On December 31, I met my friend Jeff Slobotski for coffee at Scooter’s in Omaha, NE. It was a cold morning, but the coffee was warm.
When I ordered, the barista initiated our conversation, “So,” she asked, “Are you ready for the new year?” The question should not have been unexpected—it was New Year’s Eve after all.
And yet, for some reason, I felt ill-equipped to answer. “I don’t know,” I replied, “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
As I sat down across the table from Jeff, we began to catch up. If I’m lucky, I see him twice/year. If I’m not, it’s only once. There’s always much to share between us—what has happened since we last talked and what projects we are working on for the future.
It was in that moment, as I was still thinking through the simple question asked at the counter, I first made this observation, “This is, by far, the most ambitious list of goals I have ever had entering a new year.”
Those who know me well, both online and off, know I have been very focused these past 7 months. But until now, I have said very little on this platform. Mostly because this website is not about me primarily, it is about us as a community and everyone else who believes their life is too valuable to waste chasing material possessions.
Also, I must admit, I have shared very little publicly because there are some things that need to be in place before an announcement can be made. But maybe now, halfway through August, is the right time.
Here is what I have been working on this past year and what to expect next at Becoming Minimalist. Each update contains some personal information, but also facets that involve all of us. Because, quite frankly, I don’t think any of this succeeds without you.
A Full-Length Book. Last year, I signed a two-book contract with WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of Random House. The first book is going through final edits and will be released in May, 2016. My goal for this book is to “introduce minimalism to the masses” on a larger scale than ever before. In fact, my hope is to put the book on the New York Times bestseller list.
The book argues for owning less, offers practical thoughts on implementing it in your home, and calls the reader to dream big dreams for their life. This book has been a significant undertaking, but I could not be more pleased with it. It shares more about my personal journey into minimalism (the good and the bad) than I have ever shared before and I look forward to telling you more about it in the coming months. I think you are going to find value in it.
A Non-Profit Organization. Our publisher was very generous with their offer—more generous than my modest family needs. I outlined exactly one year ago how Becoming Minimalist supports us, and very few things have changed since writing that post. As a result of our financial needs already being met, my wife and I decided to use the book proceeds to launch a nonprofit organization.
Because the plight of the orphan has always been near to our hearts, we will be launching a new organization this Fall to re-think and re-invent orphan care around the world. The details will be announced right here on November 1. It is a significant undertaking. But I am excited to see firsthand what a community of people who have decided not to buy worthless possessions can accomplish with their money and lives.
Speaking. I am thrilled to see the interest for minimalist living continue to grow. Over the past year, I have spoken to physicians, financial agents, law firms, and highway patrol departments. I have traveled to Stockholm, Boston, Las Vegas, and neighboring communities here in Phoenix. I have spoken at conferences for Senior Move Managers, Sustainable Living Advocates, Simple-Living Enthusiasts, Aspiring Writers, and Young Mothers (just to name a few).
Currently, I receive more requests than I can fulfill. I feel bad turning down opportunities to share this message, but appearing at all of them is no longer possible. However, I work hard to accept as many requests as possible. If the message of owning less would benefit your event or organization, you can request me as a speaker here. Also, you can find my upcoming appearance schedule on the same page. For example, in the next few months, I will be speaking at conferences in Nashville, Minneapolis, and Chicago. If you’re close, join us.
A Do-It-Yourself Program. I am working diligently to create a short, 3-month at-home course to help people make minimalism more of a reality in their lives. Minimalism means different things to different people. But one constant that unites us is the fact that intentionally owning less is a countercultural lifestyle—and people are looking for inspiration, encouragement, and help because of it. This program will provide all of them.
The program will be completed and launched in conjunction with the book as a means to help people move beyond words on a page. But, in order to do it right, I will be offering a pilot course this January before the book releases. You can expect an announcement with details in the month of December.
Social Media Changes. Our social media accounts continue to grow. Our Facebook group is nearing 300,000 people and Twitter followers now exceed 30,000. Over the coming months, I am committed to expanding my reach in two places:
- Pinterest. Some of the material on Becoming Minimalist does very well on Pinterest and I recognize it as a valuable platform to reach others. I will continue to be more intentional about using it.
- Joshua Becker Facebook page. Because the Becoming Minimalist Facebook page is devoted entirely to the idea of owning less, I post very few personal updates on it. However, as my pursuits evolve, some of you are interested in receiving more general updates (nonprofit news, speaking engagements, special announcements, personal meet-ups, etc). If that is you, you can now follow Joshua Becker, Author on Facebook. This will allow me to keep the two accounts distinct.
