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The Minimalists The Minimalists
Emmy-nominated Netflix stars, podcasters, and New York Times–bestselling authors Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus help millions of people live meaningfully with less. The Minimalists have been featured in TIME, GQ, ABC, CBS, NBC, BBC, NPR, and they have spoken at Harvard, Apple, Google.

I Could Never Do That!

We lie to ourselves to justify our actions.

The most offensive lie I told myself was that I could never do something—That sounds great, but I could never do it!—thus making it impossible in my mind.

Similarly, many people lie to themselves to justify their decision to not embark on their own minimalist journey: I could never be a minimalist because [fill in the blank].

But even after I became a minimalist, I told myself this lie. I said…

I could never stop buying stuff. Then, for a year, I stopped buying material goods.

I could never quit my corporate job. Then, over time, I left that job after twelve years.

I could never get rid of most of my clothes. Then, over time, I donated 90% of my clothes to Goodwill.

I could never give up my daily routine. Then, over time, I replaced my routine with habits I love.

I could never get rid of the home Internet or television or unused furniture. But then, over time, I did: I got rid of all these things—and much more.

Getting rid of the excess in my life has allowed me to focus on what’s important: people, experiences, this moment.

The truth is there are very few things I could never do. The same goes for you: minimalism is a continuum. My version is different from Ryan’s, which’ll be different from yours. And that’s okay—minimalism isn’t meant to be one-size-fits-all.

So when you tell yourself I could never be a minimalist because [fill in the blank], what is your blank, and how could you erase it?