Note: This is a guest post by Dan Millman of The Peaceful Warrior’s Way.
I’ve come to think of minimalism as a quest for efficiency over entropy, order over chaos, and economy over excess.
As Albert Einstein advised us, “Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.” The key is finding the balance between too much and too little.
What constitutes balance for you depends on your constitution, interests, and drives. For example, a balanced workout may range from a brisk 12-minute walk for some folks to six-hours or more for aspiring Olympians.
When I coached an elite gymnastics team at Stanford University, most of the athletes trained for three hours each day, but Steve Hug, the top U.S. Olympian, would walk in, do some warm-up exercises followed by two routines on each apparatus, completing his workout in just under one hour—enough to get the job done.
Each of us must find our own balance. In fact, a central tenet of the approach to life I call “the peaceful warrior’s way,” is that there is no best book, teacher, philosophy, religion, path, method, or routine of diet or exercise (or balance)—there’s only the best for each of us at a given time of our life. My own experiences awakened in me a desire for doing just enough.
Recognizing the reality that “a little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing,” in 1986 I created a 4-minute, “Peaceful Warrior Workout.” I’ve practiced this workout every day for more than three decades.
Simple is powerful because we benefit only from what we can sustain. A little bit every day reflects the core strength of a minimalist approach.
Similarly, in 2014 I devised a 4-minute “Peaceful Warrior Meditation” centered on the qualities of life that we will each surrender some day when we die.
The point of both the workout and meditation is that they’re nearly excuse-proof. After all, who can’t carve out four minutes to exercise or to meditate? Even busy people can integrate either or both into their daily routine. For me, this is practical minimalism.
My best minimalist advice to you, and to anyone who might ask, is, “Dream big, but start small—then connect the dots.”
As Robert Brault once wrote, “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
I also apply minimalism in my written work. Guided by three questions — “Can it be written more briefly? Can it be written more aptly? Does it need to be written at all?” — over nine drafts, I cut my most recent book from an overgrown, 500-page hedgerow to a 220-page bonsai. As Jack London said, “It takes hard writing to make easy reading.”
Actress Lily Tomlin famously said, “I always wanted to be somebody—but maybe I should have been more specific.” So, in closing, I encourage you to translate your dreams and aspirations into a checklist of minimal steps. Let’s all organize and simplify our living quarters and do the same for the cluttered closet of our mind.
It was the philosopher Blaise Pascal who first quipped, “I would have written a shorter letter if I’d had the time.” To that I would add, “Ditto.”
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Dan Millman is the author of Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit: The True Story of My Spiritual Quest. He is a former world trampoline champion, Stanford University gymnastics coach, martial arts instructor, and Oberlin college professor. His first book, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, was adapted to film in 2006. You can find more of his work on his website: Peaceful Warrior.
Thankyou … just what I needed to read this morning … a fresh breeze from the past for me … to recognise the words of Dan Millman who influenced my life so much in the 80s -90s. Dan s books I found transformative for me n others .. especially ‘Laws of Spirit’. Your post has brought a big smile to my face and heart. Bless you n yours … with kindness n gratitude Lynette
Thank you, Lynette for these kind words and fond reminiscence. I’m glad that my work has touched your life.
Dan
This is very interesting Dan. I really appreciated that you approach everything in life with the idea of simplifying it as much as you can. After reading Essentialism and Atomic Habits I was inspired to see how tiny habits that don’t take much time can make incredible changes in your life. It’s amazing how focusing on what you really want to achieve and doing the most impactful tasks can rocket you towards your goals with minimal effort!
Spot on, Jessalynn. Your note supports the idea that “No one is smarter than all of us.” And that little things can make a big difference over time.
I’m really coming to appreciate a bit of simplicity. Less to clean, for one thing!
Jessalynn, as a fellow student of life, I appreciate your comments and how you’re reading books on topics that speak to you.
Thank you for this lovely read🥰 one question I have is what is the 4 minute workout you speak of ? Thank you.
Hi Sue – thanks for asking. There are numerous short workouts published in the NY Times and elsewhere, and all have their benefits.
Based on some extensive background, I created, and teach the “Peaceful Warrior 4-Minute Workout” as an inexpensive online course. You can visit my website at peacefulwarrior.com and click on the Online Courses option to learn more about the 4-minute workout (which I’ve done daily for almost 40 years.)
Lots of good thoughts regarding exercise and meditation. As each of us find an activity that involves movement we enjoy, the better we are to practice that exercise. I clean house every Monday. Lots of stretching, lifting, and going up and down stairs. I grocery shop at a big store but that is just once every 6-8 weeks. That hour of pushing around the heavy cart is exercise! Then I have to go home and repackage meats into smaller portions for the freezer and put things away. I need a fun and social based exercise to balance it all out like meeting a friend to walk or take a yoga class. People energize other people. Meditation is very important. I spend time in prayers of thanksgiving. We all have things to be thankful. If you are going through something hard, find that one thing you are thankful for and focus on it. I listen to music, and read my bible. I also do some porch sitting in my rockers on my front porch just listening to the sounds of the outdoors, enjoying the fresh air and sometimes thinking things through. If we quiet ourselves, the answers will come.
I appreciate your comments, Marsha, as well as your active and full life. You point out that one doesn’t have to do formal exercise as long as one stays active in a way that feels appropriate to them. Sometimes walking, sometimes a yoga class seems an excellent and varied approach.
Dan
Your comment is really great :)
I couldn’t agree more !
I think God (or the gods) put this in my box this morning. This is so “on point.” I am sharing with my colleagues that need this! ~Dee
You got it right the first time.
Delighted that you found my post helpful enough to share with colleagues, Dee.
Dan
Thank you, Dan. I enjoyed reading this—- you really gave me food for thought :)
Thanks for your comment, Judy, and for taking the time to write it.
Dan