“Buy less stuff. Do work you love. And make a positive difference.” —Joshua Becker
I never set out to become a blogger. In fact, it is with mixed emotions today, that I announce I have become a full-time writer.
And it all started on a typical Saturday morning with a decision that became a passion. A passion that became a career.
How a Regular Morning Led to a Life-Changing Decision.
I woke up Saturday, May 24, 2008 with a relatively simple goal: clean out the garage. It was a decision not unlike the decision made by countless people around the world every weekend. After all, houses need cleaning, cars need maintaining, and possessions need managing.
Little did I know my life was about to change forever.
After a few hours of cleaning, my neighbor was the first to notice my defeated posture and frustrated facial expression. Her smile and light conversation was meant to cheer me up. I appreciated it. But it wasn’t until I began pointing out my frustration over the time and energy spent cleaning that she responded with a sentence so profound, it turned my life upside-down immediately.
“That’s why my daughter is a minimalist.” She said, “She keeps telling me I don’t need to own all this stuff.” I remember her words like it was yesterday.
I turned around to see the pile of things in my driveway. As I did, I noticed my 5-year old son playing alone in the backyard. And suddenly, a life-giving truth became clear.
All the possessions I owned were not bringing joy into my life. But worse than that, they were distracting me from the very things that did. And a minimalist was born.
My wife and I would go on to remove many of the nonessential possessions from our lives. All told, 60-70% of our stuff would eventually be sold, donated, recycled, or thrown away.
How a Decision Became a Passion.
I remember sitting by my computer just hours after our decision to intentionally live with less. I registered a free WordPress domain name: Becoming Minimalist. I intended to use the website as a simple online journal to chronicle our journey and keep our extended family updated on our progress.
But the process of journaling held far more benefit than I ever imagined. It provided opportunity for me to write about our process. But more than that, it forced me to articulate the emotions I was feeling, the lessons I was learning, and the benefits I was experiencing.
As a result, I became highly attentive to the positive, practical benefits we began experiencing almost immediately after choosing to live with less. We noticed we had more time, more energy, and more money for the things that mattered most.
I remember one dinner party just months after our decision. I sat next to a wonderful friend and began explaining to her our decision and our progess living with less. Her face lit up immediately. She began listing all the things in her home she would like to remove and began dreaming of the possibility of living a freer life without them. It was almost as if she was just waiting for someone to give her permission to own less.
Suddenly, it occured to me that I had just played the role of my neighbor in my friend’s life. I had invited her to a new and better way to live. Around this same time, more and more readers began visiting the Becoming Minimalist website—just enough to remind me there was great value in this message of minimalism and people were drawn to it.
Living with less quickly became a passion for my own life. But additionally, a passion was growing in my heart to spread the message of minimalism in a world bound to consumerism—to become one voice calling people to buy less when every other advertisement was calling them to buy more. My passion for simplicity quickly grew beyond the walls of our own, uncluttered home.
How a Passion Became a Career.
With a renewed focus and desire, the goal of Becoming Minimalist began to evolve. What started as a personal online journal quickly morphed into a website dedicated to inspiring and equipping others to discover and embrace minimalism.
I watched other bloggers. And learned from their example.
Social media began to play an important role in spreading the message. We established Becoming Minimalist on Facebook and joined Twitter shortly after. Our presence on both continues to grow.
We wrote two books. Simplify and Inside-Out Simplicity have sold in the tens of thousands on Amazon and as PDFs in bundle sales. Simplify has ranked as the #1 Self-Help book on Amazon on two separate occasions.
Readership at Becoming Minimalist began to grow and has exploded recently. Traffic has doubled over the past five months. During the month of September alone, over 300,000 visitors visited Becoming Minimalist and were exposed to the message of minimalism.
