Five questions with Joshua Becker
Joshua Becker
1. What does living simply mean to you?
to me, living simply is about living a life that focuses on the things that i most value and not complicated it with other things. we live in a world and culture that is always trying to “sell us” on something, trying to convince us that we should value what they are selling… rather than what our heart truly values. this plays out in the clothes that we buy, the cars that we drive, and the food that we eat. but perhaps more damaging, it influences how we spend our time and energy (and those are resources that we can never get back). living simply is about removing the clutter that collects in our home and life when we let our guard down so that we can fully live our lives for the things that are most important.
2. Why is it important to you? (budget, politics, faith, etc)
living a simple life gives me opportunity to invest into the things that i most value: my spirituality, my family, and my influence to better the lives of others. since choosing to pursue a simpler life two years, i have been able to direct more time, energy, and finances towards those things.
3. What steps have you taken to live simply in your day to day life?
our journey began with the minimalizing of our physical possessions. but as i mention in our book, this process of minimalizing possessions always spills over into other aspects of your life. as you pare down your personal belongings, the exercise forces you to evaluate your values and identify what is truly important to you. this realization almost always starts to influence other areas. so what started as just removing physical clutter from our homes has spilled into how we set goals, how we spend our time, and how we direct our resources.
4. What’s been the hardest part of your simple journey?
two things come to mind: 1) living in a minimalist house with kids takes attention, wisdom, and discretion. modeling your lifestyle without forcing it upon them is a constant struggle for all parents… and there is no difference here. that’s always the first thing that comes to mind. 2) the second hardest part actually has to do with the success of our blog and ebook. as the blog has continued to grow in effectiveness and reach, it has naturally required more and more time. what started as just a personal journal of our story has now inspired hundreds of thousands around the world. and keeping it in balance with a full-time job and family that i love has not always been easy.
5. What advice would you give others who are on the living simple journey?
share the joy. use your story to inspire others. the principles of simple living are attractive to most people when they hear them explained in a way that seems attainable and rational. and as you inspire others, you will be encouraged yourself.
since choosing to simplify his life two years ago, joshua has encouraged hundreds of thousands of others around the world to pursue minimalism in their life through his blog: www.becomingminimalist.com. as one of today’s leading proponents of “rational minimalism,” joshua offers principles that help guide others into a practice of simplicity that works for their unique, individual lifestyle. he’s published two e-books, “simplify” which explains many of these principals and his second book, “inside out simplicity” which delves deeper into the relational aspects of minimalism. he lives in vermont with his beautiful wife and two young children. you can follow him on Twitter: @joshua_becker
UPDATE: Joshua Becker’s books Inside-Out Simplicity and Simplify are now available for Kindle (and other e-readers). There’s no excuse not to own a copy now.
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