Never underestimate the importance of removing stuff you don’t need.
Encouragement is important in all areas of life, but especially when trying to live a life different than those around us.
Encouragement provides us with motivation to persevere. It invites us to dream dreams of significance for our lives. And it begs us to work diligently with optimism and promise.
Overcoming the pull of consumerism is a difficult challenge regardless of our stage in life. Simplicity requires encouragement. To that end, I hope you will find motivation in these articles below.
Each post was intentionality chosen to inspire simplicity in your life. For maximum effect, find a quiet moment this weekend and enjoy them with a fresh cup of coffee or tea.
How ‘Treat Yourself’ Became a Capitalist Command | The Atlantic by Ester Bloom. Corporations love telling Americans they “deserve” fancy electronics and indulgent food.
Our Stuff is Burying Us Alive | Salon by Brian Thill. Hoarding and the mountains of garbage we call “collections.”
How to Want Very Little | Zen Habits by Leo Babauta. What would happen if we broke from our addiction to wanting and buying more?
I Went 200 Days Without Buying Anything New. Here’s How You Can Do It, Too | Yahoo by Assya Barrette. You might say to yourself, “I’d never be able to do that.” I’m here to counter that voice with a huge “Yes, you can!“
John says
These are interesting reads. I’ve always enjoyed reading The Atlantic for their not-so-ordinary perspectives on life. I appreciate you sharing them. But the IKEA video at the end shouldn’t be on the list if we’re talking about the pull of consumerism.
IKEA marketing department knew exactly what they were doing when they made this scripted commercial, er, I mean experiment. It’s an advertising ploy that pulls on viewers’ heartstrings first, and then hits them with the punchline at the end, which is to fill your home with IKEA furniture.
Not many people consider furniture as a holiday gift, so IKEA found a way into the masses’ hearts and minds with this video. They found a way to keep their furniture company relevant during a holiday that people rarely buy furniture as gifts. We can’t let the appeal to emotion take away from why they made this video in the first place.
joanna says
Well at least they had a classy approach! Today I saw a Verizon commercial that said “Happy Thanksgetting” .pitiful.
John says
It’s the world we live in. Be thankful on Thursday for all that we have, then camp out on Friday at department stores to consume all the things we don’t have.
Stephanie L says
I’ve been back from a much- needed and much-appreciated vacation for about 90 minutes. We bought some Christmas presents, and I bought a few pieces of clothing (I’ve lost 15#, which really changes a short person’s dress size). Mostly my husband and I reconnected and relaxed and enjoyed parks and beaches.
Joshua, have you ever done a piece about how long it takes some of us to “break up” with our stuff and retrain ourselves? I’ve been trying to streamline for about a year and a half. I’ve definitely made progress, but I sometimes feel like others had a life-changing, permanent “Eureka” moment that somehow passed me by.
Lori in Prescott says
IKEA! Lovely. If all advertising could be like this . . .
John P. Weiss says
“Toys can’t fill the vacuum.” That one IKEA takeaway was powerful. And it doesn’t just apply to kids. The toys we adults purchase…do they bring the happiness we crave? More time with one another. Meaningful time. We should start there. Many thanks!
Meg says
The IKEA video… I can’t even begin to describe how much it touches me. Hooray for such a great message! My husband and I are not the best minimalists, but we are committed to giving the best of ourselves to God, each other and our family. What a wonderful reinforcement of that decision!
JudyMae says
Good link to the Atlantic article:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/how-treat-yourself-became-a-consumerist-command/416664/
Arianna says
Going minimalist and avoiding new useless crap is, I think, everyone´s dream. Or not. I don´t know! The problem is getting our mind out of the system and asking our selves: “do I really need it? Do I need to have another -for example- cardigan that I am going to wear just once?”. The problem is that we are vain, so incredibly vain. And that we love showing others -and ourselves- that we can have what we want. It´s a hard process to get out from, but, maybe, with the readings you suggested, we can make it! Thanks!
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