One year ago, we launched the Becoming Minimalist Newsletter (no longer available) after sensing a growing desire to unite simple living advocates. The newsletter serves as encouragement for those committed to promoting simplicity. It is unlike any other email newsletter I have ever received. It is designed to equip the reader to grow in influence and promotes simple-living posts from every corner of the web. It is read by over 6,000 subscribers.
And through it all, because I love my work and find rich meaning in it, I have continued to work 50+ hours/week at my full-time job. For the past 15 years, I have served as a pastor in a number of different Christian churches. When this blog first started, I served as the Youth Pastor at one of the largest churches in New England helping middle school and high school students find fuller-meaning in their hearts and souls. Most recently, for the last two years, I have served alongside a good friend of mine planting a church in one of the fastest-growing counties in the country.
But I have known all along pursuing both passions was unsustainable for the long-term. And at this point in my life, my greatest opportunity for impact is to promote living with less in a world that has bought into the lie that pursuing possessions is a worthy endeavor.
As a result, effective today, October 1st, I am committed to the full-time promotion of minimalism. With fear and excitement, today, everything changes for us.
What Does This Mean for Becoming Minimalist?
At this point, there will be little change on Becoming Minimalist. In fact, regular readers will probably notice very few changes on the website. I do not intend to increase the frequency of posts. I only hope to improve their quality. I also hope to spend more time writing guest posts on other websites looking for new opportunities to introduce others to the invitation of minimalism.
The Becoming Minimalist Newsletter will still be delivered on an every-other week basis. There is a chance this frequency will increase in the future. But for now, it will stay the same. By the way, thanks for all the kind words and feedback I receive from it. I appreciate every single one of them.
I do hope to become far more interactive and available to readers than ever before. I hope to become more responsive to blog comments, Facebook messages, tweets, and e-mails. Community is important to me. And I look forward to having more opportunity for it.
I have a desire to accept more speaking opportunities than before. I desire to continue promoting minimalism and its intersection with entrepreneurship, business, happiness, and spirituality. My commitment is to continue offering speaking engagements at an incredibly affordable price. You can find out more here.
I also have plans for some exciting new projects in the very near future. I will be releasing a new book later this month and have been collaborating with other simple living bloggers for an amazing opportunity we will unveil soon. I have also begun the process of creating a book proposal for 2014. These projects are ones I am passionate about creating and offering to you. I look forward to the opportunity of finally having the time to create them with full excellence.
Lastly, it is every bit my intention to keep Becoming Minimalist reader-supported (ad-free). Despite what some may think, my income from Becoming Minimalist is just barely equal to the income from a part-time job. While we don’t need much (minimalism has made this possible), I do have a responsibility to my wife and two young children to provide faithfully. And to that end, I will continue to pursue and create resources that benefit both the reader and the creator.
There are such wonderful days ahead. Our message is important. Our opportunity is great. And together, we can absolutely change this world for the better.
Image: Swaminathan
Congratulations Joshua. You are one of the people who have had an impact on me as your neighbor had on you. I look forward to following your future projects
Good for you! I think that is a brave decision on many levels. It must be very hard to give up being a pastor. But it makes much more sense to have a single focus and purpose. I’ve visited here in the past, but in the last week have pored over most of your archives, and was selfishly relieved you are not going to stop blogging! IMHO you are one of the best writers on the internet, and you have helped me put a number of things into perspective. I wish you and your family the best in this new phase of your life.
Blessings to you and your family as you embark on this new(ish) journey! Headed to VT this week – first time since we moved away 6 years ago. I know you aren’t there anymore, but I still associate you with VT : )
As I age I look around me at the widows trying to survive the death of a spouse and realize minimalism is going to help me if I ever have to tread that path. Thank you for helping me along my journey. I am excited about this new stage in yours.
Excited to hear about this big and positive change in your life! I really love the blog, and am a regular reader. I ‘converted’ to minimalism about 6-7 months ago, and I have never looked back since. My tiny home has seemed to double in size, I have cut my bills by about half, and I feel more free than I have ever felt in my life, and your blog has helped to provide encouragement and insight along the way, so for that I say thank you, and I appreciate everything that you do!
