Becoming Minimalist

Own less. Live more. Finding minimalism in a world of consumerism.

Discovering Simplicity (Audio by Joshua Becker)

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This past week, I spoke on discovering simplicity to 125 mothers of preschoolers from Vermont. I decided today to post the audio here and give some of my readers a chance to hear the presentation as well.

If the topic of minimalism/simplicity is new to you, I think you will find this presentation to be a wonderful introduction to its benefits. It is intended to be both inspirational and practical. And it runs 36 minutes long. 

On the other hand, if you have been reading Becoming Minimalist for awhile, you are probably familiar with most of the concepts covered in the seminar. But either way, here it is:

Discovering Simplicity

A few highlights:

  • 0:00     Our Simple Message.
  • 3:02     Our Story.
  • 13:25   The Benefits of Minimalism.
  • 21:00   Identifying Values and Getting Started.
  • 29:20   Breaking the Trend of Consumerism.
  • 34:58   The Invitation of Simplicity.

I hope you enjoy it. I value your feedback. And don’t forget if you live in the Pheonix area, you can catch me live on Sunday, October 24.

Joshua Becker

About Joshua Becker

Writer. Inspiring others to live more by owning less.
WSJ Bestselling author of The More of Less.

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Comments

  1. Joshua, you have a lovely speaking voice; clear and easily understood. As I listened to your message, I dusted the room and threw away magazines. I’ve been “studying” minimalism for about a year…if only I could get my husband on board! You are a wonderful teacher with an important message for us all.

    • Meg, It’s interesting that each time I do these talks and have a Q&A time at the end, I get the same questions from each audience. And yours is pretty common, “What do I do about my spouse/partner/kids and their clutter?” I always respond the same way, “Realize that we always notice someone else’s clutter before we notice our own. So start with your own things first, the rest of the family will slowly come around.”

      And thanks for complimenting me on my “lovely speaking voice.”

  2. “Our life will always match our heart”…that’s pretty powerful. My dad has this line he likes to say, “if you can’t say ‘Amen’…say ouch.” :)

    It seems like a huge group of people who have chosen minimalism go from never having heard about it before to realizing the benefits and making a snap decision to claim it as their own. That’s how it was for me too. It’s like our hearts are yearning for more than consumerism but it’s just not the message that most people hear. I think you did a great job spreading that message.

  3. Joshua:

    Could you make the audio file available for downloading? It would be a great addition to my mp3 player.

    Eric

      • Joshua, a friend recommended this discourse to me and I am eager to hear it. Could you kindly email me as well if you manage to get it into a downloadable format? I will be flying across the ocean tomorrow and I’d love to have this on my phone for offline playback. Thanks!

    • I would love a download of this as well! I’ve just started reading this blog, so a beginner’s talk would be perfect for my ipod. Thanks!

  5. Yes! The first one minute sound bite is so very important and you worded it so well. Sums up PERFECTLY the insight that decluttering has brought to myself. In “my perfect world,” everybody would come to this realization. Thank you for your efforts in spreading this message!

  6. It is really nice to HEAR your voice after following you for a bit now!
    I am still working on purging “stuff”….but I do BELIEVE. I am getting a bit nervous as my daughter’s first b-day is coming this weekend…and I know that relatives will undoubtedly give her “stuff”. It admittedly makes me nervous. My telling them that we don’t need “stuff” for her was taken as an INSULT! “What do you MEAN you don’t want (stuff) for her?!?! That is ridiculous!”

    What do you do with that????

  7. I can’t wait to listen to this. My best friend (from my days of living in VT) was in the crowd you spoke to. I was jealous she was getting to listen to your presentation and it wasn’t me. Now I can listen too!

      • I just finished listening to this. well done! I’ve read your first book, and have been following your blog for awhile so the info wasn’t new, but it was still inspiring and encouraging. Thank you for posting this. I’ll be directing several friends here and I’ll be checking in with my VT friend to see what she though. She knows your wife.

  8. Joshua,
    You mention in the audio, that you are going to be speaking in Minnesota in December. Could you tell us when and where? Also it sounds like there is more to the presentation or at least some question and answer. Could we somehow download the whole unedited version?

    Nice job, I would have enjoyed the presentation even though I’m not in the target audience for your talk.

    • My presentation in Minnesota is going to be via video to a small group of professionals on how simplicity applies to their specific industry. It’s a private conversation, not a public presentation. That’s why I haven’t mentioned it anywhere else on this site.

