“True freedom is the freedom from your own self-imposed limitations. It’s the ability to accept situations as they are, in all their abundance and all their lack…” – Lori Deschene

Personal. Practical. Positive. Inspiring. And far more compelling than I ever expected.

A few weeks back, I was thrilled to have an opportunity to preview Lori Deschene’s new book, Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions. Lori is well-known for her on-line accomplishments. Her Twitter feed (which Lori started as an outlet to publish daily, inspirational quotes) currently has 240,000 followers. Her website (tinybuddha.com) receives 1.5 million page views each month while tackling some of life’s deepest questions. Her Facebook Group counts over 70,000 fans. And, just one week ago, she released her new book with the same name as her website, Tiny Buddha, published by Conari Press. But more importantly – as she would say –  her writings provide needed inspiration to countless readers around the world.

Given the backstory and everything that I know to be true about Lori, when she sent me an advanced copy of her book for review, I graciously jumped at the chance to read it.

Tiny Buddha is a unique book written in a unique fashion. While it is centered around many of life’s deepest questions and the universal themes that unite us (letting go of pain, finding meaning in life, choosing happiness, creating positive change, maintaining healthy relationships, living life to the fullest, and accepting uncertainty, etc), it is a far cry from the typical, lengthy, philosophical arguments that one might expect given such subject matter.

In fact, much of it was written through conversations that took place on Twitter. Actually, each of the 9 chapters were based upon the answers given to a single question asked on Twitter to her 240,000 followers (for example: “What is the meaning of life?” or “Why is there suffering in the world?”). The Twitter responses were then carefully categorized and summarized into common themes. What emerged is a book that not only seeks to provide answers for individuals seeking them… but also a stunning look at how humanity as a whole views each of these common themes.

And it exceeded my expectation in every respect.

• I found the book to be particularly inspiring and optimistic. In each chapter of the book, Lori offers positive reinforcement that our lives can be bettered and lived in meaningful ways. For example, speaking of change she writes, “Can people change? Absolutely! It’s the one thing that everyone and everything does. We just have to choose – in one moment, and then in the next.” And encouraging her reader on the topic of living life to the fullest, Lori writes, “You get to choose the things you do each day… every day, you can decide to do something to feel meaningful, empowered, happy, and connected.” Each chapter is filled with similar sentiment.

• I found the book to be intimately personal. To be honest, a book based on Twitter feeds excited me little… studying humanity through the eyes of Twitter feeds did little to excite my passion. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the book to be far more intimate and personal than expected. Throughout the philosophical answers to life’s toughest questions, emerged a story of one woman’s personal journey through each of them. Lori appears to hold nothing back as she recounts her own personal, vivid experiences of finding meaning, companionship, happiness, and life. Her stories are both compelling and entirely relevant.

• I found the book to be incredibly well-researched. If I had any fear greater that the impersonal nature of a Twitter feed, it was my fear of reading crowd-sourced wisdom. I mean, I’ve got no hesitation in asking my Twitter followers for restaurant recommendations in #Nashville, but asking them to help me define the meaning of life? How would I know who to trust? Luckily, Lori doesn’t offer wisdom without looking outside herself. In fact, for every answer she offers, she provides additional research on the topic. Whether she is quoting philosophers, psychologists, or researchers studying the affect of free will on our behavior, she rarely attempts to answer life’s questions on her own. And for that, I hold her in much higher esteem than if she had claimed expert status on her own.

• I found the book to be highly practical. Whether offering 4 steps to choose being happy over being right, keys to minimizing work- and stuff-related stress, or ideas to practice learned optimism, Lori offers specific advice at the conclusion of each section in her book. Again, above and beyond all expectations, the steps are applicable, measurable, and well-researched.

• I found the book to be less religious than anticipated. Coming from a faith tradition other than Buddhism, I was immediately put at ease in the introduction when Lori admitted, “You’ll notice I didn’t ask questions directly relating to religion.” The book is not framed primarily by Buddhist thought, instead it is primarily framed on the understanding, “that we all deal with universal problems and questions… and how we answer them dictates the choices we make and what kind of person we’ll be from moment to moment.” And regardless of your spiritual tendencies, you’ll certainly agree with that truth.

• I found the book to be highly engaging. Lori’s mix of personal story-telling, calculated research, practical application, and willingness to tackle life’s deepest questions proves to be highly captivating.

