“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.