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people to find contentment in the life they have, that becomes a much morepowerful motivating tool to taking care of the planet.

What about personal health effects? Has becoming minimalistaffected your health?

Yes, in direct and indirect ways. One of the best benefits of embracing aminimalist lifestyle is there ’s less stress. You don ’t have debt hanging overyour head. There ’s less hurry to make more money to buy the next thingcoming out. Less stress leads to a more healthy lifestyle.

We started about two years ago in May living a minimalist lifestyle. Mybirthday comes in December. I was trying to decide what I ’d ask for for mybirthday if I don ’t want more possessions. I noticed a local gym and I

thought, How about I start exercising? I ’ve been going faithfully all two years.I’ve run a marathon. An indirect health benefit is finding more time to beoutside and to relax and exercise.

For you, what are the most difficult aspects of living a minimalistlife?

The easy one for me to mention is having kids. It requires more effortand energy and thought. They ’re growing, so they need more clothes,age-appropriate playthings, things for school and sports. It keeps you onyour toes. And it keeps you on top of purging: giving away things they nolonger need or clothes they don ’t fit into.

From the family aspect, there are always different expectations of whatminimalism means. My wife and I certainly differ on things like how much

clothing we should own, how we decorate the house. Those things arealways a balancing act, but they lead to conversations and opportunitiesto get to know each other.

There are a lot of emotions attached to your possessions. There aremotivations to collecting what you have. When you begin removing them,you start pulling back some of the layers. [You're asking], Why did I buythis? It’ s a very emotional process to get rid of things you ’ve beenholding onto for years.

Speaking of the emotional reaction to getting rid of possessions,the guest post on minimizing your book collection really hit home forme.

I get a lot of questions from people about books. It seems to be a realsticking point. I ’ve never had that sentimental attachment to books. RobynDevine from Minimalist Knitter wrote a post that I could never write. Itcame from the attachments she had and how she got over that.

If books weren ’t a sticking point for you, what was?

[There are] two things I have to take the next step on minimally speaking.We bought our house five years ago and embraced this minimalist lifestyletwo years ago. I want to live in a smaller home and haven ’t been able to takethat step yet. I don ’t think it ’s a sentimental attachment. It ’s just a logisticalissue of selling and buying and moving. We still have two cars. As part of that suburban mindset, my wife takes the kids to school and runs themaround all day. I work on the other side of town. How do we logistically godown to one car? Those aren ’t sentimental attachments, but they ’re steps Iwant to take.

Image: Joshua Becker

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Joe McKendrick08/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

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I'm sorry, when it comes to books, that's where I have to draw theline. You can never have too many books!

stilt2108/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

the whole article is one of those big loads of BS that people putout in an effort to show how good they are compared to the restof us knownothings. bah humbug

the writer isn't any better, he just goes without and glorifiesshimself as to how he has sacrificint for the greater good. it reallyis ' a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing'

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Starman3508/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

Agreed. Books are not fair game for me, and neither are tools -asa homeowner who can't afford to pay workmen all the time, I find a

diverse collection of good tools to be indispensable.

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KarrasB08/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

This is what I have learned about material objects also known aspossessions:

1. It is not the getting that is so hard, it's the maintenance and

repair that become a difficult, expensive, and time consumingaffair.

2. The more "stuff", the more rooms, the more time spent cleaning

and repairing as noted above.

This is my sole reason for believing in quality and not quantityandthe number one reason for a minimalist life. Unless you can afford

a gardener, maid service, technician and mechanic...keep it small.

Time is the most valuable asset I possess and anything that

drains my time account is history.

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ttwelve@...08/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

Stilt,It is minimalism not nothing-ism. I have in the past lived a life freeof the excesses and found that feeling you might get when youBackPack. All you "need" is with you and you are self sufficient. Itbecomes necessary to improvise from time to time using the

things yu carry, the things around you and the inventive spirit thatlives in the Human species - too seldom given free reign. Whenmy wife and I hop in the RV our world narrows down to thosethings that support us and when a system fails the pioneer spirit isloosed to everyone's gratitude.

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Bernard Shanfield08/12/10 | Report as spam

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RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

This is part of the journey I've been on tho I'm more interested insimplifying and find that minimizing happens as a fallout of that.Doing more with less naturally gets rolled into this process as well.

I think the reflection and opportunity for creativity and expressionthat can be called for is key to successfully integrating this as animprovement in one's life rather than as a sacrifice or playing aholier/hipper/better than thou game.

Amado Gonzalez08/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

I follow a minimalist life, in my home, office, environment, and mostimportantly in my mind. I have cleared the mental clutter includingthe physical one, You are more productive with a clear andfocused, centered mind. Minimilism is a catalyst for this process; Ifeel healthier, better, stronger, lighter, calmer, and more intunewith everything around me. This is an excellent article, andcongratulations to Joshua for taking the right steps in his and hisfamilies life.

