It's a minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily Episode 1683 changes in the rear view and struggling with choices, both by Joshua Fields, Milburn of the Minimalist.com and I'm Justin Molick, the guy that reads to you every single day of the year, including weekends and holidays to help you live a more meaningful and positive life. Two posts today, both from Josh of the Minimalist, so let's get right to them as we optimize your life. Changes in the rear view by Joshua Fields, Milburn of the Minimalist.com I spoke with a man in dire straits recently. This man was calling John.
He laid before me many of his problems, a crumbling marriage, massive debt, low income, an unhealthy lifestyle. John was unhappy, depressed, and frustrated with where he was in life, so he asked me for my advice. He wanted to know how I'd change so many things in such a short period of time. I explained to John that I didn't have any advice for him.
I told him he knew his situation better than I ever could, and he likely knew what to do. Then I asked what advice he'd give himself if he were in my shoes. John spent the next 15 minutes explaining detail after detail exactly what he would say to himself to fix his marriage, get out of debt, increase his income, and regain control of his health. I smiled and said, well that sounds like great advice.
Too bad our own advice is the hardest pill to swallow. Of course, he didn't like his own advice because it was too gradual, plus his advice wasn't easy. He had recommended only small incremental changes that wouldn't likely make a huge difference right away. Instead, he wanted the magic pill, something that would radically change his life immediately.
He wanted instant gratification, but his advice seemed so basic, so intuitive that it couldn't be what I did to change my life. I obviously had the shortcut with this whole minimalism thing, and he wanted my secret. I told John that while I had no advice for him, I could tell him how I'd change my life, and he could see whether any of those changes were applicable to his situation, and if they were, he could use my life as a recipe, tweezing out the relevant ingredients to apply them to his own recipe for living. Then for the next 15 minutes, I simply echoed his advice back to him, changing a few details to make them fit my life.
You see, I didn't have a magic strategy either. It took me two long years to change my life, one small change at a time. Two years ago, I was also unhappy, in debt, out of shape, and stuck. It took me two years to pay off most of my debt and establish a minimalist budget.
I focused on paying off one creditor at a time. I allocated every extra dollar to pay off my car. I sold my house and moved into an apartment. I got rid of any superfluous bills like cable TV, internet, and satellite radio.
It took me two years to get into the best shape of my life, exercising every day, and completely changing my diet over time. It took me two years to give less meaning to my physical possessions, focusing instead on important relationships, personal growth, and contribution. It took me two years to get away from corporate America and pursue my passions. None of it happened overnight.
It certainly wasn't easy, but a lot can change in a year or two. I changed my life by focusing on small changes each day. I focused on those small changes one at a time, not on everything I wanted to change. And then one day, I looked in the rearview mirror, and everything was different.
Struggling with choices by Joshua Fields-Milburn of the Minimalist.com People often ask whether they should call me Joshua or Josh. My answer was simple. Call me whichever name you prefer, whichever name makes you feel the most comfortable. People are sometimes troubled by such answers, and I understand why.
We want to be told what to do. We want to do the right thing. But there isn't always a right thing in every situation. Sometimes there are several correct answers.
Sometimes there are no correct answers at all. And this bothers us. We are conditioned with the desire to be correct, the desire to be congruent, the desire to win. And to win.
We must not only be correct, but we must be the most correct. And herein lies the problem. Sure, Joshua and Josh are both correct, but which name is the most correct? Well, neither is the most correct.
Both names are completely correct and accurate and fine by me. I simply want you to feel comfortable, so call me either. My mother used to call me by both names. I used both names in writing and in person.
Most of my high school friends used to call me Milburn or Millie, so I'm still due. And you can call me what you want, just don't call me collect. The truth is that many things in our lives have dozens of correct answers. And we can pick the correct answer that suits us best.
Sometimes we don't know if our choice is the right choice until after we make it. And sometimes we never know. Often the most important part is that we make a choice and stick to it. Once we choose, then we live with our decision.
If it was the right choice, then we learn a lesson. And if it was the wrong choice, then we learn a lesson. Either way we grow and life goes on. You just listen to the post titled Changes in the Rearview and Struggling with Choices, both by Joshua Fields-Milburn of the Minimalist.com.
Or Josh Fields-Milburn of the Minimalist.com or just Josh. That's what I call him. Glad you're doing it for today. Hope you're having a great start to your week and I'll be back tomorrow as usual.
Or your optimal life. Oh, wait.