My own journey from conspicuous consumption to intentional minimalism didn’t get started until the fourth decade of my life. For me the first lessons that less really can be more came when I relocated across the country in 2007 to a place with far more expensive housing than anything I had ever experienced. (If you want to learn more about what this has been like for me I invite you to check out “How Much is Enough.”)
It seems the desire to live more simply often begins at home. For Joshua Becker, author of The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own (Waterbrook Press, 2016), started his journey just a few months after I began mine. Becker, however, started to simplify when he realized just how much stuff he had and how much dealing with that stuff was complicating his life. A minister by trade, Becker’s commitment to the cause led him to launch a popular blog, Becoming Minimalist, and ultimately to focus his life’s work around minimalism.
And, for others, the minimalism is most clearly evidenced in a choice of home. Steven Hunter, a Church of Christ minister, recently shared how his family chose a very modest home with just one bathroom.
So What?
There are plenty of other stories. The three I mentioned happened to be grounded in the Christian faith. Whatever your path, perhaps now is a good time to ask if it is hard to find your way forward because there is so much stuff all around you.
A decade ago I would not have believed that less could be more. Today, I am thankful to have learned this lesson and grateful for the opportunities to continue learning it on a regular basis.
Have you chosen to live more simply? If so, how has it changed your life?