The More of Less by Joshua Becker

Josh Becker had an epiphany one day while cleaning out his garage.  What started as a father son activity, turned into a long day of hauling, sorting, organizing while junior played with summer toys he hadn't seen for several months. While son begged dad to play with him, Josh was determined to get the garage in order that day.

In the meantime, Josh's neighbor was also puttering around her house. Becker's response to a her sarcastic remark, "Ah, the joys of home ownership" was to joke about how we allow our stuff to own us. She then shared that her daughter chose the path of minimalism and had suggested that her mother didn't need to own all the stuff she did.

That fleeting conversation made a lasting difference as Josh realized that he really didn't need all that stuff. His journey toward ridding himself of unneeded possessions formed the basis for his blog, "Becoming Minimalist" that in turn yielded speaking engagements and finally this book. Becker is passionate about teaching others what he has learned through the paradox of the more [joy, peace, time] of less [stuff].

Josh forces the reader to take a hard look at all they've been accumulating.  Is it making your life better or more burdened?  Does more stuff make you more secure? Improve relationships?  Increase your free time?  As Josh and his wife loosened their hold on stuff, they found they were opening up new vistas of opportunity and joy.  Less stuff meant more time to pursue hobbies and adventures with their kids they had always been meaning to do.

Readers will come away realizing that more stuff is really less of a life. And less stuff will yield more benefits than you could possibly imagine.  Becker offers suggestions on how to take practical steps to minimize and continues to reinforce the idea that you can be a tremendous blessing to others by sharing your excess.

This would be a great gift for those embarking on new steps in life: college graduates, newlyweds, even new parents.  Becker will help them avoid the pitfalls of materialism and help them really examine and shape a fulfilling life with less stuff and more contentment and joy.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of The More of Less for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.