The Becoming Minimalist Promise

A lot can change in seven years—so I think this blog post is overdue.

I also think, in this crazy, hectic world that seems to change faster and faster from one day to the next, this promise to you is overdue.

So, if you don’t mind, allow me the opportunity to take a look back, share what has changed, and commit to you what will never change, here at Becoming Minimalist.

14 Years Ago

In 2008, Becoming Minimalist was started. My goal was simple. I had just been introduced to the lifestyle of minimalism and this blog would be my journal—a place to share what we were removing, the decisions we were making, and the lessons we learned.

The blog grew quickly, reaching more and more people. Living with less became a passion for me.

Soon, a new passion began to emerge. A desire to spread the message of minimalism as best I could to a world bound to consumerism. To not just share my story, but to invite others into the joy of owning less and to offer any help I could along the way.

Becoming Minimalist began to change. The focus became less on my story, and more on helping others. The blog continued to grow—doubling from month to month over and over again.

9 Years Ago

In 2013, a hobby became a career. As I announced here on Becoming Minimalist, I transitioned from my role as full-time pastor to full-time blogger. As I said at the time, “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.”

And so, for the last nine years, Becoming Minimalist has been my full-time job. And I couldn’t be happier.

A lot has changed since that announcement:

I wrote Clutterfree with Kids to help parents navigate the most common areas of clutter in their child’s life.

I developed and began teaching the Uncluttered Course, a 12-week online course that has now helped over 75,000 families around the world own less stuff and live more life.I wrote The More of Less, introducing minimalism to the world.

I founded and formed The Hope Effect, a nonprofit organization changing how the world cares for orphans. The nonprofit organization was initially funded by the book advance proceeds for my books on minimalism.

I created Simplify Magazine, a digital, entirely ad-free magazine published quarterly. Each issue features 8-10 experts focusing on one topic. We’ve published 13 separate issues since 2017.

I took over No Sidebar, a website that promotes simple and distraction-free living by highlighting new and talented writers in the simple living world.

By popular demand, I wrote The Minimalist Home detailing my minimizing philosophy and providing a room-by-room approach for anyone who wants to love the home they live in.

I launched a YouTube channel hoping to reach a new audience, through video, with the life-giving benefits of minimalism. The channel just passed 250,00 subscribers—so it’s definitely working.

I created Simple Money Magazine. A digital, quarterly magazine that complements Simplify Magazine by focusing exclusively on simple, practical financial advice.

I developed and launched an app called Clutterfree. Clutterfree is the first app on the market to provide a unique and personalized roadmap to declutter your home. It is based on my philosophy and provides everything you need, in the palm of your hand, to declutter your home. It has been used effectively by 30,000 people to develop a decluttering checklist for their home.

Then, I wrote a third book, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life, to take the principles of minimalism that I am known for and show how they can be applied to other distractions in life.

Like I said, a lot can change in nine years.

Today

As you might expect, Becoming Minimalist has become much bigger than I ever anticipated with more resources to help people own less than I ever dreamt possible.

The Becoming Minimalist team has grown to 9 active employees who help me create videos, edit articles, manage magazines, stay active on social media, bookkeeping, and provide customer support. Even both of my kids, now 20 & 16, are involved with the company.

We are reaching new people, in new ways, every single day.

The Becoming Minimalist Promise

With that history as the backdrop, and the fast-changing world surrounding us, I want to take a moment and offer a promise to you about this blog. Because there are some things that will not change.

Becoming Minimalist exists to invite people to own less and live more.

That was my mission 14 years ago and will be my mission going forward. I will not waver from it.

Regardless of what changes happen in the future, my focus will remain the same. I wake up every morning, excited to work, trying to answer this question, “How can I help people own less today?”

That passion (and this platform) have led to some wonderful opportunities. But the question I ask about new ideas is always the same, “Will this help people own less?” And that will remain my question going forward.

My promise to you is this:

No matter what happens around us, Becoming Minimalist will remain true to its purpose. We will help people own less and live more.

That you can always count on.

Whether you have been reading Becoming Minimalist for 14 years or 14 minutes, if you recognize that your life is too valuable to waste chasing material possessions, you have come to the right place. Whether you are looking for consistent inspiration to own less or practical ideas to get you there, or just curious about the lifestyle, you have come to the right place.

Stick around awhile.