• I found the book to be calming, encouraging, and invigorating - an impressive combination to say the least. And yet, somehow, in some way, she is able to use her words to stir up each of these emotions within me.

Overall, Lori presents an engaging, personal, and compelling description of the life we live, the joys we experience, and the struggles we face. It does not seek to be the magic bullet that solves all of our problems. Instead, it proves to be highly thought-provoking, optimistic, and practical. It encourages us to make the most of our short-time here on earth – learning from both our successes and our failures.

Tiny Buddha: Simple Wisdom for Life’s Hard Questions can be found on Amazon in Hardcover or for the Kindle / Nook.

***

Lori has graciously offered to give away two free copies of her book to our readers. If you would like a chance to win, please leave a comment below mentioning one thing that you are grateful for today. Two winners will be randomly selected on Monday morning and notified via e-mail.

// UPDATE (Monday, 11:30am MST): Tiny Buddha winners have been selected and notified.

“That is the message of American-style consumerism. My human life is not enough. There are purchases upon purchases that will transform me into something more than what I am.” – Dave Bruno

I have always thought that I have a lot in common with Dave Bruno. We both live in suburban America. We both have supportive wives and children that we raise with love. We both work full-time jobs that we enjoy and write as a hobby on the side. We are both fed up with American-style consumerism. And we both enjoy inspiring others to reject it.

However, we have one big difference: Dave sold all but 100 of his possessions and chose to live that way for one full year. From November 12, 2008 through November 12, 2009, Dave set out to accomplish a self-imposed 100-Thing Challenge… and lived to write the book.

The 100 Thing Challenge (Harper-Collins) is the story of one man’s quest to free himself from the restraints of American-style consumption and the lessons he learned about himself, his family, and our culture along the way. I have been enamored with Dave’s 100-Thing Challenge for quite some time. Needless to say, when the book arrived in my mailbox, I couldn’t wait to jump right in. And thoroughly enjoyed reading Dave’s story from beginning to end.

Dave recounts the birth of the Challenge, his preparation for the Challenge, the year of the Challenge, and the aftermath following its official conclusion over one year ago (hint: he still owns less than 100 possessions). The book reads as a chronological account of his life starting in July, 2007 when the Challenge was born and ending in mid-2010 just prior to the final publication of the book.

Throughout his telling of the story, Dave flashes back in detail to specific memories throughout his life that highlight the lessons he is learning.

For example, the selling of his model train set resurfaces memories of his father, unmet dreams, and the realization that many of our purchases in the present are unintentionally meant to change the past of our imperfect lives. Or as he writes, “When we shop we sometimes act as if we are time-traveling general contractors. We buy components we think we’ll use to zip back to that dreadful moment in the past to patch things together. Make it all right. But the ruins in our lives don’t get fixed. They get grieved for, or else they get messier.

Likewise, the story of his daughters’ love for American Girl dolls, the selling of his word-working tools, and the decision to use one single Bic pen throughout the year serve as launching pads for vivid, emotional, detailed memories. The first several times these detailed memories (or parenthetical insertions) surfaced in the reading, I found myself wondering why he was describing them in such detail. But given the fact that each account was effortlessly weaved back into his 100-Thing Challenge, by the end of the book, I found myself anxiously awaiting the next memory.

Overall, Dave presents an engaging, emotional, and compelling argument against American-style consumerism. It does not make blanket statements rejecting the role of possessions in our life. Instead, it presents a thought-provoking, rational examination of their place in our lives mentioning both the positives and the negatives.

If you have been questioning the role of American-style consumerism in your life in anyway, you will enjoy reading The 100 Thing Challenge. I know I did.

I have often said that the greatest thing about blogging is inspiring others. But the second greatest thing about blogging is getting to meet new people. Corey Allan is one of those guys that I have had the privilege of meeting during my journey into blogging.

I have followed his site, Simple Marriage, for quite some time and have always appreciated his approach to marriage steeped in commitment, love, and selflessness. When I had the chance to speak with him on the phone this past summer, I was not surprised to meet a humble family man with a genuine desire to help others succeed in their marriage… not to mention, a Marriage and Family Therapist with a Ph.D. who knew what the heck he was talking about.

