it gets to be too much for you to take care of on your own, we will keep less toys in your room.” 

They managed to clean/organize about 5 toys. All the rest I took out of their room and put on a “toy shelf” that they could swap toys (if their room was clean).

It also made it simple to see what toys we could sneak away in the dark of night. If they hadn’t picked the toy off the toy shelf in a few months, obviously it wasn’t a high-value toy.

For moms who are terrified to start, this is about an easy of a sell as you can get. And my kids loved it. No shame, no blame. Just me making their life easier. No more cleaning, and no more tears over not being able to organize their room.

Big family minimalism.

When you walk into our home, “minimalism” might not be your first thought. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is white (even stuff that was white when we bought it!). There is a pile of shoes and coats and winter boots by the door. It’s loud with laughing, playing, and often someone is crying. I’m probably making chocolate chips pancakes. I’ll make you a cup of tea but a toddler will interrupt our conversation every 90 seconds.

But if you look closely, you’ll see a family flourishing with less. Happy, healthy, and whole. Our days are full of reading, writing, folding laundry, hiking, gardening, and travel. We eat real food, at a table. We have adventures on the weekend and a game night each Friday. We get enough sleep and have real conversations.

Sometimes I let myself wonder what our alternate life would look like. What path our three adopted kids might have taken if they didn’t end up together with us. But I don’t stay there long. Because my 90 seconds is up and a 4-year-old is peppering me with questions again.

*** 

Jillian Johnsrud is the host of the Everyday Courage podcast. She became financially independent at age 32. You can find her free Create Your 2020 Financial Plan and podcast on her site, https://www.jillianjohnsrud.com.

New Year, New Home, New Life

Registration for Uncluttered New Year Edition is now open!

Uncluttered is a 12-week online course designed intentionally to help you own less, live more, and discover the life you’ve always wanted. If you want to own less, but need a little help getting there, Uncluttered was designed for you.

This year is the beginning of a new decade.

Looking back on the past 10 years, a lot has changed in my life.

My family and I started on our minimalist journey nearly 12 years ago. Every day since then I’ve been grateful for the space it has given me to be more present and focused with my family, my life, and my work.

While there are times I wish I’d had my “aha” moment about minimalism earlier, I’ve learned that everything happens at the right time.

Uncluttered is an online course created for your right time.

You’ll get lifetime access to 12 weeks’ worth of lessons, live Q&As, a committed community, interviews, and more. Take the course and renew your home at your own pace, and in your own time.

Over 40,000 people have taken the course to find how they can create the home they’ve always wanted.

Here’s the kind of transformation you can achieve. Meet Erin:

“[When] I signed up for the Uncluttered Course… I had already done some good cleaning on my own. A few closets had less. My kitchen was getting better. The process of cleaning out the toys had begun. But I needed some guidelines, concrete steps, and, most of all, I needed a support system.

In the end, I found the course and the community and the process of decluttering to be life-changing in the best ways imaginable.

Following the course guidelines has not only helped me to unclutter my home, it’s helped me become aware of other aspects of my life that can be simplified as well. My mind was opened to a way of life that I’d been searching for but wasn’t able to clearly define.

The strategies I learned helped me switch my mindset from an anxious, depressed mom of two young boys to a woman who now feels present and calm while playing dinosaurs and reading books before nap time.”

Here is what Elke R. achieved with Uncluttered:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

What an incredible difference!

If you want to make real, positive changes like Elke, join Uncluttered today.

Registration closes on Sunday, January 12, so don’t wait.

I’ll help (and cheer you along every step of the way) while you discover the more of owning less. You’ll clear the clutter, focus on what matters most in your life, and enjoy a renewed sense of clarity to ring in this new decade.

Ready to tackle 2020 and beyond?

Sign up for Uncluttered now, and make this the decade you discover the home and life you’ve always wanted!