There is no substitute for following your passion, so I believe that this is yet another step in the right direction for you and your family!
Josh
Thank you Josh. Reading all these comments have been incredibly encouraging for me. I appreciate you adding your voice.
Hi Joshua! Congratulations to you and best wishes for your family as you undertake this newest adventure! I happened upon your site through an internet search 6 months ago. My husband and I had visited our daughter, who was studying abroad in Costa Rica. I was so touched by the simplicity of the lives we were blessed to interact with in our short trip. I loved how they sat at the table after dinner and talked, sometimes for hours…so very different than our own hectic schedules back home! I longed for a simpler lifestyle. Shortly after I found your site, my husband lost his job forcing us to relocate. Your books and Becoming Minimalist site were my inspiration as we sold most of our possessions and moved into a house less than half of the square footage of our previous home. We are renting until we get a better sense of our new location and are committed to becoming debt free and purchasing a much smaller place when the time is right. Thank you for your words of wisdom! We are not minimalists yet, but are in the process……BECOMING minimalist :)
Sure sounds to me like you are on the right track. Remember the joy you discovered Costa Rica. There’s a reason they find time/space for conversation and relationship.
Congratulations Joshua! You’re a skilled writer and I’m excited to follow you along as you encourage others to live with less.
Thanks for the compliment. Truly.
Congratulations on pursuing your passion. I have recently decided to become a minimalist, and I’ve been looking for daily encouragements to counteract the pull of advertisements. I recently discovered your blog and just signed up for your newsletter! Thanks for doing what you do.
Welcome aboard Kelley. You’ll love it.
Congratulations on expanding your journey. Because of a divine nudge and your posts I have probably downsized at least 50% of my home. I now take the dog with me to Goodwill for daily donations. She gets a pat on the head and a treat. It is a win for all. I will be renting my home out for six months in 2014 and relocating to another state. The dog and I will be living in a small studio apartment. I too want the freedom to write and travel. Blessings to you —–
That’s fantastic. I love that story about your dog. But love even more your experience of finding minimalism.
Wow!! That is such exciting news!! I love your blog and I wish you all the very best!!
Thank you Niloofar.
I’m so happy for you, Joshua! I love your message and the way you deliver it with clarity and joyful enthusiasm. May you flourish as an independent writer, speaker, and creator!
So thankful for all your support over the months and years Sandra. I really am. Know that it is noticed and not taken for granted.
Becoming Minimalist ist one of three blogs I read regularly and I’m always courious about your next issue. Your work is inspiring, supportive and encouraging on a very high level. Thank you so much for sharing this, I wish you all the best for your work here!
Thanks Thomas for being a regular and supportive reader.
Gracias por inspirarme y por ayudar a concretar algo que hace tiempo querîa hacer. Es un proceso que no termina: siempre hay cosas de las cuâles hay que deshacerse, reducir, eliminar, y poco a poco la gente se va dando cuenta de lo que sucede a tu alrededor y ven que hay mâs tiempo para lo importante. Decidî usar menos papeles en la oficina, decidî limpiar el garage que es la envidia del barrio, y sigo y sigo…
Hay ahora mucho mâs espacio para las sonrisas y para el compartir…
de nada. (I think).
You have been an inspiration for me to become both, a minimalist and a blogger. I help spread the message in German at http://minimalismuswarum.wordpress.com/
This is a huge and scary move for you and your family. I wish you succes, joy, and happiness!
Thanks for the kind wishes Ute. Thanks also for sharing the message in German.
I wish your books would be available in a book-type format instead of Kindle or e-book. I don’t have a Kindle and don’t want one. I love to read the old-fashioned way, holding a book in my hands. Are your books available also in printed, paper form and I have just missed it? Perhaps now that you will be doing it full time, that will be an option? I’m really growing through reading your site and look forward to more. Thanks for what you are doing.