When he told me that he was coming out with a new e-book about simplifying marriage down to its bare essentials, I was immediately intrigued. And now I am proud to partner with him and promote its launch. Buck Naked Marriage is available right now for $9.50 and is designed to offer key insights into keeping your marriage lasting and successful. To celebrate its launch, Corey allowed me the opportunity to read it in advance and conduct a short interview with him to find out more about the e-book.

1) Corey, introduce us to yourself and your website, Simple Marriage.

Simple Marriage began almost 2 1/2 years ago as a place I could house articles I was writing for a small town newspaper. After several people began commenting, I gave up writing for the paper and began blogging more. Simple Marriage is about simplifying things in relationships in order to experience more out of them.

2) Tell us about your book. What’s it about? How did you compile the research? And what are you hoping to accomplish through it?

Buck Naked Marriage is about the basic elements necessary for a marriage to thrive. In 2009 I did some research with my readers and asked them what they think are the basic elements necessary for success. After 1,028 people responded, I compiled their answers and uncovered the top ten elements. They’re pretty much common sense things – like communication, love, respect, honesty and the like. But in the book, I take a slightly different look at each of these elements and how they play out in relationships. More specifically, I believe marriage is designed to help us grow up into better people, so each of the elements are covered through the lens of growing up and creating a better marriage.

3) The first section of your book discusses these ten essential elements for a successful marriage. Which two or three do you find married couples struggle with the most?

The biggest struggle I hear about from my readers and see with my clients would be communication, trust, and respect (the last one is more in my counseling practice – since most of the time, couples seek out counseling far too long after the problem has become a problem.) The simple truth is, every couple will have some struggle with each of these aspects of relationships at some point – how you address them is what matters.

4) What part of the book was the toughest for you to write? And why do you think that was?

There were a couple of chapters that were tough to begin with but the toughest to write was the chapter on honesty. I consider myself an honest person, especially to others, but I have discovered lately that I’m not always honest with myself. I struggle with the rationalization monster when I need to face some harder truths at times. For me it was hard to write about honesty while at the same time owning some of my own lies.

5) In one paragraph or less, convince a reader why they should buy this book.

There are many things that bog down relationships and for many people, when struggle occurs, the problems or issues get all the focus. When you can focus on the essentials of every relationship however, you keep things simple and increase the potential of the relationship in the process. Stated another way: when you maximize strengths you minimize weaknesses.

Thanks Corey. And good luck, man. You deserve it.

Buck Naked Marriage is available starting today for $9.50. If you are interested, you can find out more at his website, Simple Marriage.

Last week, Adam Baker of Man vs. Debt released an awesome new guide appropriately titled Sell Your Crap. And as far as e-products go, it completely blew me away. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting when I sat down to read it… but I was pleasantly surprised at the comprehensive nature of the books.

For example, Sell Your Crap doesn’t just tell us how to get rid of our stuff, it also introduces the concept of minimalism in a clear and compelling way. It succinctly lays out the reasons why we collect so much clutter in our homes, its negative impact on our life, and the rationale arguments to remove it. It helps the reader define the difference between crap (things to remove) and stuff (things to keep). It compels the reader to sell his/her crap and then helps them through the actual selling process beginning to end.

I sent an e-mail to tell him how impressed I was at the guide and how appropriate it would be for so many Becoming Minimalist readers who are just starting out on their journey. I threw in a few interview questions to help him introduce the guide and his story. I hope they offer you an insight into his thinking, a preview into the guide, and extra motivation to “sell your crap.”

1) For Becoming Minimalist readers who are not familiar with your story, can you tell it in less than 4 sentences?

In 2008, we were on the typical life path – piles of stuff, dozens of loans, married, pregnant, and in new careers. The birth of our daughter, Milligan, finally helped us gain the clarity to see that the way we were currently living our life did not match up with the way we really wanted to live our life. We made the decision – right then and there – that we would take the next year to sell everything we owned, pay off our consumer debt, and move overseas to Australia. Over the next 10 months, we slowly, but surely sold and donated everything that didn’t fit in our two backpacks, paid off $18,000 in debt, and spent the next year traveling through Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand.

Man, that was fairly hard to do in 4 sentences! Wait, do these count against me? Oh no!

2) Thanks. Now, tell us why you decided to write the Sell Your Crap Guide and what you are hoping to accomplish with it?