The cost is $89. But you can find a 25% off discount code in the back of The Minimalist Home. The book is not required—but it’s cheaper to buy the book and use the discount code than it is to pay full price—the option is yours.

The 10 Best Personal Finance Resolutions For 2020

It is wise, from time to time, to stop and evaluate our lives as we seek to make the most of them.

The start of a new year provides a natural opportunity to look back and offers an extra push toward new adjustments going forward. That’s why New Year’s resolutions are so popular.

If you are looking for some changes in your financial circumstances, here are the ten best personal finance resolutions to consider. Choose just one or two to accomplish in 2020 and you’ll be surprised at the difference in your life:

The Ten Best Personal Finance Resolutions for 2020

1. Save $1,000. Less than 40% of Americans have one thousand dollars in savings, but almost every successful financial wellness plan available today includes the creation of a $1,000 Emergency Fund. Finding that much money overnight might be difficult. But if you can find $83/month to put away, you’ll complete this resolution by the end of the year… and be in better financial position than 60% of the country!

2. Make one extra payment (over the course of the year) on your mortgage. One extra monthly payment per year on your mortgage shortens the length of your loan by 4-5 years. You can spread this out over the course of the year or plan now to direct an expected windfall toward it (tax refund, year-end bonus, etc.).

3. Put money into retirement (any amount). Your year of retirement is now one year closer. That is true for every single one of us. But 78 percent of Americans, say they are extremely or somewhat concerned about not having enough money for retirement. There is only one way to change that—start saving. Even if it’s just a little. If you haven’t saved anything yet, find out this year how to open an account, put some money in, and begin directing a percentage toward it each month.

4. Embrace a 2-week Shopping Ban to challenge your shopping habits. Pick the dates, mark them now, and commit yourself to not spending a single dollar for two weeks (groceries may be a worthy exception). There’s no downside to the experiment—only upside. You’ll learn more about yourself, rethink your consumption habits, and save some money along the way.

5. Sell $250 worth of clutter. The premise is very simple. Turn your unwanted stuff into cash money. Free your home of clutter and build up savings along the way! Minimizing your stuff is a win-win—this is probably the biggest no-brainer on the entire list. If you’re looking for help knowing what to get rid, check out some of the suggestions offered in The Minimalist Home.

6. Increase your credit score. Many credit cards provide free access to your FICO score. The thing about credit scores is this: It’s important to have a good one whenever you need it, but we don’t always know when that’s going to be. So find a way to check yours now and make a commitment to improve it by the end of year. Here are seven reputable ways you can do that.

7. If you are a dual-income family, seek to save one spouses’ entire salary. One of the best pieces of financial advice I ever received was this one from a mentor just prior to my marriage, “If you and your wife are both working, determine to live on only one salary and put the entirety of the other person’s salary into savings.” We did exactly that… living on $30k/year… and set ourselves up for financial success at the very beginning. This resolution will take planning and won’t likely happen as soon as the calendar turns to January, but it is a goal you should choose to work toward in 2020.

8. Make a budget. No seriously, do it, this year. No more stalling. You’ve been told the importance of setting a budget since you were in high school (or maybe even younger). If you haven’t, do it now. No more putting it off. This is the year! If you’ve found traditional-style budgets don’t work for you, try something with a different approach, like a spending plan.

9. Invest money in the stock market. Buying stock is essentially the same as saying, “I trust that Jeff Bezos knows how to make money better than me.” And with new and free apps like Robin Hood with no minimums, getting started investing in companies you believe in has never been easier. Take any dollar amount (even as small as $10 or $20) and find a stock or mutual fund to invest in. You’ll learn a lot and likely grow your money in the process.

10. Become a recurring monthly giver to one charity. Most people with a beating heart want to live generous lives. We all desire to solve problems and support causes we believe in. For most people, the only thing keeping them back is they can’t seem to find the extra margin to do so. Stop waiting for excess money to be left at the end of the month to get started, Instead, decide to get started today—right now. Pick one charity and set yourself up as a recurring monthly giver—even if it’s just $2-$5 per month. Not only will you feel good solving problems in the world, the action will show you that you do have the margin to give.