Respectfully yours,Amado Gonzalezhttp://gsl.eng.fiu.edu/Amado/

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JohnMcGrew@...08/12/10 | Report as spam

This was interesting

He makes some good points, and I am glad that it's working forhim.Most of the people I know who are suffering financially are doingsoover "things" and the debt they've incurred acquiring andmaintaining them.

I'd be interested to see how this plays out for him in the long run.And I'd be interested in his wife's opinion on all of this, which wasnotreally mentioned.

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psoucheray@...08/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

Stilt,Your reaction seems a little overboard methinks. His is only onevoice presenting a case for approaching life from a perspective of"need" rather than "want." And this amid a torrent ofcommercialism that keeps hammering home the message thatyou're shy of fully human if you don't have x, y and z.

I also offer the observation that this gentleman is in ministry. As ayouth pastor he is attempting to teach and lead by example. Thefact that he blogs about it may be something that he undertook asa means to maintain connection with those he serves. That'sevangelization in its most basic form and if the message happens

to spread beyond his immediate and specific audience -- therecan be no harm. Those who hear it and listen, will respond. Thosewho don't, will complain.

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Joe McKendrick08/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewer

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possessions means living a better life

He very much captures the spirit of Henry David Thoreau, anotherNew Englander who urged minimalism as a form of personalemancipation.

pkoedijk08/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

I think Stilt is deep down aware that this is the right lifestyle forhimself, but he can not answer the call due to his addiction to theworlds best and newest things. Like any addict, they get offendedwhen they are told something that makes sense regarding theiraddiction. They will react defensively like Stilt did. I think he is madat himself for not being able to live a simpler lifestyle...

I really tried, but couldn't come up with a different explanation forhis angry comment.

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HEJAMADI08/12/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

Madam:I enjoyed reading your thoughtful article. Coming from India, I cannot but help observe the common wisdom in our country that from

the moment you learn to say 'enough' more often than you say 'Iwant', your happiness starts and further that this is the secret ofeternal happiness.

Having said that, it is also right to keep in mind that the process, if

taken to extremes, result in serious loss of demand for goods and

services which will in turn strike at the very roots of the economybyturning large sections of society unemployed, ending up in socialturmoil.

The trick is to find the golden balance between our own need ofsimplifying our life and the need for avoiding a collapse of societyas we know it.

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afrancis9908/13/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

Listen to you nay-sayers!! I thought this was actually a practicaland realistic, down to earth, regular-guy type of project! You actlike he suggested getting rid of all possessions and becoming amonk or something. I didn't see any 'holier than thou' attitude in it.

Books? Well, I think many people collect books for two reasons.One is the collection that includes our favorites that we read overand over and pick off the shelf to show a friend a line or two, or inmy case, a picture or a beautifully designed graphic - they areconnected to our development and knowledge - the other is todemonstrate our worldliness and to have resources at ourfingertips at all times. The latter, is silly, the former, sentimental,

but I admittedly subscribe to both, having my own diversecollection at the ready.

Clearly the other commenters are not thinking of the fact of thelifestyle of US'ns as being too possessive - we have more stuffper capita than any other country. Having things, the latestthings, is part of what is making our economy look desperatelyoverwrought, what makes unemployment a longer term issuetoday - because we can't feed the habit of 'stuff' indefinitely. This

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article shows that a typical suburban family can be conscientiousand cut back on their possessions and that it can lead to a betterquality of life. What is wrong with that??

TherapistShannon08/13/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a bette

I find your article about minimalist living inspiring andground-breaking. I wish for all the world to wake up and

read about this. This is a powerful topic that reallyresonates with many people. I was certainly touched.Thanks so much for posting this. I look forward tolearning more.

~~Allow me to share with you a newly released book forthose seeking to downsize and find happiness in thesimple life: "Little Gifts of Sustainable Contentment," ByC.J. Good. Check it out, (look inside for free - now), readit, then please pass it on to others you care about...:)http://www.sustainablecontentment.com

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cmrhere@...08/13/10 | Report as spam

RE: Becoming minimalist: when having fewerpossessions means living a better life

Living as a minimalist sounds like a dream to someone who haslived with hoarders. Having just gone through a move ofunimaginable proportions because of that, the one item weagreed would move in large quantity was our vast book collection.

Collecting, reading and saving books goes beyond the text thatcan be scanned into a file and read from an electronic tablet.Holding an aged book that was written over a hundred years ago,printed and bound in fine leather or simple cloth, illustrated withsketches protected beneath tissue covers, and which has beenpassed through unknown numbers of hands in 100+ years, has afeel and smell that digitized versons will never be able to have.Although there are days I could easily give up my extracomputers, phones, other antiques and even shoes..,there's afew hundred books I still have to read that will never be availableonline.

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