We’ve never met. But I’m going to make an assumption:
Your greatest dream in life is not to own a house full of stuff you don’t use.
Nobody, sitting across the table from you drinking a cup of coffee, would ever say that their greatest goal in life is to own a house full of boxes crammed into closets and cabinets.
We all dream bigger dreams for our lives than material possessions.
When we dig deep into our heart and soul, we want to live a life that mattered.
We speak of family, faith, relationships, or making a difference in the world. These are the motivations that inspire us.
But somewhere along the way, the world hijacks our passions and directs it toward things that don’t matter.
We slowly and subtly begin to waste the one life we’ve been given. We spend our money on things we don’t need. We spend our time cleaning and organizing things we don’t use. And we direct our focus on acquiring more and more of the “latest and greatest.”
Marketers and advertisers promise their newest trinket will lead to a better life. But for the most part, we regret the purchase in the long run. The things we buy may provide a short hit of happiness, but that happiness fades quickly.
It’s not long until we look around our homes filled to the brim with unused possessions, or open the next credit card statement, and regret the purchases that we made.
But rather than breaking free, we too often repeat the cycle, only adding to the clutter in our home.
It is time to break free.
It is time to return to the bigger dreams for your life.
It is time to stop wasting your life pursuing and accumulating material possessions. You were designed for greater pursuits.
It is time to become more intentional with the items you allow into your home and life.
It is time to take back control.
It is time to remember that your biggest dream does not include a house full of stuff.
But how?
1. We get clear on what we want to accomplish and who we want to become.
Find time alone, away from the noise of this world and make a list of the three most important things you want to accomplish with your life. For me, my list consists of growing in faith, excelling in my relationships, and making a difference in the world.
Your list will look different. But I can virtually guarantee, “owning a house full of stuff I don’t use” won’t be on that list.
Write your list. And get clear on the plan you wish to design for your life.
2 Remind yourself that you have a choice in how you live.
Nobody can take away your right to make decisions for yourself. You can give it away or you can forget that you have agency, but you always have a choice. That may not mean you get to control every aspect, but you can still decide what pursuits are going to be important to you.
You have control and you have a choice. You don’t have to live exactly the same as everyone around you. You can choose to live for those pursuits that mean the most to you.
3. We remove distractions.
Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it. It forces us to get clear on our priorities and then reorient our life around those pursuits.
Minimalism can be applied in countless ways: possessions, commitments, habits, relationships, even the work that we do. Removing the distractions may not be easy in a world that constantly clamors and screams for our attention and resources, but it is required to live an intentional life focused on the things that matter.
You can do it.
Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” I like to add a third, “The day you remove everything that distracts you from that purpose.”
Your greatest dream in life is not to own a house full of stuff. Live for something greater.
True, painfully, that early on our dreams are “hijacked”. It’s just the way of this fallen material world. With years of life and wisdom we begin to see. I’d do things over so differently.
Looking forward to my new adventure of minimalism.
Thank you Josh,
There are so many things I need to change-distractions yes, because they have become idols. I so dislike the chaos of clutter. I keep saying “this year will be the year” and then the excuses crop up, whether they are legitimate or not, things are not getting done. I welcome the encouragement!
On another note my husband and 2 older boys will drive right through Aberdeen today on there way home to Montana from a college tour.
Love this! So inspiring and a great reminder that life is more than stuff. Thanks for sharing.
I didn’t collect things to stuff my house, I inherit it. After a bad divorce my wonderful dream was broken. I stopped being in control and went crazy. Twenty-four years later I now see what I did to myself. I’m over seventy years-old drowning in junk. Unfortunately, I’m one of those old women who lives alone with a full house and no help. Since I started receiving your emails I started giving stuff away. People think I’m dying because they cannot believe someone would just give everything up. Funny isn’t it? But my goal is in focus. I’m feeling the heavy burden being lifted because I’m living in the home God made sure was a dream come true.
YOU can do it Loretta! 70’s is not old these days. LET ❤️ IT ❤️ GO and be done with it!
I hear you Loretta. Give away, sell, donate… Plug away a little at a time. I moved and left a lot with the house. It’s never too late to seek a new world for ourselves. God Bless.
Go to it, Loretta. You got this. With several chronic illnesses, I find it difficult to declutter and simplify. A friend taught me that small bites get the job done. It doesn’t need to be done all at once. Live your purpose while divesting things. Don’t let it dominate your life. This year I invested in a housekeeper who is like a Godsend. If you can afford to hire a little help it goes a long way. God bless you.
I really appreciate this reminder to “eat the elephant one bite at time”
etc.,.so to speak…..
My dear Mennonite aunt reminded me that we bring things into our home one at a time,
so it just makes since to take it steadily out.
Now if I can just keep it from coming back in!!
Joshua, thank you another inspiring post. My FB was hacked and FB disabled my account. What a great thing! I no longer distract myself with scrolling and pseudo relationships. (I missed the Decluttering community until I realized I could interact here.)
You have been instrumental in furthering my effectiveness in life. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this. It speaks to both my heart and my brain. I love what Andrea Black commented – she said how I feel so eloquently. I have a feeling I will be re-reading this many times. Again, thank you.
Joshua—- this is one of your best posts. It spoke directly to me. Time to start making better decisions and bring them into fruition. Thank you for this blog. It has been a lifeline for me.
This apple right to my heart Joshua! People keep asking me when I’m going to buy a house and fill it! I don’t want to! I have very clear goals in mind and I am working to make them happen. I’ve spent the time during the pandemic preparing for all the things I plan to do after it and I’m almost ready. The accumulation of stuff is a double waste of time because if you have it, when your dreams come true, you either have to move it, store it, or get rid of it.
Excellent piece. Poignant and very clear. Today I made the decision to 1. IDENTIFY who I want to be and work on accomplishing that 2. DISCOVER and FULFILL my purpose in this earthly life and 3. MODIFY my life so that it is consistent with both of those things. This was a beautifully written and incredibly powerful piece. I hope you’re proud of who you are as well as your purpose in life. You help many people. Thank you.
Joshua, your posts on minimalism are so inspiring. I have already begun minimalizing. Keep the posts coming for inspiration and I believe “tips” from others who have found a way to minimalize could be very inspiring.