Adopting all ten resolutions is almost certainly too much to ask. But choose one or two specifically that will help you and you can be passionate about. You’ll be surprised how quickly they make a difference in your outlook toward personal finance.

Becoming Minimalist’s Top Posts of 2019

A special thanks to each of you for making 2019 such an enjoyable year at Becoming Minimalist. It was my eleventh.

This website continues to reach people beyond my wildest dreams as we grow every year in new ways. As before, this growth has occurred because of the support from readers like you—thank you for helping to spread the inspiration.

Thank you for sharing this website on social media. But even more, thank you for sharing the life-giving message of owning less with your friends and family.

Here are some numeric representations of our growth:

This website is now read by over 2 million people each month.Our Facebook page grew from 1,300,000 to 1,700,000 followers.Over 65,000 people follow us on Twitter.225,000 people currently receive Becoming Minimalist posts via email. Sign-up here to do the same. Simplify Magazine, our digital, quarterly magazine grew from 113,000 to over 150,000 subscribers.14,500 new people went through our Uncluttered Course last year.Our YouTube channel grew from 10,000 to 77,000 subscribers.

But some of our most significant successes this past year are not found in the numbers above:

The Minimalist Home was released last December. It is the most practical and comprehensive room-by-room guide to a decluttered, refocused life. Since its release one year ago, it has been translated into 9 different languages and has sold over 70,000 copies.The Hope Effect, our non-profit continues to change how the world cares for orphans by focusing on new initiatives in Honduras and Mexico. To date, we have raised more than $925,000 for family-based orphan care around the world and will raise our millionth dollar early next year!My most exciting project in a long time will be announced in February. So, stay tuned for that.

In case you missed any, here are the top posts on Becoming Minimalist from 2019.

Most Popular Posts from 2019 (as determined by readers):

We Don’t Buy Things with Money, We Buy Them with Hours from our Life. This is a life-changing principle. When we begin to see our purchases through the lens of exchanging life, rather than dollar bills, we begin to fully appreciate the weight of our purchases.

Love the Home You Live In. By doing a minimalist makeover of your home, you can set out on a new course toward better fulfilling your purpose and potential in life.

7 Reasons I Wear The Same Thing Every Day. I have come to love wearing the same thing every day. And I’m not alone. A lot of people are doing the same thing. Here are some of the reasons why.

How to Be Happy: 8 Ways to Be Happier Today. Looking for ways to learn how to be happier? Try out these 8 ways to be happier today.

99 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas. What then can we give that won’t add to the clutter problem? Here are 99 ideas.

My Personal Favorite Posts from the past year:

Everything Could Change Tomorrow. They say the only constant in life is change. They are right.

I Am Thankful for My Past. I’m Just Not Moving That Direction. The possessions we keep should represent the person we are trying to become, not the person we were.

What Makes a Home Beautiful. When our money, time, and energy is not spent accumulating and caring for things that don’t matter, we have more resources available for the things that do.

Most Popular Guest Posts in 2019:

Please Stop Buying Plastic Crap for Kids by Denaye Barahona. If we want children to value relationships over stuff, we have to be intentional about the way we bring it into their lives.

This Is What Swedish Death Cleaning Taught Me About Life by John P. Weiss. We can declutter and embrace minimalism at any age. Doing so will unburden you, allow more time for loved ones, and create an abundance of memories to cherish for a lifetime.

7 Things I Learned When I Stopped Drinking Alcohol by Courtney Carver. Alcohol removed me from my life and I removed alcohol so I can show up for my life.

The Single Most Important Factor in Leading a Happy, Fulfilling Life–According to Science by Jay Harrington. The root of happiness is not money, fame, or good looks—it’s the people we choose to surround ourselves with and how well we nurture our relationships with them.

