On why less is more

Next time you’re about to unsheathe that credit card or press buy on that website, ask yourself: How much is enough? Will that thing make my life measurably better?

There was a time when Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Millburn had all the toys: ear-blasting stereo systems, over-stuffed walk-in closets, basements bursting at the seams with so much stuff it was just this side of hoarding.

Today, the long-time friends are proud evangelists for the minimalist life and their new book is the story of how they got from there to here.
“Love People, Not Things” acknowledges the human yearning for more. One entrepreneur featured in the Netflix documentary about Ryan and Joshua says we are wired to be dissatisfied.

The trick is pushing out the material and the mindless clutter to make room for more: “More time,” Millburn writes. “More passion, more creativity, more experiences, more contribution, more contentment, more freedom.”
The book also introduces us to Americans who have bucked our “I need it now” culture and found the minimalist way, including the Kirkendalls of Minneapolis.

A dream house, shopping sprees at the Mall of America, extra jobs to keep up with the bills, lying to one another about what they spent. They were living the American dream until… Jennifer fell down the minimalist “rabbit hole,” pulled her husband and kids in with her and over the next month, purged their home of so much stuff they needed a dumpster to haul it all away.

Millburn argues: “Human connection is missing from our lives and it can’t be purchased--it can only be cultivated. To do so, we must simplify, which starts with the stuff and then extends to every aspect of our lives.”
My Thread Must-Read is “Love People, Use Things” by Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. And if you already have too many books, put it in your library queue. If you missed them on the air, download the podcast from Friday, July 23.