2016
Wordless Wednesday 06/22
*Rushing water over Sand Creek Falls (July 2014, Lagoon Park, Jordan, MN)*
Wordless Wednesday 06/08
*Clouds rolling in over the mountains tops (December 2007, somewhere between Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru)*
Happy 7th Birthday!
She needs no introduction….The Boo….
The More of Less by Joshua Becker
It has been more than three weeks since I have finished the book titled The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own by Joshua Becker and honestly this was a book I really couldn’t put down after I started it.
Before I tell you about the book specifically I want to point something out, I had originally started with only the Kindle version and was enjoying reading it at nights before bed but I realized that I only found limited time to pick it up every night as it didn’t fit with my normal routine of reading/listening to things. So I decided to upgrade my purchase to the audible companion which was well worth it as I could listen to the Audiobook during my morning run, or while cleaning up and getting things ready in the evening for the next day. However, the biggest benefit was that I could then pick up my Kindle and actually physically read the book right where my audio portion left off. Honestly, the best of both worlds and I would recommend it for this book as I can see myself reading and listening to it again in the near future.
Now onto my thoughts of “The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything you Own” by Joshua Becker. For someone like me that has just stumbled upon this concept of minimalism, I still really hadn’t figure out what it meant and assumed that this book was going to tell me how to throw away almost everything I own. I quickly realized by Joshua’s definition of minimalism it didn’t specifically talk about “physical things” and in fact, I feel this is a much better definition than what people think.
Minimalism: the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from them
After reading that definition in the book it dawned on me as to why he titled the book “The More of Less.” Through the book, he explains this from his own personal story of why he wanted less as well as through the stories of others which are great examples of how The More of Less can take on many forms. In fact, you quickly realize there isn’t a wrong answer or a right way, you just need to figure out your own WHY. It is a tough question that takes some time to figure out and I honestly believe it might change as you go. It has for me at least. Once you start formulating it in your head, it should become clearer as to the actions you might want to take in order to get you on the right track. That track is again where this book is great. Joshua does a great job laying out various examples of what you can do to take those next steps after the why. In fact, most are simple steps to get you started, and nothing life-changing like selling/getting rid of everything you own. Now I had started some of this process of removing less value-added things in my life (I call it decluttering) before I read the book but one of his super simple ideas to start was to keep your car clean. Why that is so simple that it hadn’t even been on my mind yet and with 3 kids your car quickly becomes overtaken with “stuff” all over. So that night after reading that part of the book I cleaned both our vehicles out. Now after 3 weeks it is still cleaner than before because it is easier than before and every time I get into my car I just feel that much better.
That was just one example of the many that are touched on in the book. Honestly, when I got to the last page I was just finishing an early morning run and I was a little sad that the book was over. There is so many useful examples/thoughts that Joshua put in there and I enjoyed hearing all of them as they continued to shape my thoughts.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone as I think everyone can find pieces/parts of the book that will relate to their lives no matter what your own personal situation is. Joshua Becker has also written some other books, has a blog where he captures his thoughts as well at Becoming Minimalist, and also has a 12-week course titled Uncluttered.
Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like. - Will Rogers
Had a great time last night catching up with this guy in the wine country of Waconia
Second stop tonight..
Date night with this lady as we tour the vineyards of Waconia.
Had a great lunch today with this kid!
Very rainy walk to meet my son for lunch today at school but well worth it.
Everything is a Remix: Star Wars Edition
I really can’t say enough great things about Kirby Ferguson’s work as I have written about it before (Everything is a Remix and Everything is a Remix Remastered and Kickstarter). However, he put together a new remix video around how Star Wars The Force Awakens is just one remix after another. As always Kirby does an excellent job researching the topic and then putting the story/details altogether. If you enjoyed his other videos this one will not disappoint either.
Now if you are like me and enjoy Kirby’s work you might like to know that he is trying to produce more of these mini “Everything is Remix” videos but he needs your help. So he has created another Kickstarter project to hopefully help raise some more funds to tackle projects like these through the rest of the year instead of creating projects for other organizations. He has already met the Kickstarter goal of $5000, which is great news because people can snag a really cool shirt and help support the project. However, with 22 days to go, the hope is that should allow enough time to try to help him reach at least the first stretch goal of $20k so he will have the funds necessary to produce another addition to the Everything is a Remix series.
Obviously, I would encourage everyone and anyone that found the original series interesting to back this current project or more specifically check out his Patron site to fund more of his work ongoing. I have been following him for quite a few years now, I mentioned before and am definitely going to throw some more support his way.
Somewhere over the rainbow..... *(June 2015 Flagstaff, AZ)*
Can you really tell if a kid is lying?
If you have kids you will definitely enjoy the first 10 min of the video as Mr. Kang Lee says we should celebrate when our kids start to lie. Wait… what! I know but I don’t want to spoil the video so watch it and hear what else he has to say on the topic. Also, the best slide in the video is where he shows the accuracy of which groups of people (e.g., parents, parents of other kids, police officers, judges, child protection lawyers) can tell if a kid is lying.
After watching the video do you feel confident in being able to catch your kid or other kids lying?
*Light shining through the clouds on a long drive*
Good way to start a Friday and I think these two agree.
Happy Mother’s Day to my amazing wife! Kids were super excited to give her breakfast in bed.
Congratulations and Thanks!
A “little” side project that some of you know about, Blogging Meetup (formerly Bloggers Meetup), got some great news when it was featured on Wordpress’s own Daily Post article talking about ‘Stay Supported with a Blogging Group’. That was very exciting news for me and my co-founder Amanda of the project. For what started out based on some comments in a Blogging 101 course back on February 19, 2016, is starting to really grow, grow, grow.
It is always a great feeling to know that something you have created is actually working, bringing people together, and having people find the end result useful. In the same time, I hope every member of the Blogging Meetup is just as excited as we are as it couldn’t have been done by ourselves. It is every one that participates, encourages, supports each other, and talks to others about the Community. Honestly, it would not/could not exist without all of the members doing those things or keeping conversations going. Even if you aren’t someone that participates in an active discussion on the site, I am guessing/hoping every now and then you have used the Index to find a new blog or clicked on someone’s Blog liked on the chat page. Participation doesn’t need to be always commenting on the site as discovering other blogs is a big part of the whole experience. That is where the Community effect comes into play and that is why I feel like we are doing something right.
So I want to give a big CONGRATULATIONS and virtual HIGH FIVE to everyone that has been, is currently, or in the future is planning on being involved in the Blogging Meetup Community. This is still only the beginning as we continue to grow and try to figure out what works, what doesn’t, and the bigger question of what’s next.
One final note, I think there is a huge opportunity in the near future for the community to help support people taking the On-Demand Blogging U Courses. We have bloggers of all different types/skills in our community and as I wrote this morning on the Blogging Meetup, a big factor I joined those courses was for the Community.
Very peaceful early morning run around the lake
Broken wheelbarrow.. The Boo doesn’t like to waste so she has repurposed it.