Most Popular Outgoing Links from the past year:

Seven Decluttering Tips I Discovered in The Minimalist Home by Caitie Wiersma. Picture your dream home. I bet it’s not filled with clutter.

The Unbearable Heaviness of Clutter by Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi. A cluttered home can be a stressful home, researchers are learning.

‘Throwing Things Out Gives You Time to Look After Yourself’ – How to Get Better at Decluttering by Sally Walford as told to Sirin Kale. You might feel that shedding possessions is difficult, but once you start, you will realize how great it makes you feel.

We Asked Two of our Female Editors to Wear the Same Thing Every Day. Here’s What Happened by Elizabeth Segran. We assume that other people are paying attention to what we are wearing when they are all really more focused on their own lives.

Whether you have been reading Becoming Minimalist for one week, one month, one year or longer, thank you. This blog owes its success to the support of its readers. Thank you for reading. And thank you for sharing these posts with others.

We look forward to an exciting 2020. 

I am excited to launch the New Year’s Edition of Uncluttered—registration will open on January 2nd. Uncluttered continues to help people around the world own less and live more. And I look forward to hosting it again.

No doubt, in the coming year, Becoming Minimalist will continue to evolve and be redefined. I will be announcing a huge new project early next year. And I intend to begin writing another book next year.

But this website will always stay true to its core message that there is more joy to be found in owning less than can ever be found in pursuing more. We will continue to invite as many as possible to discover this truth in their lives. And I hope you will join us.

Playing Santa Claus

The following is a short story by Sarah P. Doughty.

“Wake up, wake up, Emma!” said little Caroline Meredith, as she gently shook her sister very early one winter’s morning, “I have something very pleasant to tell you.”

“What is it, Carrie?” answered the sleepy little girl, as she rubbed her eyes, and tried to comply with her sister’s request to “wake up.”

“Do you remember what day it is, Emma? Tomorrow will be Christmas; and this evening will be Christmas Eve.”

“O Carrie, so it will!” exclaimed Emma, now fully awake, “and we shall hang up our stockings; and, oh, what beautiful things Santa Claus will bring us!”

“And what fine times we shall have tomorrow!” continued Caroline. “Aunt Margaret and all our cousins are coming to dine with us.”

“Oh, it will be delightful!” replied Emma. “We can show them our presents, and perhaps they will bring theirs to show to us; and we shall play so happily together!”

“And, you know, I have made a needle-book to give Aunt Margaret; and you have a work-bag for her,” added Caroline. “I am sure she will be pleased.”

“I know she will,” said Emma, “and father and mother will be pleased with the little presents we have got for them. I like to give things away; don’t you, Carrie?”

“Yes, very much,” replied Carrie. “I should like to be Santa Claus.”

“O Carrie! what a funny Santa Claus you would make!” exclaimed Emma; and both of the little girls laughed heartily at the idea.

“How I would come tumbling down the chimney, with my bag full of toys!” continued Caroline. “I would fill your stocking just as full as it could be, Emma.”

Emma laughed again; and then she was silent for a few moments, and looked very thoughtful.

“Do you think Santa Claus fills the poor children’s stockings, Carrie?” she asked.

Carrie looked grave also, as she replied, “I don’t know, Emma. I would fill their stockings if I were Santa Claus. But, Emma,” she continued, after a short pause, “you know there is not really any such person as Santa Claus. It is our father and mother, and other kind friends, who fill our stockings.”

“I know that, Carrie; and this makes me afraid that the poor children do not have their stockings filled; because, you know, their friends have no money to spend for toys and pretty presents. Don’t you think it would be a good plan for every rich child to be a Santa Claus to some poor child?”

“O, yes, Emma!” exclaimed Carrie, “I think it would be a beautiful plan. How came you to think of it?”