I do think indeed that will be an option in the near future. I look forward to making the paperback version available.
You already know how I feel about this, Joshua. This announcement is like ten men in my head doing synchronized jumping-jacks and giving each other a high-five at the top each time. It’s a pretty groovy thing!
Maybe I didn’t really know how you felt… unless the ten men is just a metaphor for happy.
Congratulations on this next step! Excited for the new opportunities for you and your family. I stumbled onto your site this year and find it such a blessing. It prompts me daily in the direction I am being propelled to. Simplified Living. Thanks!
You are welcome Jackie.
Congratulations, Joshua! You have inspired me to take both my writing and my life long tendencies toward minimalism seriously. Best wishes for the future.
Sweet. And best wishes for your future as well.
All the best, Josh! You’ve helped me out the last few years. When we moved this year we got rid of a lot of stuff and I would read your blog and read it to Kent to get us motivated to tackle a closet. I’m still going to GoodWill with stuff we don’t need in this house. Yesterday I showed some furniture to a young couple and said it was theirs if they wanted it.
I’m also cutting down on what I carry on trips. My best was when I traveled to Antigua for a week with simply a carry-on bag. I also carry either one small purse that I have or just a leather passport holder. Yesterday, a friend said, “You and your small purses! How do you do that?” I told her I want to carry less through life.
Your book is great. But having you remind me frequently and throw out new ideas and quotes daily/weekly really helps. Thanks for the input into my life, Josh! Marilyn
Ah, thanks Marilyn. Nice to hear about the impact and freedom that the message of minimalism continues to inspire.
Good for you. I love that you are following your calling. Good luck and continue to inspire. You have certainly impacted in my life and I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thanks Rebecca.
I’m super excited for you, Joshua! Best of luck to you and I will see you in Phx tomorrow!
Looking forward to it. And best of luck on your crazy new adventure in the Philippines.
Happy for you Joshua.
Thanks to you and others like you (especially Courtney and Bea), I found the courage to go part time a month ago. I’m now working a three day week, using the extra time to simplify my home and my life. At the same time I’m rediscovering the people and activities that make me truly happy. Best decision I’ve made for as long as I can remember.
All the best to you!
And all the best to you too!
Congratulations Joshua! This is great news for someone like me that loves your blog and your books. I feel that you are the voice of minimalism today and this is your true calling. I look forward to your reading your future books. Thank you for spreading the word and for all that you do.
Thanks Tina. I’m glad to hear you look forward to reading future books. I look forward to writing/finishing them.
yay!! i’m so grateful for your writing, & to read that you’re dedicating yourself to it — well, i feel even more encouraged. your writing & the writing you’ve pointed to has made a GIGANTIC impact on my family — we’re reduced our possessions by 50% & have cleared our calendar & our kids’ calendars (we have 4 kiddos). i appreciate your incorporating your spirituality in a non-churchy way. more often than not, when i’ve needed a minimalist nudge, i’ve found one here. & thanks for sharing that you are in fact taking an income hit, & that it’s possible because of your minimalizing. (us, too — my huz screenprints in our basement, & i stay home & homeschool our tribe, neither of which is possible without minimalism.)
hear, hear!! :)
Thanks Jill. “Buy less stuff. Do work you love.”
Congratulations Joshua!
Your success is richly deserved for fighting the good fight and letting people know a life with less can be a life with more (so much more!)
All the very best for the full time blogging adventures ahead.
Thanks Carl. There have definitely been lots of late nights and early mornings over the past five years. And in some ways, I look forward to even more.
Congratulations! I’m looking forward to reading as you progress.
Hi Joshua!
I found your blog in late spring of this year, and this is the first time I have commented. I have to say, you have changed my life! I started out my blog chronicling the renovations we are doing to our house, and I quickly got “sucked in” to the whole decorating blog “thing” And based on some of my blog pictures, most people could tell I desperately need a new camera, lol! Anyway, through the years I had done several “downsizes” due to relocations for my husband’s job. But this spring it finally got to me, and I typed in “minimal living” or something like that, and up came your site. And I have been hooked ever since!