The Sell Your Crap guides were actually born out of what I saw as a need. The more we began to share our story with people, the more questions they began to ask about how we were able to sell everything we owned and live out of our backpacks for a year (especially with a 1-year-old). After fielding hundreds of the same questions about the process, I realized that sharing our story wasn’t enough! People really needed a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to helping them attack and purge their crap and clutter. So I wrote it!

In short, I’m trying to accomplish two main goals. First, I want to help people let go of all the tangible crap in their lives that is holding them back. Courtney and I didn’t realize it at first how much our stuff (and our pursuit of stuff) was muzzling our freedom in life. It was weighing us down more than we even knew. Once we ditched it, we were so much more free to spend our time, energy, and money on the things we were truly passionate about. I really want to show others how much their excess stuff weighs them down and then help them purge it from their lives!

The second goal is to help teach people the practical tips and strategies to get much more money for their items in a fraction of the time it would normally take. This involves teaching people how to leverage platforms like eBay, craigslist, and Amazon to maximize the amount of cash they put into their pockets. It’s all the tactics Courtney and I wished we would have known starting out, but that we learned the hard way through a year of selling and studying. I’ve found that if you focus on saving time, much more people (we are all so freakin’ busy!) are able to finally start making progress on their clutter. So that’s a big priority and goal for the guides, especially the individual modules.

3) As I mentioned earlier, I am so impressed at how comprehensive the Sell Your Crap Guide is from beginning to end (from identifying our clutter/crap…determining why it’s in our home… counting its true cost… and helping the reader formulate a step-by-step strategy to remove it). It covers the entire journey from beginning to end. Is there a section of the guide that you are particularly proud of more than the others? Why?

Yikes, that’s a tough question. I’m not sure, I’m more proud of one section or another, but if I had to pick a single section… I’d say the eBay Module. My goal for the eBay Module was for it to be around 10,000 words and maybe a couple dozen screenshots. As I started digging into writing, taking screenshots, and breaking down the best practices step-by-step… it ballooned. I kept finding tactics and tips I could add to help squeeze out value. It ended up growing to over 35,000 words and 65+ screenshots. Frankly, I think it may be the single most valuable (at least in direct value) content I’ve ever written. I’m very proud of it.

4) Based on your research, what is the most common mistake that people make when selling their crap?

By far, the most common mistake is not actually selling it at all. We make all sorts of excuses why we may need an item, why it may not be worth anything, and why we have sentimental attachment to it. People will create and revisit these justifications a dozen times throughout the selling process. When we first touch the item, then when we research it, then when we start to create the listing… we revisit all these excuses over and over again. It’s mentally exhausting and makes the process take an insane amount of time.

The best way to combat this is to make a decision up front that you no longer need the item in your life. Instead of thinking what you can sell… think what needs to sell. Once you make the decision that something is no longer needed… DO NOT revisit it. Mentally and emotionally part ways with the item first. Then, and only then, research the item and purge it in the best way possible.

This small but important distinction saves hours and hours of time and an enormous amount of mental stress. It’ll get you into action and selling!

5) Your guarantee is one of the most unique that I have ever seen on an e-book. Tell us about it and where the idea came from.

Well first, the guarantee is a $100 Effectiveness Guarantee. Everything I do is always no-questions-asked, 100% refundable if it isn’t valuable. But I wanted to do something more tangible this time. So for Sell Your Crap I decided to go with this $100 Effectiveness version.

In short, if you don’t sell at least $100 worth of your excess and useless clutter, simply email me for a refund. In reality, you’ll save far more than that in time and energy, but I wanted to ensure that these guides got you into action and put $100 directly into your pockets. If not, I’ll refund the full amount. As always, no questions asked and no special hoops. I’m super passionate about this product and convinced it’ll help kick your butt into gear. So I decided to guarantee it in that way!

To give full credit where credit is due, I stole the concept for the guarantee from Chris Guillebeau. He is always pushing me (and others) to guarantee not only satisfaction, but effectiveness. I was inspired by his own creative, tangible guarantees for his own remarkable products!

Thanks, Adam for the interview and for furthering the hope that is minimalism.

You can read more from Adam at his blog, Man vs. Debt, follow him on Twitter, or pick up Sell Your Crap for as little as $37.

Everett Bogue has rereleased his new e-book Minimalist Business. I read the book last month immediately following the initial 24 hour release and have been looking forward to offering my review.