“I do not know, Carrie; but I suppose the good angels whispered it to me. You know mother says that all our good thoughts are from the angels.”

“Well, that is a good thought, I am sure,” replied Carrie, “and I am very glad that our father is rich, so that we can play Santa Claus. And then it is very pleasant to live in such a handsome house, and have such nice clothes and playthings; don’t you think so, Emma?”

“Yes, I do,” answered Emma; “and I always feel sorry for poor little children, who have none of these good things. You know little Mary and Ellen Drayton? Their mother is very poor.”

“I know she is, Emma; but she always seems cheerful, and the little girls look very happy. How neat and clean they always look!”

“Yes, Carrie: but their clothes are very old and patched; and they have very few books, and no playthings but one rag baby. When mother sent me there, the other day, to ask Mrs. Drayton about doing some work for her, I stopped a few moments to talk to the little girls.”

“Let us be their Santa Claus, if mamma is willing,” said Carrie. “I have got two little gold dollars that I will spend for them.”

“And I have two more,” added Emma. “I meant to have bought a large doll; but I would rather give the money to Mary and Ellen.”

The little girls now hastened to dress themselves, that they might go to their mother, and tell her of their plan, and ask her consent to spend their money in the way that they proposed.

Mrs. Meredith was quite willing, and, indeed, she was much pleased that her little daughters had thought of a way in which they might do good and give pleasure to others; and she said that she would add two more gold dollars to theirs, and would go with them to buy the gifts for Mary and Ellen.

After breakfast was over, she talked a little more with them on the subject, and told them that it would not be best to spend all the money for books and toys, because the little girls were much in need of warm clothing, and it would be doing them more good to buy some things of that kind.

Caroline and Emma were willing to do as their mother thought best; but they begged her to buy a few books and toys, because they thought it would make the little girls so happy. They felt very happy to find that six dollars would buy so many things. There was not only a pretty dress for each little girl, and some warm stockings and shoes, but also a dress for Mrs. Drayton; and there was still money enough left for two pretty books, two dolls, and some other toys. To these, Mrs. Meredith proposed that Caroline and Emma should add some of their own books and playthings, which they could well spare; and she said that she had several articles, which would be useful to Mrs. Drayton, which she would put with those they had bought.

The little girls could hardly contain their delight when they saw all these nice presents packed in one large basket, and another one filled with tea, sugar, pies, cakes, a roasted chicken, and some other articles of food, that Mrs. Drayton and her children might have a good Christmas-dinner.

Carrie and Emma were so happy that they could hardly wait for evening, that they might “play Santa Claus,” as they called it; and they quite forgot to think about the pretty presents which they hoped to receive themselves, because they were so busy in thinking of the joy that Mary and Ellen would feel when the baskets should be unpacked.

“Let us try to be patient, and wait until the girls have gone to bed,” said Carrie. “Mrs. Drayton sits up very late to sew; and, if mother will let John carry the baskets for us, we will go and knock softly at the door, and give her the things, and ask her to put some of the toys into Mary’s and Ellen’s stockings. How surprised they will be in the morning!”

Emma readily agreed to this plan; and, as the house was very near, Mrs. Meredith was quite willing that they should do so.

We will now leave them to pass a happy afternoon in assisting their mother in some preparations which she wished to make for the entertainment of the young friends whom they expected to spend Christmas with them, while we take a peep into Mrs. Drayton’s neat but humble dwelling.

Mary and Ellen were seated close by the side of their mother, who was sewing busily on a pair of coarse overalls—the last of a dozen pairs which she had engaged to make. Mary had learned to sew neatly enough to be of some assistance, and her mother had just given her leave to hem the bottom of one of the legs of the overalls; while little Ellen was reading aloud from a storybook, which had been given to her at school as a reward for her good behavior. The story which she was reading was a Christmas tale; and it told of a happy family of children who gathered around the beautiful Christmas tree.