I am shocked, I had no idea you were a pastor (and that’s a good thing, lol!) Even Jesus warns in the NT about the accumulation of “stuff”. You have inspired me like you would not believe. And everyone I tell about my journey to minimalism looks at me like I have two heads!
Thanks for what you are doing!!!
Sue
Oh, on a side note, I didn’t mean that it’s a good thing I didn’t know you were a pastor, lol! I meant being a pastor is the good thing. Just to clearify, lol!
I think it’s a good thing that you didn’t know he was a pastor; I was surprised to find that out as well. To me, it means that he isn’t preachy and judgmental, and those are good things!
Appreciated hearing that story Sue. I’ve made mention of my profession elsewhere (http://www.theunitive.com/i-want-to-be-rich/), but try not to make much of a big deal about it here on Becoming Minimalist. My hope is that the strength of the argument will stand on its own.
Excited for your journey, Joshua. Your story has helped our family immensely. Looking forward to the seeing your impact multiplied as you head into promoting minimalism full-time.
Thanks Robin. Thanks.
Hey Joshua,
I’m so excited for you as you step out in faith in a new way. Its been a blessing to experience your ministry as a high schooler and follow along your writing since the beginning. I remember the first Sunday night at youth group you preached about materialism and I went home and trashed or gave away about half my room…and I’ve been using your same ideas and principles ever since. Its been a huge help transitioning out of college and into my own work and ministry. Thanks again for all the ways you and your family impacted my life as a high schooler and still do through this blog. I can’t wait to see all the ways you are used for big things in this next stage of life and I wish you all the best.
Kelsey Hancock
Thanks for the kind words and always believing in us Kelsey. It’ll be exciting to watch your journey as well.
Congrats Joshua! You did it! :)
Angel and I are 100% behind you. Please let us know how we can help.
You already have. But the next time we’re in the same zip code, you can allow me the opportunity to buy you lunch… something without meat sounds most appropriate.
Congratulations! It’s crazy, I only follow a handful of blogs, and yesterday David Cain of Raptitude announced that he was quitting his “main” job to write full-time as well. Serendipitous timing! If you love your new-found freedom as much as I do, you’ll have no regrets. Best of luck Mr. Becker!
Thanks so much Miss Growing Green. You can call me Joshua. And thanks for telling me about David. I’ve been to his blog numerous times, but hadn’t noticed his news yesterday.
Congratulations! I”m excited for you.
Thanks Christy. I’ve appreciated all your support over the months and years.
Congratulations on the big leap! I am very glad that this is the direction you chose when you had to make a decision. I stumbled upon Becoming Minimalist on Facebook and am just outside of one month on my journey to simplicity. You have truly changed my outlook and my life. I thank you for sharing your story and inspiring mine!
Touching. Thanks for the encouragement. Glad you found us.
A big congratulations from sunny San Diego. I’m so inspired by your writing, so much so that our family is joining the minimalist lifestyle in earnest. I wish I could say it’s an easy, straightforward journey; in fact it’s littered with roadblocks and confusion (my friends are redecorating, not reducing), not to mention the rebellious streak of counterculture that’s threaded through the minimalist lifestyle. But I’m happy to report that we’ve sold our gas guzzling SUV, thinned out our closets and removed a truckload of ‘home decor’ from our poor, overstuffed home.
Lots of big decisions ahead, but so far, so good.
Your messages are reinforcing these choices so keep us motivated and reassured. We’re counting on you, Joshua!
Sounds like you are on a roll if you ask me. I appreciate the sentiment by your closing sentence. I’ll try my best. And you try yours.
Thanks very much to you and others for all the positive life-changing inspirations…
You are welcome. And thank you for taking the time to offer us your own positive inspiration.
Joshua;
May God bless you and your family as you pursue this dream He has laid on your heart. How exciting and liberating!
