“To give your best to others you must first give your best to yourself.”
— Ryan Nicodemus
Inside Minimalism
Subscribe to Our Weekly Series
You can subscribe to become a member of our Inside Minimalism series brought to you by our dedicated team of writers. Subscribe for a year and save 50%.
Get the Book
If a subscription isn’t for you, you can still enjoy our series of essays on simple living by downloading Volume 1 containing a collection of 50 short essays.
→ Download the eBook or Order the Print Book
The Solution Is the Problem
Words by Joshua Fields Millburn
Most people want “solutions” because they’re unwilling to dig down to the root of the problem. The real problem.
So-called solutions are but an opiate.
Most how-to lists, step-by-step instructions, and habit-change remedies are drugs that mask the symptoms, yet they compound the problem in the long run.
What if, instead of numbing the pain, we sidestepped the solutions and scrutinized the problem itself?
If your desk chair is aflame, reading the Fire Safety Manual won’t save you. The problem isn’t a lack of instructions—the problem is your posterior is on fire.
If you own too much stuff, watching a “67 decluttering steps” video won’t help. The problem isn’t a shortage of decluttering tips—the problem is the attachment to stuff.
If you want to find tranquility, pondering the “7 habits of effective people” won’t bring you peace. The problem isn’t your “bad” habits—the problem is thinking “good” habits will trigger joy.
Solutions are seductive, but they rarely solve anything because chasing a “fix” removes our attention from the problem.
It is only when we understand the fundamental nature of the problem that it is eradicated.
If you understand the why, the how takes care of itself.
Attitudes of Gratitude
Words by Alicia Woodward
The year 2020 may go down in history books as one of the worst years ever! How can we possibly be grateful for a year like this? It reminds me of a story I heard when I was young.
There once were twin boys. One was exceedingly pessimistic and the other exceedingly optimistic. Their parents, quite concerned, took them to a psychiatrist. The doctor put the pessimist in a room full of everything a child could ever desire. From a one-way mirror, they observed the boy sitting in the corner crying and wailing, “The candy is sticky! The toys are broken! The ice cream is melting! Everything is just terrible!”
Meanwhile, the optimist was placed in a room filled to the brim with horse manure. The boy was observed laughing and cheerfully digging through the manure. Astonished, the doctor went into the room and asked what he was doing. The young optimist replied, “With all this poop, there has to be a pony in here somewhere!”
I don’t know about you, but amid serious global and national challenges, I had my share of personal struggles this year. More than once, I felt like that little boy in a room full of horse manure. What the story taught me long ago was to always look for the pony.
When things seem bad, that’s when it’s most important to look for the good. It might sound overly simple and trite, but appreciating the little things really is what makes life worth living—an amazing sunrise, a funny joke, a bluebird at the feeder, a delicious meal, a beautiful song, a hot bath, a friendly wink.
Gratitude and optimism go hand-in-hand. Businessman Price Pritchett said, “There’s a lot more to be gained from being grateful than you might think. Managing your outlook towards appreciation and thankfulness feeds the soul. It brings calm and contentment. It lifts your levels and happiness and hope. Gratitude will amplify your positive recollections about times past, and in turn, sets the stage for optimism about the future.”
To help say goodbye to 2020 with an attitude of gratitude, I’m suggesting a December Gratitude Challenge. The idea is to focus on all the joy that still surrounds us at the bitter end of what was not the greatest year ever. There are many ways you can adapt the December Gratitude Challenge—keep a journal, make a paper chain, or just add it to your nightly prayers. I made a Gratitude Jar.
Every evening in December, my husband and I will each write something specific for which we were grateful that day and drop the slip of paper into the jar. On New Year’s Eve, we will read them together. (That my husband is going along with this will likely be the first thing I add to the jar!)
Even, no, especially in a year like this, December is a month when miracles happen. Tiny miracles. Big miracles. Good things are all around us. Sometimes we just have to dig a little to find them.
A Little More of Less
A few other articles we think you might enjoy…
→ Your Attention is Being Bought—and Sold by Joshua Becker
→ 10 Books To Encourage Simplicity, Sobriety, Anti-Racism and Boundaries by Courtney Carver
→ A Sensory Approach to Decluttering Sentimental Items by Emily McDermott
Are any of your friends interested in minimalism or living simply?
If so, please invite them to subscribe.