When Ellen had finished her story, she laid down the book, and seemed very thoughtful for a few minutes. Presently she looked up in her mother’s face, and said, very gently:

“Will you please to let us hang up our stockings to-night, dear mother? This is Christmas Eve. I should like a pretty tree like the one in the story; but it will be just as pleasant to hang up our stockings. Don’t you remember the pretty things that we found in them one year, Mary, a good while ago, when father lived in this world with us?”

Mrs. Drayton’s eyes filled with tears; and Mary whispered, “Hush, Ellen! you grieve poor mother.”

“No, dear, she does not grieve me,” replied Mrs. Drayton, making an effort to speak calmly and cheerfully. “You may hang up your stockings, my children; but you must remember that mother has no ‘pretty things’ to put in them. The weather is now becoming very cold, and you are in need of many articles of clothing, which I am working hard to try to procure for you. I shall take these overalls home this evening; and, if I get the money which I have earned by making them, I will try to put something useful into each stocking: but you must not expect to find toys or candies.”

Mary’s countenance brightened as she exclaimed, “O mother! I shall like a new apron better than a toy; for I have worn mine so long, and it looks so very shabby.”

But little Ellen looked sorrowful as she said, “I wish you could buy just one stick of candy, mother—only one; half for Mary, and half for me.”

“Well, dear, I will try to do so, as it is for Christmas,” answered Mrs. Drayton; and, at this reply, Ellen’s face was also bright with smiles.

Evening soon came: and, as their mother was obliged to leave them alone while she carried home the work which she had finished, the little girls concluded to hang up their stockings, and go to bed early, so that they need not feel lonely while she was gone. They were soon fast asleep, and dreaming of the new aprons and the stick of candy which they were to receive the next morning.

When Mrs. Drayton promised her children these things, she did not feel the least doubt that she should be able to keep her promise; for the man for whom she had been working always paid her very punctually, and on this night he would owe her nearly two dollars. Of this sum, a large portion must be spent for food and fuel; but there would be enough left to buy an apron for each of the little girls, and the stick of candy which Ellen so much desired.

“Poor children! it is not often that I can spend even one penny for them, except to purchase what is really necessary,” thought Mrs. Drayton, as she entered the shop where she was to leave the work. To her great disappointment, there was no one there but a young lad, who told her that his employer had gone away for the evening.

“You can leave the work,” he added, “and call again any day after Christmas. Mr. Williams will settle with you.”

Mrs. Drayton’s heart was very sad as she silently placed her bundle upon the counter and left the shop. She had but six cents in the world; and this must be spent for a loaf of bread, or her little ones would suffer for food on Christmas Day, when they expected to be so happy.

Her eyes filled with tears as she passed the groups of merry children, and heard them talking so eagerly of the expected pleasures of the next day, and thought of the empty stockings which her own darlings would find when they awoke in the morning. But she was a good woman; and she tried hard to put away these sad feelings, and to believe that the Lord would do what was best for her and for her children.

“I cannot buy the aprons,” she said, “but I will take a loaf of bread which was baked yesterday—that will cost but five cents; and, with the penny which remains, I will buy the stick of candy. That will comfort them a little.”

She went into the baker’s shop for the loaf; and the woman in attendance, who had often seen her before with her two little girls, handed her two cakes, saying kindly, “Your children will like a cake for Christmas.”

Mrs. Drayton thanked her, and walked homeward with a lighter step; for this would be such a treat to the little ones, that they would almost forget the promised aprons.

The last penny was spent for the candy; and she gently opened her own door, and entered noiselessly, lest she should disturb the sleeping children.

“It will be but a poor Christmas,” she said, as she opened a small cupboard, and, placing the bread in its accustomed place, looked around upon the scanty portion of food which it contained, “but we shall not really suffer from cold or hunger, and this should make us very thankful.”

As she said this, she heard a low knock at the door; and, hastening to open it, she was surprised to find Caroline and Emma Meredith, accompanied by John bearing two large baskets.