Email Changes. Roughly 50,000 people receive Becoming Minimalist posts via email. To date, these emails have been automatically generated by Google Feedburner, a service that is free but offers limited control over appearance—I am reminded regularly by those who receive the emails.
Over the past 6 months, I have been testing a new email delivery system that provides greater flexibility in display, appearance, and control. As a result, the emails are far more consistent with the look and feel of the actual Becoming Minimalist webpage. Over the coming months, I will be transitioning everybody over to the new system. If you are already receiving these emails, you won’t need to do anything on your end. You’re going to love it.
If you do not receive Becoming Minimalist posts via email, you can sign up here:
As I mentioned, it’s been a focused year and there are exciting days ahead. I look forward to seeing what the future has in store for all of us.
I’ll be hanging around the comment section today answering any questions you might have.
Shraddha says
Hello Joshua.. Congratulations..:) I hope your book reaches millions of hands so that they can feel the comfort of your words.. and find a way to lead their life in the most soothing way..
Reading your blog has helped me really find a way into my life.. and it gave me a hope that there are soo many people who also dont feel at ease with the way so called ‘normal’ things are.. am more clearer about what i really want now..
God will bless a lot you for doing this .. trust me.. it has helped me a lot.. am so thankful to have found your blog..
I try to explain people about the concept of minimalism and how it has helped me whenever i find the right opportunity and always give a link to your and courtney’s blog .. Hoping to do my bit in spreading minimalism around my part of the world (India) :).
Joanna says
Hi there, I too want to say thanks and bring, perhaps, a slightly different perspective on how your work is touching lives.
I am an autistic mum in the UK and one of the things I really struggle with day to day (at work, home, waiting rooms etc) is visual clutter. It can make me quite mentally unwell.
Over the past year I have been inspired and comforted by your minimilist writings, they have helped me to start making my home a calmer place to be and in turn my mind and my direction in life is a lot more focussed. I feel that a minimilist lifestyle and understanding (including the understanding of minimalism by parents, partners and carers of autistic people) would radically help a lot of individuals on the spectrum.
In September I am starting a new support group for autistic adults in the UK and your ideas will be referenced (if that is ok?) as self help methods :-) thank you so much.
John P. Weiss says
In a broken world with such depressing nightly news, your’e a glimmer of inspiration and hope. My wife is a nurse who traveled to India to work with special needs children and Haiti to help build a local hospital clinic. Such actions reflect the best of our humanity. May your book and the orphanage it will support change lives.
Fiona says
Wow what an exciting time for you!
Regarding the idea of a course, workshop that could be run by others, you might want to look at what Gary and Annemarie Ezzo have done for years in the field of parenting – recording videos and writing workbooks, and selling them as a one-off purchase (with additional workbooks available later) to anyone wanting to facilitate a group. This format of watching a video together and discussing afterwards seems to work well for people, we have done it with church courses, also. It allows the integrity of the material to remain (via the video) and then for people to explore nitty-gritty, personal to them issues together. It also means that they can be used internationally, not relying on people attending training in a specific location. I personally would love to participate in or run such a course!
All the best as you work towards these endeavors!
Sharyl says
Congratulations! Looking forward to 2016 and all it brings! Bravo to you! As a mother to 4 special needs adopted children….my heart smiles at your non-profit.
Fantastic…sharyl in ND
Willow says
I am so happy about this post on so many levels. As a very long time reader, I know your desire to help the orphans and encourage others to embrace a simple life. I’m excited to watch and read about this next step!
Brooke says
Joshua, congrats, congrats, congrats! How exciting for you and your family. What a blessing you have been go so many, including myself. I will keep your journey in my prayers.
I recently launched my blog… Super new but it’s very exciting. You were one piece of my puzzle of encouragement. I’m so excited to see where my path takes me. Thank you for blessing us.
Stacey says
This is fantastic – congratulations! Really looking forward to your new book. Thanks for being such an inspiration.
Jeff Slobotski says
Excited for you and what’s just around the corner…
Humbled and inspired by you friend.
Keep moving the good forward!
April @ Oxford Mins says
Joshua, it’s great to hear about all your new ventures. You were my first minimalist, before I even had a name for the thing I was looking for, and I count myself lucky to have had you and the concept of ‘rational minimalism’ to guide me, though I’m still in the process of ‘becoming’. I’m looking forward to the DIY programme, and to pointing many more people in your direction in the future.
joshua becker says
Thanks April.