I respect Everett. I have learned important lessons about blogging and networking by simply observing him. In fact, speaking of networking, when I talk to my wife about Everett, I refer to him as the glue that holds the minimalist blogging niche together. He unites us by encouraging our efforts, promoting our work, and introducing fellow writers. Before Everett, I didn’t know any of the other bloggers in the simplicity niche. Today, I am grateful for the friendships that have been started. And he has introduced me to many of them.

In addition to helping me network and introducing me to some wonderful people, Everett has helped me make money from Becoming Minimalist. And while this website was never launched as a money-making endeavor or to replace my 9-5 job, it is nice to find out that your hard work can be worthy of compensation.

Everett has always had different goals than me which I respect as being ambitious, exciting, and lofty. His dream is to embrace a minimalist life so that he can live and work from anywhere, support his lifestyle completely online, and work only 4 hours per week. I, on the other hand, have had no desire to begin a “Minimalist Business.” I enjoy living as a minimalist and I enjoy inspiring others to do the same. But, beginning a Minimalist Business is not something that was ever on my to-do list.

And for that reason, I began reading his new e-book Minimalist Business with a bit of skepticism. Frankly, I was curious to see if it would be helpful to me in anyway.

It was.

Actually to be honest, I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed Minimalist Business. I found it to be full of practical tips to help me further the promotion and intentionality of Becoming Minimalist. Sometimes, it confirmed what I had already learned by observing him (networking, promotion, selling, etc). Other times, it taught me something new that I would have missed (managing yourself, connecting with your followers, building a movement, and twitter helps).

If you are hoping to begin a minimalist business online to support your lifestyle completely, Minimalist Business is a great place to begin the journey. In fact, if that is your desire, Everett offers a package complete with 30-day workbook and 30 days of email coaching to really get you started down that road.

If you are just hoping to take your blog to another level and produce some income from your hard work, Minimalist Business is also a great place to start. I wish I had read this book two years ago when I was just getting started. It would have saved me countless hours of trying to learn things on my own.

If you are interested in making money online, you’ll benefit from this book. I’m positive that his newly-released updated edition is even better than his first! I’ll gladly stake his forever money-back guarantee on it.

Everett Bogue has authored two other e-books: The Art of Being Minimalist and How to Create a Movement. His books always carry a touch of class and sophistication that make us all look better. Once again, thanks for not disappointing.

i wanted to take a moment today to introduce you to adam baker in case his life story is able to improve yours. with a very distinctive voice, adam and his wife have been sharing their journey of removing personal debt online at manvsdebt.com. they have set out to pay off 100% of their debt by selling most of their belongings and changing their spending patterns so that they can begin living the life they’ve always wanted and travel the world (which they have already begun doing).

recently, they released an ebook titled unautomate your finances where they offer 27 core steps to remove debt and start truly living life. if you are struggling to get out of debt, this book may be just what you need to take control of your spending and jumpstart your financial takeover. i’ve been looking forward to endorsing this book for several reasons:

1. the approach uses no gimmicks. the book does not promise any magic-bullet, get-rich quick schemes. it calls the reader to make intentional sacrifices and hard decisions about their finances and spending patterns. and let’s face it – living financially responsible lives today takes hard work in our media-saturated culture.
2. the ebook utilizes the benefits of minimalism in its approach reminding us that we have hundred of dollars (if not more) of “crap” already sitting in our homes that could be better used to pay down debt.
3. the book is full of practical tips and advice. while 27 core action steps may seem like too many for some, i appreciate the detailed, comprehensive list leaving nothing to chance.
4. the full money-back guarantee if you are not 100% satisfied is always a nice touch.

i write often about living within your income and removing the enslaving nature of debt from our lives. if the burden of debt has been weighing you down, you may want to check out the new ebook: unautomate your finances. it sells for $17.00.

just this week, leo babauta released a new e-book: The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life. the price is only $9.95 (a very minimalist price).  i have included the link above to purchase and download the e-book.

some of the chapters in this book include:

• a small irony
• notes on using this book
• what is a minimalist life?
• overall minimalist principles
• how to become a minimalist
• contentedness
• rethinking necessities
• simplify what you do
• clearing clutter
• minimalist home
• minimalist workspace
• wardrobe and grooming
• finding simplicity with kids
• minimalism is the end of organizing

i have recommended the e-books of leo babauta before.  he is an on-line author who continues to offer some of the newest and freshest ideas on living a simple life.  and until i complete my own e-book on becoming minimalist (hint, hint), i will continue to recommend his to anyone seeking a more minimalist life.