“Have Mary and Ellen gone to bed?” inquired Carrie, eagerly.

“Yes, they are both asleep, miss; but I can awaken them, if you wish.”

“Oh, no!” was the reply; “we wanted them to be asleep, and so we waited as long as we could. We are playing Santa Claus; and we have brought some things for you and the girls.”

“And we want you to put some in their stockings,” continued Emma. “Did they hang them up?”

“They did, indeed, my dear young lady; but I little thought that they would be filled. I spent my last penny for one stick of candy to divide between them.”

“Oh! there is plenty of candy, and toys also, in the baskets,” replied Emma. “Fill the stockings full; and tell Mary and Ellen that Santa Claus sent them.”

Mrs. Drayton’s heart was almost too full to speak as they wished her good-night; and she could not help weeping with joy as she unpacked the baskets, and saw all the good and useful things which they contained.

The stockings were soon loaded with toys and books, and papers of cakes and candies; the cupboard was well filled with articles of food; while the new clothes were spread upon a chair, where the children could see them when they awoke.

You may be sure it was a merry Christmas morning both at Mrs. Meredith’s and Mrs. Drayton’s.

Carrie and Emma were full of joy, not only from receiving a variety of beautiful presents, but from the thought of the pleasure which Mary and Ellen would feel when they found their stockings so well filled. And breakfast had not long been over, when the two little girls came hand in hand, with sparkling eyes and hearts full of gratitude, to thank the young ladies for their kindness.

“Oh, we never saw so many pretty things!” exclaimed Ellen. “Mary and I are so glad, and we thank you so much! Mamma cried when she saw us jump and laugh so much when we awoke this morning; but she said she cried because she was glad too, and not because she was sorry.”

“Yes, she was very, very glad,” said Mary. “We needed all the things very much; and poor mamma had no money.”

Mrs. Meredith and Carrie and Emma felt very happy as they listened to these expressions of the children’s gratitude and joy; and, when Mr. Meredith heard the story, he said he would send a load of wood and coal to Mrs. Drayton, that he might have his share in “playing Santa Claus.”

—Sarah P. Doughty, 1865

I hope this heartwarming story will encourage you today. And may those of us who have been blessed with much, look for opportunities to “play Santa Claus” this holiday season.

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.

Berlin’s Rubbish Collectors Say Give Time Not Stuff This Christmas | The Guardian by Kate Connolly. In an advertising campaign, BSR suggests the festive season could be more meaningful if people reduce their rubbish by shopping less.

Stop Believing in Free Shipping | The Atlantic by Amanda Mull. How retailers hide the costs of delivery—and why we’re such suckers for their ploys.

Why I Wore The Same Outfit Every Day For a Week | I Like to Dabble by Daniella Flores. No one cares what you wear to work. Honestly.

7 Signs You Shouldn’t Buy Another Christmas Gift | Forbes by Joshua Becker. Christmas is a time for giving. But is there a chance we’re going a bit overboard with the gifting these days?

How to Declutter Sentimental Items | Joshua Becker on YouTube

How to Reset Your Life

I was talking to a good friend of mine earlier this year when she made a fascinating remark to me.

They were in the process of selling their large home in order to pay off some debt. When I asked her how they came to that decision, she said to me, “We’ve decided to hit reset on our life.”

She continued, “For too long we’ve overextended ourselves financially, and it’s time to take whatever steps are necessary to start fresh. So we put our house on the market and began living within a tighter budget. I don’t know what we were thinking living like that for so long, but it’s time to hit reset on our lives.”

I found the phrase to be almost magical.

“We’ve decided to hit reset on our lives.”

I was reminded of a computer that had begun to run too slow, overheating with too many applications running in the background. CTLR-ALT-DEL… Reset.

