Less Stuff, More Meaning with Joshua Becker

As someone who's followed you very closely over the past eight years since I adopted this lifestyle, I'm personally curious how your definition of minimalism has evolved.

I stumbled upon my definition of minimalism pretty early on when I was writing like 15, 16.

I started 18 years ago.

So 16 years ago, I wrote it just as I was writing an article.

Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value by removing anything that distracts us from it.

And I have loved that definition ever since and have never changed it.

So Yeah, I suppose I was learning a lot at the very beginning and seeing how minimalism applied in different areas and how it looks different for different people.

But I don't know if it's changed much over the last five years.

Sorry about that.

Gosh.

Yeah, no.

I mean, for me personally, I mean, when I started adopting this lifestyle, it was really just about the stuff.

You know, I went into my co-host's apartment and she had very little.

So I started decluttering and it just made me feel so much lighter every day.

And then once I got rid of all the stuff, I was basically what I like to say, sitting alone in an empty apartment.

And at that point, I really had to focus inward.

And I started to hear myself more.

The noise internally got louder.

And over time, because of that, I'm able to hear myself more clearly, which is actually a good thing.

I think a lot of the time, and even at, I was just at my brother's wedding, a lot of people ask me about what I do.

A lot of people have now become a listener of this podcast.

And they just think it's fascinating.

They always have a story to share.

It's always about stuff.

But for me, I'm most passionate about the inner stuff, the inner clutter, all of that stuff that is, you know, it's constantly coming in and out.