There’s more to life than buying stuff.
There are many wonderful people pursuing and promoting simplicity. Fortunately, some of them are gifted in communication and choose to encourage and inspire us with their words. I enjoy reading their unique perspective. I’m sure you will too.
So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea on this beautiful weekend. Find a quiet moment. And enjoy some encouraging words about finding more simplicity in your life today.
4 Decluttering Epiphanies That Have Changed My Life | Louder Minds by Michele Connolly. One thing has brought a joy that is profound, and honestly, unhyperbolically life-changing. That one thing is stripping down our possessions.
Not Doing All the Things We Want to Do | Zen Habits by Leo Babauta. If you want to actually put that class or gym pass to use, if you want to get that personal project done or read that ebook you bought … here are some suggestions.
Millennials Aren’t Big Spenders or Risk-takers, and That’s Going to Reshape the Economy | LA Times by Don Lee. Millennials tend to prefer experiences over buying things and accumulating stuff.
Mall of America Takes Bold Stand by Closing on Thanksgiving This Year | Star Tribune by Kavita Kumar. The nation’s biggest mall has drawn a line in the sand when it comes to opening on Thanksgiving Day.
Simplicity Voices by Claire. More hand-picked articles about the important things in life.
Hello. I must say I normally enjoy the articles shared here, but today I am kinda annoyed at the one about millennials by the La times. As a millennial myself, I took exception to being called spoiled and narcissist. Excuse me? And of course a lot of millennials would like to have a stable job if not for the rest of our lives at least for a couple of years, because we are tired of working very little hours, or maybe just a month here and then three months there, and not have much money to pay for basic needs such as food and shelter. There is a reason why people my age still live with their parents, they can’t rent a place of their own if they don’t even know if they will still be working in three or four months’ time, not to mention paying for utilities and food and I’m not even including clothing or education costs. I don’t think Joshua’s intentions were bad when he decided to include the article but in my opinion it was shortsighted and simplistic. Of course some people my age (I’m 26) are spoiled and are living the good life while their parents still pay for everything but that’s not true for everyone. Have a good day everyone :)))
Great reads. I have started to declutter my closet and it feels so great. Next is the kitchen and parting with all those appliances and items I no longer need .I would rather bless someone else who may need theses things.
I love these collections of weekends reads you put together each week. I didn’t get a chance to look at them over the weekend but it is an inspiring way to start off my Monday! Thanks again.
I wouldn’t say those are the fingernails of a minimalist ! Funny !…I guess we all have our priorities….Hee Hee
Thanks for sharing, I’ll read one of these for the next few weekends :) I’m always looking for good articles related with minimalism.
xx Cecil // http://www.wednesday19th.blogspot.com
Thanks for including Leo Babauta’s wisdom. I think we all fall victim to trying to do too much.
Hi Joshua! Thank you so much for sharing my ‘4 Decluttering Epiphanies That Have Changed My Life’ post. I’m grateful for the share and grateful to have found your blog. I’ve just subscribed. :)
Thank you for your consistency with Weekend Reads. I look forward to them every week. The Louder Mind’s article was beautifully written and a pleasure to read. And Not Doing All the Things We Want to Do might be my favorite article I’ve ever read at Zen Habits. It’s so dead on – as a busy homeschool mom there are just so many things I never get around to, and there are perfectly good reasons for that inescapable fact. Off to read the next three articles. Keep up the good work! Encouraging others toward a simpler life is a worthy cause on many levels.
Thanks for introducing me to Claire and her two blogs! I look forward to following her work. And a big, YES, to Leo’s post. Everything takes double the time AND i am a slow mover to boot:) I have needed to make peace with this.
Thank you, Joshua. Great blog! Just started following it and am already finding inspiration and nourishment for my soul as I make changes more and more in the direction of simplicity in my own life.
Was so happy to see that MOA is going to be closed on Thanksgiving! Its crazy how “black friday” has been starting earlier and earlier every year. It seems to have become a bigger holiday than Thanksgiving is, all so we can fill our homes with cheap things that we don’t really need or are of subpar quality. I agree with Jeffery, hopefully this creates a ripple effect and gets other stores thinking about something other than their profits.
I’ve worked retail for years. We recently ran the numbers from the previous 5 years that we were open on Thanksgiving and saw that we did the same amount percentage wise when we just opened up on Black Friday as we did being open both days. It’s not worth running the lights and paying employees if we aren’t making more profit. Many retailers are coming to this conclusion so they decide there bottom line is better opening on Black Friday. I don’t think they are concerned about people being with family and friends on Thanksgiving. it’s still all about the profit.
Thanks Joshua. I always enjoy starting my weekend with your blog and some coffee, as suggested. :)
Hats off to Mall of America for reversing course and not opening on Thanksgiving. Hopefully their decision will cause a bit of a ripple effect and other stores will follow suit. Holiday shopping has really gotten out of hand in America. I’ve been really disappointed in what this country prioritizes more and more as the years past. Consumerism is out of control… How about quality family time? Remember that America?
Amen! And how about volunteering time to someone who needs it? That would be a good way to express gratitude for what most of us have in our lives that many others suffer a lack of. For some families the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner most of us take for granted is only a dream. I would rather see people sharing their bounty than shopping for stuff they don’t truly need.
The Louder Minds post is brilliant! Just saying. Thanks for uniting me with fellow amazing minimalist introverts.