Or as Anne Lamott once said, “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

In speaking with my friend, I was reminded of my own life. In many ways, I hit reset on my own life when I discovered minimalism. I went back to the beginning, challenging my consumption, and the many unhealthy habits that had become present in my life.

Of course, not every life is in need of a full reset. And I’m smart enough to know that resetting a life is not the same as restarting a computer. You can’t just delete past memories, experiences, injuries, or every unenjoyable responsibility in your life. Resetting the direction of one’s life requires more than a few minutes of downtime.

But we are nearing January 1—the time of year when we naturally assess the trajectory of our lives and what direction we are heading.

And maybe, just like my friend, your life needs a reset.

There is a powerful truth in the reality that you are in control of your life and you alone are responsible for the experience of living it. If you do not like the direction you are heading, you alone can choose a new path. If you have become overloaded financially or overburdened in your schedule, you alone can hit reset on your life. Even if our relationships have turned unhealthy, there is a lot we can do individually to foster an environment for change.

If your life needs a reset, it is within your power to do so.

But how do we go about hitting reset in our lives?

I fear to say these are not easy steps. This is not your typical 10 Minutes to a Clutter-Free Morning blog post. These are weighty changes that require not just re-establishing a mindset, but also implementing the hard work of making it a reality. Sometimes these changes require conversations with loved ones that may or may not be thinking about the same things.

But life reset is possible.

My friend is a mother with a husband and two teenage daughters. If she can hit reset during that stage of life, so can you.

Here are some of the places we might look to reset:



1. Look hard at your spending.

Lifestyle creep occurs when an individual’s standard of living improves as their discretionary income rises and former luxuries become new necessities. If the idea of minimalism is brand-new to you, it is very likely lifestyle creep has crept into your life more than you realize. If rethinking your finances (getting out of debt or beginning to save) is part of the necessary reset, start by looking at your spending.

2. Consider your time commitments.

Many of us live hurried, stressed lives. We rush from one activity to another. For some people, this is within their nature and they thrive in that type of environment. But for others, the urgent is keeping you from the more important, longer-lasting pursuits available to all of us. Consider the time commitments you have slowly accumulated over the years and find a new filter to promote your highest values.

3. Question your work.

The average person spends more than 90,000 hours of their lifetime at work. For many, work has become their routine and they’ve given up any thought of changing. Our job is our job and we give little thought to the reality of something different. I think that’s why two-thirds of Americans report being disengaged at work. I know that changing jobs is not always easy and not always possible. But if we’re talking seriously about hitting the reset button on our lives, looking at what we do a third of our waking hours is an essential consideration.

4. Check your motivations.

There is great progress to be made in life when we look deeper than our actions and begin checking the motivations behind them. When we don’t actively keep our motivations in check, unhealthy ones begin to emerge. We become motivated by the pursuit of riches, accolades, or building our own selfish kingdom. On an almost daily basis, it is wise to check our motivations, but we rarely do. If we can see the need for an entire life reset, it would be foolish to not check the internal motivations that may have moved us to our current situation.

5. Evaluate your relationships.

People are not things and choosing which relationships to keep and which to remove is not as simple as decluttering clothes in your closet. There are some relationships where both parties benefit and there are some relationships where we benefit. But there also ought to be some relationships in our lives where we are serving and giving and being the one who loves more. Balance is important in this area. Evaluate the current relationships in your life. Are your closest friends moving you toward the person you want to be or are they holding you back?

6. Be honest about your habits.

Sometimes, the habits we develop increase our chance of success. But other times, our habits keep us from it. How do you spend your day? How do you care for your health and body? What habits are creating a better you and which habits are keeping you stuck where you are? Resetting your life is going to require more than a one-time decision or evaluation. Often times, it is going to require you to rewire your habits from the ground up.

I don’t offer this list above as exhaustive. Certainly there are other considerations to factor in your life reset.

More than anything, I simply want to encourage you. Your life doesn’t have to remain on the same trajectory that it is today.

You can hit reset if you need to.