Meeting the Minimalism Guy
On Wednesday night, I grabbed my copy of a book called Uncluttered Faith, hopped in the car, and drove to a church on the outskirts of my neighborhood to hear the book’s author give a talk.
I arrived right when the doors opened because I wanted to get a good seat. A staff member ushered me through a couple hallways. And I was startled to find that the author himself was greeting people as they came in.
I’ve been following Joshua Becker on YouTube for over a year now. He’s a significant voice in the Christian minimalism movement, and his teachings have been helping me as I attempt to practice minimalism in my own life.
Joshua greeted me in the hall and shook my hand as I introduced myself. It was a little surreal to meet in-person a man I’d only seen on a screen.
He seemed…well, normal. It was nice to get that feeling. Oftentimes influential people on the internet can be caught up in hustle or celebrity culture, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for him. Especially since the event was free!
I walked into the sanctuary, and the rest of the audience began filing in. The demographic was mainly middle-aged and older women, and I joked with a friend through a text message that I wondered what that said about me. However, I did eventually see other demographics of people at this event, even some other young men!
The lecture was good, but my favorite part was the Q&A session at the end. I had a question that I thought I knew the answer to, but I still wanted to hear what he had to say about it. As it turned out, someone else asked it first.
“How can I deal with the fact that I spent so much money on the things I need to get rid of?”
I once wrote about “Dragon Sickness” on this blog, an issue I’ve been dealing with for much of my life that causes me to want to buy and collect things I don’t really need. Recently, I’ve been calling it “Shiny Object Syndrome,” which might be an even more apt name for it. It also makes an apropos acronym.
My greatest regret about my “SOS” is that I’ve spent money over the years that I now wish I’d saved instead. Many things I bought were collectible items that should still technically be worth something. But the process of getting someone else to pay me what they’re worth and take them off my hands has been a long, anxiety-inducing slog. Fortunately, my ability to resist the temptation to impulse-purchase has improved!
Joshua Becker’s answer to this question was simple, and it’s one I’d heard before (from my own sister, no less). I just haven’t wanted to accept it.
“Donate the stuff.”
He went on to provide some nuance by saying, “If you need the money, sure, try to sell some of it. But don’t try to sell all of it. Give most of it away. You’ll get more joy out of being generous than you will from trying to get back the money you spent. Most people don’t actually need the extra money they could earn from selling everything they’re trying to get rid of.”
I think he’s mostly right about this. Even something as simple as a yard sale, where people expect to pay pennies on the dollar, takes a lot of work and emotional energy which could be deferred simply by hauling stuff to a thrift store. Joshua also pointed out that the sting of giving away something that previously had significant value can be considered the “price” of learning a valuable minimalism lesson.
I have more difficulty with the idea of “not needing the extra money.” Our nation’s economy is currently in a place where it’s common for inflation to outpace people’s annual raises (if they’re even getting an annual raise). Many people technically earn less every year simply because prices are rising and their money isn’t going as far as it used to. Consumer debt levels are also increasing as a result.
The broad movement of the economy is not something I can control, unfortunately. And trying to sell possessions isn’t going to go very far in helping me regain money I let slip through my fingers years ago.
The ideas Joshua shared in his answer can be freeing, though. If I choose to give away many of my unneeded possessions rather than stress about selling them, perhaps I can turn my regret into a blessing for someone else.
Sure, I’ll still try to sell some things that I can definitely get a bit of money back for. I already have in some cases. But the truth is, in most cases, I just need to open my clenched fists and let go.
One last word on this topic. Yesterday, June 26, was the nine-year anniversary of my mom passing away.
Mom was passionate about decluttering. I grew up in a home with a lot of stuff collected over decades, and Mom worked hard trying to organize and minimize. Her untimely death left her decluttering projects unfinished, and my dad ended up finishing them so he could sell the house a few years later. However, I moved forward with a collect-then-regret mindset that I’ve been working to overcome for most of my adult life.
I think Mom would be happy that I attended a lecture by a Christian man whose whole message is, “Live well with what you need, and let go of any possessions that weigh you down or hold you back from your full potential.”
Now to actually apply these hard lessons…