3087: 11 Better Places to Find Pride in Life by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist on Lifestyle, Simplicity & Personal Growth

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[00:01:08] This is Optimal Living Daily Episode 3087, eleven better places to find pride in life.

[00:01:15] By Joshua Becker of becoming minimalist.com, and I'm Justin Malick, the guy who's been

[00:01:20] reading to you every day, including all of days since 2015, and I'm going to keep that

[00:01:25] up so let's get right to it and continue optimizing your life.

[00:01:31] Eleven better places to find pride in life. By Josh Rebecca of becoming minimalist.com.

[00:01:42] Fourteen years ago, I chose to become minimalist. If you're new to this site, you should

[00:01:47] know I didn't start my life trying to own less. Quite the opposite, actually. I chased society's

[00:01:53] definition of success in most of the usual ways. As a result, pay increases resulted in larger

[00:02:00] homes with more rooms filled with more and more stuff. Our income may have been modest,

[00:02:06] but our spending was not. My neighbor first introduced me to the word minimalism while

[00:02:12] I was cleaning up my garage. I was frustrated that Saturday morning at how much wasted time and

[00:02:18] energy and money had gone into the project, especially considering all of the things I wish

[00:02:24] I was doing instead. With that frustration fresh on my mind, when she brought up the idea

[00:02:30] of intentionally owning less, I was drawn to the possibilities immediately. The life-giving

[00:02:36] benefits of owning less are not difficult to imagine. Once you open up your mind to the

[00:02:41] possibility. Over the past fourteen years, my life has changed dramatically. I typically use this

[00:02:49] weekend each year to reflect on some of the changes that have occurred since choosing

[00:02:54] minimalism. This year, I find myself reflecting on how my definition of success has changed

[00:03:01] and where I now find pride in life. If most of the world is looking for pride in their

[00:03:07] assets and the square footage of their home, minimalism has prompted me to begin looking elsewhere.

[00:03:13] Many will consider the pursuit and accumulation of material possessions as a badge of

[00:03:18] honor, but they're mistaken. There are better places to find pride than in stockpiles

[00:03:24] of unnecessary possessions. Here are eleven better places to find pride in life.

[00:03:32] #1. Owning only what you need I'm not sure why society has deemed excess possessions

[00:03:39] a symbol of success. When you really stop to think about the foolishness of

[00:03:43] spending money, time and energy on things we don't need, is actually an odd pursuit. Instead,

[00:03:51] let's find pride in our ability to discern our actual needs and craft our purchases around them.

[00:03:57] Number two, living in a smaller home. The average American home has tripled in size in the last 50 years,

[00:04:05] and other nations are not far behind. My family moved into a smaller home 11 years ago and never traded for

[00:04:13] something bigger. I'm proud to own only what we need in terms of square footage.

[00:04:18] You should be too. Number three, contributing to charity. There are countless injustices and

[00:04:26] needs in this world, from orphan care and poverty to disease, war and oppression. Being generous

[00:04:34] with our excess dollars by donating to organizations and causes, changing the world for good,

[00:04:39] is one of the most honorable and fulfilling things we can do with our money.

[00:04:44] Number four, spending time on things that matter. We all have a limited number of days and hours to

[00:04:52] live our lives as Tom Osborne once said, quote, "You can always make more money, but you can never

[00:04:59] make more time," end quote. To know that we spent our time on things that matter and allocated our

[00:05:05] energy effectively, is among the greatest decisions we can make. Number five, becoming less enamored with money.

[00:05:13] Money provides for our needs and it is important to provide for our families, but the desire for

[00:05:20] money for too many people has become an unquenchable thirst. The modern definition of success and

[00:05:27] the American dream seems to encourage that pursuit. I think it's important to work hard, but not

[00:05:32] always for the sake of adding zeros to our bank account. Number six, being an engaged parent

[00:05:39] and faithful spouse. Among the highest callings on our life is to be faithful to our vows and

[00:05:46] healthy consistently in raising the next generation of human beings. If you're keeping both

[00:05:51] a priority, you ought to find pride in that decision. Number seven, finding opportunity to positively

[00:05:59] inspire others. Legacy is inevitable, and one way or another, your life is going to live on in the

[00:06:06] memories of those you impacted. If you have lived your days looking for opportunity to give life

[00:06:12] and make a positive difference, you will leave this world with a legacy you can be proud of.

[00:06:18] Number eight, contributing to a better world. I mentor once told me, "Leave every room nicer

[00:06:26] than you found it." He was speaking specifically of campsites, restrooms, or rented facilities,

[00:06:32] but I've taken his words and tried to apply them to my life in totality that I'd leave this world

[00:06:38] better than I found it. That my life would be a net positive on the human race.

[00:06:44] Number nine, making the most of your current situation. It is unfair to compare people based on

[00:06:51] where they end up in life. Nobody begins from the same spot. As the old adage goes, some people

[00:06:57] are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple. It's never fair to assume

[00:07:03] everybody should be at the same finish line. However, everybody can start where they are with what

[00:07:09] they've got and make the most of their current circumstances. Number ten, treating others the way

[00:07:16] you want to be treated. Remaining true to our conscience and character is among the highest

[00:07:23] of callings on our life. Of course, there are various definitions of

[00:07:27] morality and some may change from person to person. But the Golden Rule serves as a good

[00:07:33] measure for all of us. If you've spent your life treating others the way you want to

[00:07:38] be treated, madzei you've got lots to be proud of. 11. Living Life, True Dear Colling, Society

[00:07:47] shifts as often as the wind and the pressure to conform is unrelenting. But there's no

[00:07:53] pride to be found following the crowd at least not in any pursuit that distracts from

[00:07:58] your highest calling. Ralph Waldo Emerson captured the struggle well, quote, "To be yourself

[00:08:05] in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment

[00:08:10] and quote. There are pursuits in life that contribute to pride and life satisfaction,

[00:08:17] Then there are pursuits that do not choose the former, always. You just listen to the post titled

[00:08:28] "11 Better Places to Find Pride in Life" by Joshua Becker of becoming minimalist.com

[00:08:33] and I'll be right back with my commentary. We've heard from a lot of amazing people on this

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[00:09:37] masterclass.com/old. Thank you to Joshua. Hopefully there's an idea here that resonates with

[00:09:47] you and can be added into your life. Slowly of course, especially if it's a big change.

[00:09:52] For me personally, I've been on this journey since 2015. My business partner introduced

[00:09:58] me to blogs like Zen Habits, Corny Covers Bmore is less, the minimalist and Joshua Becker.

[00:10:06] And what I found from narrating so many articles and doing this day after day is that

[00:10:12] these ideas slowly become sort of stuck in the back of your mind in a good way, just

[00:10:18] from those constant touch points every day. It's kind of like how if all you watch or listen

[00:10:24] into is true crime stories, you start to get a bit more suspicious of strangers. It's

[00:10:31] a real phenomenon. So the more we can give our attention to positivity, inspiring messages

[00:10:37] and ideas like minimalism, the better. I feel like for me, now each purchase is basically

[00:10:45] automatically put through a filter. I'm less on autopilot. Hopefully you found the same

[00:10:50] for yourself or if you're new here, do stick around and watch what happens and definitely share

[00:10:55] with me if it's having a positive impact and really enjoy hearing those stories. And with

[00:11:00] that, thank you for your attention here. I've been able to keep doing this every day because

[00:11:04] of you. Have a great rest of your day and we'll be back tomorrow where you're optimal

[00:11:09] life.