How Becoming Minimalist Can Help You Live More by Owning Less

At Becoming Minimalist, my passion is this: Help you live more by owning less.

Simply put, our lives are too valuable to waste chasing and accumulating material possessions.

There are greater and more important pursuits that we can devote ourselves to than constantly buying more and more stuff.

Even worse, when we buy more than we need, we actually limit our potential in life. We spend our most important resources (money, time, energy, focus, and passion) on things that can never bring happiness and fulfillment.

Excess possessions distract us from happiness—and also joy, meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. For that reason, my desire is to help EVERYONE live a bigger life by owning less. Including you!

Over the last 15 years, this website has inspired and helped millions accomplish that very thing. But our work is not complete. There are many more left to reach—and there is a next step that you need to take.

When it comes to living a bigger life by owning less, every person can be placed somewhere on this chart. I encourage you to picture where you are and see the next step that you can take to make more of the one life you have to live:

Whatever your next step, I want to help you take it.

Your life is incredibly valuable and I want you to make the very most of it.

Let’s go through each step one-at-a-time:

DISCOVERY STEP

To those who have never heard of the word minimalism or have misunderstandings of what it means:

I want to introduce you to the beautiful world of minimalism.

Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it. It frees us to pursue our greatest passions in life.

Here are the tools I use to help people take this step:

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INSPIRATION STEP

To those who have heard the word minimalism and for the first time are considering if it would benefit them:

I want to help you see how owning less can benefit your life, your family, and those around you.

Here are the tools to help you take this step:

Both are free and designed specifically to inspire and help people own less. If you want more:

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DECISION STEP

To those who have heard the word minimalism and considered its benefits in their home and family:

I encourage you to choose to pursue a life intentionally owning less. This is a decision that only you can make for yourself.

(20-25% of Becoming Minimalist readers are still considering this decision.)

For encouragement, consider the personal benefits of owning less, continue reading Becoming Minimalist, watch my YouTube videos, or talk to others who have made the decision themselves.

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APPLICATION STEP

To those who have decided to intentionally pursue owning less:

I desire to provide all the inspirational and practical resources you need to own less.

(35-40% of Becoming Minimalist readers are actively working to declutter their homes.)

Over the last 15 years, I have discovered that different people need different resources for the process of decluttering their home. Some can hear the word minimalism and that is all they need to get started (this is very few), most people need more specific and intentional help.

In fact, there are four distinct paths that people take on their journey to own less:

1. The Intuitive Path: People who need no help from others and declutter entirely on their own.
2. The Self-Paced Path: People who need some helpful ideas and strategies to declutter, but choose to implement these strategies on their own.
3. The Community Path: People who need more than a set of strategies or tips. They desire directed instruction, community interaction, answers to specific questions, and/or consistent motivation.
4. The Individualized Attention Path: People who need more than the general guidance that most courses offer. They desire one-on-one help (either virtual or in-person) to assist them in owning less and decluttering their homes.

* It is important to note that none of these paths above are better than any of the others. There may be any number of reasons why a person would choose one specific path over another. And it also possible for someone to choose one path and transition to another if they find it more helpful.

The point of the list above is not that one is better than the other. The point is that different people require different tools during the Application Stage of minimizing their possessions.

And my heart is to provide the resources needed for anybody (and everybody) who desires to own less.

If your next step is to continue (or begin) decluttering your home, I want to help you succeed!

For those of you who choose The Intuitive Path:

For those of you who choose The Self-Paced Path:

For those of you who choose The Community Path:

For those of you who choose The Individualized Attention Path:

• You can find a Professional Declutterer to work with you individually in your home. Each Professional has been trained by me specifically in my approach, methods, and strategies to owning less. You can find a professional in your area here: Becker Method Certified Pros

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MAINTAIN STEP

To those who have decluttered their possessions and seek to maintain a minimalist life focused on more valuable pursuits than physical possessions:

I desire to provide the tools and resources to help you maintain that lifestyle in a consumerist society working against you.

(40-45% of Becoming Minimalist readers are actively working to maintain minimalism in their life.)

Maintaining minimalism requires three steps:

1. Creating clutterfree habits in your home
2. Overcoming consumerism in your spending
3. Applying minimalist principles to other areas of life

If you are working to create clutterfree habits in your home, here are the tools to help you accomplish this step:

If you are working to overcome consumerism in your spending, here are the tools to help you accomplish this step:

• I have developed a 4-part Video Series on 7 Life-Changing Strategies to Change Your Spending Habits. That free series will begin on Friday, January 05 on YouTube.

If you are working to apply minimalist principles to other areas of life, here are the tools to help you accomplish this step:

This Maintain Step is where I am intend to create new resources and helpful tools this year.

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ADVOCACY STEP

Joy is meant to be shared.

To those who have discovered minimalism and its potential to bring about a better way of life. Whether you have just discovered it, are actively applying it to life, or are working to maintain it, I encourage you to share it with others in a loving and thoughtful way.

Minimalism holds benefit for all people. When the pursuit and accumulation of excess possessions is removed from our lives, we are all free to pursue greater passions and values.

My desire is that EVERYONE will choose to intentionally own less and the entire world will benefit from it.

I encourage you to become an advocate and share the joy of owning less with others.

Here are the tools to help you accomplish this step:

• Share your story in conversations with family and friends
• Post about your journey of owning less on social media
• Start a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel
• Share meaningful and helpful articles with friends
• Take my Professional Training Course to learn how to help others own less

Minimalism has changed my life. It has brought intentionality and focus to how I spend my time, my money, and my energy.

I am driven by a passion to do my very best to help others live more by owning less.

What is the next step that you need to take to live your biggest and best life, freed from the pursuit of consumerism? Whatever that step is for you, we can help.

I look forward to an exciting 2024 helping you own less and live more.