related posts:

• the essential motivation handbook by leo babauta

to be fair

mike nelson has authored three books on cluttering and describes himself as a reformed clutterer. he founded clutterless recovery groups, a nonprofit organization designed to give support to people who need help to stop the behavior that causes them to clutter. he has been featured on cnn, the dr. laura schlessinger show, and in the la times. 

he self-proclaimed his latest book as the “meat and potatoes of decluttering, not just the angel food cake of most get-organized book.”  and i completely agree!

in Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life, mike realizes that decluttering is not just about the “practical how-to’s,” but it is also about the “emotional why-do’s.”  then, he faithfully delivers in adequately helping his readers understand both.

in Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life, he writes that decluttering can be successfully accomplished only by using both a practical approach and an emotional approach. the practical approach concerns how to declutter. the emotional aspect concerns the behavior that causes us to clutter.

concerning the practical, chapter 4 offers 40 (yes, 40!) ways to leave your clutter.  from simple ideas like #2 (take digital pictures. keeping track of your progress is the best way to keep from getting discouraged) to thought-provoking inspiration like #5 (clutter is an excess of abundance. celebrate your abundance and share it), mike offers a new idea no matter where you put yourself in the decluttering spectrum.

concerning the emotional, Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life states that clutter is just the symptom of cluttering behavior and helps its reader understand the root causes of his/her behavior.  the book even offers several practical “magazine-style” quizzes to help the reader diagnosis the root cause for his/her behavior (one brilliant example is how mike relates our paper-clutter to our individual learning style).

this book fits the description of “meat and potatoes” while still offering easy-to-follow practical advice to help address a wide-range of decluttering topics (paper clutter, dealing with uncooperative family members, offices, and decluttering after somebody’s death, just to name a few).

i recommend this book to you…  as i was finishing the book, i thought to myself, “how did i ever begin this journey toward minimalism without reading this book?”  and then it dawned on me, “oh yeah, i just started removing things from my house and life. that’s how i did it. i didn’t need a book to help me do that.” 

so, why would i recommend this book?  because this book has helped me in two very specific ways:

1) it has helped further declutter my life.  it has caused me to recognize some deeper reasons for the clutter that remains (the physical paper on my desk, for example) and given me some new practical advice to help me make progress. i think there is something for everyone in this book… especially if you have tried to declutter but have been unsuccessful.

2) it has helped educate me to help others with their decluttering.  the simple, but in-depth explanation of people’s cluttering behavior characteristics makes me feel like a trained psychologist.  i don’t plan to enter the “organization industry” just yet, but if i ever do this is one book i would keep as a valuable resource.

i give Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life: Discover Why You Clutter and How You Can Stop 4.5 out of 5 stars.

related posts:

• book review – clear your clutter with feng shui

i was struck by a quote this past weekend from harold kushner in his book living a life that matters.  he writes, “our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth, or power. our souls are hungry for meaning, for the sense that we have figured out how to live so that our lives matter, so that the world will be at least a little bit different for our having passed through it.”

our souls exist for significance and legacy. deep down, we all want to know that we have made a difference in somebody’s life.  that we have mattered.

one of the key elements in living a life of simplicity is the realization that the accumulation of possessions is not the soul’s greatest desire.  when we buy into the significance principle, we are free to remove ourselves from society’s measure of success (big house, nice cars, sweet tv) and begin using our money for the sake of touching someone else’s life.  we can transition from living life for myself and instead, live it for others.

maybe then, our heart will be truly full, even if our cupboards aren’t.

related posts:

• book review: clear your clutter with feng shui
• minimalism – the heart’s desire of most

i quickly ran into border’s books the other day to purchase a book that i have been meaning to read for the past several weeks.  after asking the cashier to help me find the book, she directed me to the correct section, told me exactly where to look, and informed me that “i couldn’t miss it.”

sure enough, she was right.  there were 4 copies on the shelf in 2 different sizes.  one was smaller and less expensive.  the other was larger and cost $4 more.  i had a decision to make.

picking up the smaller one, i considered the benefits: takes up less space, less trees, cheaper, and all the same info.   as long as my eyes can support the smaller print, it’s an easy decision.

related posts: benefits of minimalism, book reviews

follow-up:  great book, i recommend it.  no wonder it’s been in print for 70 years!