[Full disclosure: I am writing about this book entirely on my own and was in no way paid for this post. All opinions and statements are my own. I’m just sharing a great book.]
Do you ever find a book that just grabs you?
You don’t even know what the book is about, but automatically you know that book was meant for you. I’ve always been a book lover and am always especially pleased when I find a brand new book I’ve never heard of that opens my eyes to something I’m already interested in.
Case in point, I was perusing the library a couple weeks ago and saw this book, The More of Less by Joshua Becker. I was immediately intrigued and grabbed the book along with a handful of others. What?! I am a book lover after all…
This book is an amazing read for not only those interested in minimalism, but those looking to pare down or are tired of their belongings controlling their lives. I think minimalism is a catchy tagline and we have certain notions of what this tag means. This is one of the first and most important things Joshua points out.
He points out that minimalism means different things to different people. I know when I first started toying with the concept of minimalism I thought it meant I had to get rid of EVERYTHING. I just didn’t see how that was possible with 2 kids who love their stuffed animals, their toys, their books, their blankets, are you seeing my struggle?
I like to go into things head first.
I mean I was ready to throw out all the things…
Throw out all the things and convert to minimalism.
Initially when I started playing with the concept of minimalism I was feeling like a fraud.
You can blame my late night Pinterest searches of minimalist houses for this feeling. One of my searches gave reference to having very little on the walls, white walls I might add. Stark white.
That’s a problem because my walls are all painted. They are painted lovely warm colors that make my house my home. I love the colors. I really didn’t want white walls.
FRAUD.
I actually really like a lot of things I have in my house. I would even go so far to say that I love and use about 90% of what is in my house (so I’ll work on the other 10%). But then I’d see pictures of houses without so much as a coffee table and think, FRAUD. But seriously, where was I going to put my coffee? Maybe I was supposed to get rid of the coffee too.
But after starting to read this book I am realizing there is so much more to minimalism than I initially thought and that’s a good thing.
What this book is teaching me is that I’m not a fraud. It’s teaching me that everyone can take minimalism and apply it to their life. There is no prescribed method or a one-fits-all plan. As I’ve been reading through this is one of my favorite quotes.
They are getting rid of what isn’t necessary so they can better pursue their goals in life – Joshua Becker
That’s the ultimate goal. Getting rid of excess things.
Things you don’t need.
Things that overwhelm you.
Things that take your attention away from the things that really matter in life.
This book is teaching me that the focus should be on improving my and my family’s lives through living with less. Just because I’m not doing something a certain way doesn’t mean I’m not doing it right.
I think this is probably one of the biggest takeaways from this book.
Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Taking strides to rid your life of “stuff” that takes you away from the life you want to lead, your family, your goals or anything you want to do is better than not doing anything. Figuring it out as we go is how we learn.
If you are even a little bit interested in learning about minimalism or just looking for a book that will help you rid your life of excess stuff check out this awesome book.
You can also find out more about minimalism at the Joshua Becker’s blog becomingminimalist.
Do you have an interest in minimalism? What are your thoughts on getting started as a minimalist?
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