Enjoy!
Thank you Monica. Hoping to always keep focus in the right place.
Good luck to you! I like your facebook page and in the last few years have been starting to embrace this practise myself. it is very slowly evolving.
I have just joined Facebook (for the 3rd time) and hope to keep it, well, minimalist. Type and share only what people really need to know. And get a keen knowledge of privacy controls, and the wisdom to use them correctly.
I have started – slow and steady. 5 totes of work clothes (retired last year) and more todo! Enjoy ready your FB page
Congratulations on getting started. Be observant to the changes that take place in your environment and in yourself throughout the journey.
I am so excited for you. You and your writing have had a positive impact on my life. Thank you. I will be in prayer for you, your family and your new endeavor.
Thanks Billie. That’s really appreciated.
Joshua, I’ve only been reading for a few months, but I am grateful for the influence you have had on me in that short time. I also appreciate that while you are writing for a general audience, your advice is also very biblical and lines up with what others are teaching as well (I love Dave Ramsey). I am looking forward to your upcoming projects and wish you and your family all the best! Blessings, Melissa
Thanks Melissa. The minimalist journey has value for all regardless of faith background or non-background. I”m hoping to continue spreading the message to as many as possible.
Congratulations on devoting yourself to your main passion. I love that you said you hope to improve the quality, not the quantity of your posts and content. I really enjoy your brevity & conciseness. You often have just four or seven points, not ten, twelve or twenty five. We can be inundated with interesting bits & links that go on and on. Not so yours. Keep your minimalist approach to writing, it works. Thanks.
Thanks Mel. The problem is once I start listing more than 12-15 points, I start contradicting myself in my own post! Just kidding. The post length on Becoming Minimalist fits my writing style perfectly. No need to change that.
Joshua, you have had a positive impact on many. And I am one of the many! I came across your blog early this year. I start my journey to minimalism at that time. I appreciate your encouragement in this endeaver.
Yay! May many more continue to discover the beauty of this journey.
Cheers! (thank you for being transparent & inviting us along on the adventure of life abundant rather than stuff abundant.)
You are welcome. Thanks to you for coming along.
Excited to hear what is coming in the future. I love your blog and have enjoyed your books.
I appreciate that Tiffany. Very much.
I wish you the best as you take this huge leap into writing fulltime. Love your blog and your books. They have been, and continue to be, a great source of encouragement.
Thanks Christine. My goal is to make sure all future projects are encouraging and full of optimism as well.
Awesome news! I look forward to all the new and exciting projects!
Me too!
So happy to hear as Becoming Minimalist is my favorite blog!
Ah, thanks.
The very best to you. Inspired by you and other minimalist writers, my minimalism journey has taken me from an all consuming corporate job and a beach front mansion in Cape Town stuffed with every toy imaginable to a motorhome in the UK containing my husband and dogs and the bare essentials. Our lives have become simple and mindful and truly blessed as we reacquaint ourselves with family and friends and the beautiful country of our birth.
Keep spreading the message, although I do not comment, I read your posts avidly and always smile when the newsletter arrives. You have made a great decision and may your voice continue to grow.
Sounds like you’ve had quite a number of experiences Annie. I hope your simple and mindful journey exposes you to countless more. And provides opportunity for you to find all that you desire.
Dear Joshua,
Exciting news about the future. I look forward to hear how it goes.
Best of luck,
Anders Hasselstrøm
Thanks Anders. I’m sure I’ll keep everyone posted.
Hi Joshua,
Your biggest African fan and long time lurker here, coming out of the shadows to wish you and your family all the best.
Your website gave me such a morale boost when we found ourselves “starting over” again. I was able to “let go” of so much having you and your community affirming what I have known in my heart for a long time – Our stuff does not define us!
Thank you.
Cari
Thanks Cari. Nice to see you come out from the shadows. And I’m glad to hear you found comfort and encouragement here.