      I edited out the Q&A because the recording was not prepared for that type of forum. More specifically, my answers were recorded but not the questions… which makes for a pretty difficult listen.

  9. excellent audio, it really is a nice thing to do, mentally you stay focus on other important things, and i think that when you get rid of stuff your mind also gets clear.

  10. Your presentation inspired me to now do it instead of only reading about it. Please understand the power of your words and the influence your spoken word has. You have a gift, please use it.

  12. Great presentation. I’ve been reading your blog for awhile but I haven’t gotten through it all, so this talk pulled it all together for me. I do feel as though I have yearned for a more minimalistic way of living my whole life. I have taken the first baby steps toward minimalism — so far, my clothes and my shoes and my kitchen. I love how you compared the journey toward minimalism with beginnning training for running a marathon. It’s refreshing to know that we don’t have to — tada! — become minimalists overnight. My journey has stalled due to some unexpected bumps in the road (what do you expect with 3 children — 2 of them teens) and out of town company this weekend. But after listening to this talk, I’m inspired to resume the journey Monday morning!

    Thanks Joshua for getting out the message and being an inspiration especially for those of us with families!

    Lisa

  14. Joshua, you sound just like you write. Calm, reassuring, wise and very approachable. I’m going to read Inside Simplicity again, now I can imagine your voice reading it. Have you thought of recording an audio version, maybe as a “Plus” edition packaged with the ebook? I imagine it would be very popular.

    Keep writing, keep speaking, keep spreading the message…

  18. Joshua,
    You are GREAT!!! Your website is amazing and I LOVED the audio. You have a great speaking voice….easy on the ears.

    Thanks for sharing with us.

    Blessings to you,
    Cathy

  19. You made a nice points in this speech Joshua… and I like the story with neighbor and the minimalists :)… I agree with others, you have a clear voice… I hope you’ll add some more speeches…

  21. Thanks for sharing Joshua – enjoyed listening to your advice, stories and insights.

    Biggest takeaway for me : begin to value the invisible things in your life…

    Just started my little decluttering project towards a minimalist lifestyle and eating up everything I can find on the subject to assist in my aims – keep keeping on :-)

  22. Vermont is a fun place!

    My family and I moved there in 1999 to live the simple life. I think the winter was a bit long and mud season was very squishy!

  23. Great talk! Is there a place where I can download this? I would like to get it on my iPod or phone to play it in the van so my wife and I can listen together while we are driving. Thanks!

  24. Hi Joshua – I enjoyed your talk. My cure for consumerism is to live in a 500 sq. ft apartment in Manhattan :) It keeps me from buying furniture, artwork, knick-knacks, more dinnerware. And my place is extremely clean and organized. I’m still bad about buying clothes, shoes and handbags…I know one more sweater won’t change my life, but I still try it. I guess I still have a bit of work to do before I can call myself a minimalist.

  26. Hey Joshua, It really adds to my happiness to have found your site.

    The presentation that you delivered above was so powerful and timely as I’m onto the next phase of my minimalist life.

    The reduction of “things” and “stuff” in my life has lead to greater clarity and delivery of my passion toward coaching people to Live Better. One of the essential components to Living Better is Self-Love. Self-Love isn’t attained through the consumption of stuff…quite the opposite.

    Thank you for your inspiration and I look forward to digging deeper into your content.

    Get to living better,

    Donovan Owens

  27. Just listened to your talk.
    Thank you for providing.
    I’m just starting my journey, but am looking forward to where it takes me.
    God bless.

    Theresa

  28. Hi,

    I have been reading this site, and others, on minimalism for a while now and I had already started to whittle down my possessions but after listening to Josh’s audio lecture on minimalism I am now going to fully embrace the minimalist life. We gather so much stuff in life that we don’t need, and we hold on to things which weigh us down, and this physical baggage manifests itself as emotional and spiritual baggage also. I can’t wait to feel the freedom of owning less (not that I have a lot anyhow, I live a fairly modest life). I aim to hold on to only what I feel is essential for me to survive. The most important things- family, friends, relationships and health are irreplaceable but everything else- the material things- they are really only worth what we ascribe to them- and often the value we perceive them to hold can be unhealthy and negative.

  29. oh.. and thanks Josh- great talk, and very much appreciate your insights.. :)

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