Download Thriving on Less here.

The Rich rules over the poor And the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.  Prov. 22:7

“Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” Luke 12:15

If you read my post from a few days ago on The Explosion of Minimalism, you know about my conversion to minimalism and my attempts to live as simple a lifestyle as possible.  It has been great so far and has really helped me in a number of areas.  I am still in the process of editing down my possessions and commitments, both personally and financially, and have a way to go yet, but I am experiencing more  peace of mind and increased ability to focus.  My performance at work has improved and I am able to concentrate on the task at hand more fully.

The Scriptures are full of exhortations to simplicity of life and our dealings with each other.  A prime example is Jesus admonition to let your yes be yes and your no be no. (Matt 5:37)  When I am over extended and overwhelmed, with responsibilities and commitments pulling me in often opposite directions, my ‘yes’ and ‘no’ are rarely unqualified.

When I am drowning in debt and stressed, my financial choices are not the best.  I recently spent five years in a job that took me out of church and away from my family because I was afraid of going broke and had gotten us in a precarious situation financially.   It damaged my relationship with my wife and kids.

Another thing that really bothered me was that my job performance suffered because of the crazy hours and the stress. Not only was I ashamed , but I felt it reflected poorly on the Gospel. It is known at my place of employment that I am a Christian, and to not be consistently doing my job well says the wrong thing about my faith. Stepping down to another position more in line with my life goals and priorities has enabled me to perform at top levels again.  My work ethic is known and respected by my bosses and co-workers.

After ruthlessly cutting our expenses and paying off most of our debt, financial disaster has not overtaken us as I had feared when we suffered a loss of income. We need a lot less to get by now.  We are much less slaves of the lender than we had been.

Here is a link  to download a free e-book entitled ‘Thriving on Less’ written by Leo Babauta of Zenhabits.net.  It is a companion book to his published work ‘The Power of Less.” (Note: I have not had a chance to read ‘The Power of Less’ yet, but will do a review here when I have finished it.)

‘Thriving on Less’ is a great intro to minimalism and simplicity for those unfamiliar with the concepts or who are just starting out. I enjoy Leo’s writing, and the concepts and actions laid out in this e-book have had real world results in my life. I hope they are of help to you too.

By Pat K

Posted in General