Books are everywhere, in every room, on every table. They inform, decorate, impress, inspire, and more.

Most of us buy a non-fiction book for the information. It tells us that we have just traded something, usually an hour of our work time, in exchange for knowledge.

But on the flip side, getting rid of a book tends to indicate getting rid of knowledge. This can help explain why National Geographic magazines still exist in many homes.

I’m not here to tell you to get rid of your books. I’m here to say that getting rid of them doesn’t mean you are getting rid of knowledge.

Head-knowledge is almost obsolete now. The internet has made all kinds of information widely accessible. Jobs and careers are now specializing heavily. The point now is not to have the information, but to know where to find it.

Buying a book new is the equivalent of buying a car. As soon as you take it out of the store and the 10 day return expires, the price someone will pay for that book drops like a rock. You pay for having it first.

Think about why you are buying a book before you get one. Information is free or extremely cheap. Newspapers are having problems because people are realizing that.

Those who follow the self-help, minimalism or even Christian help “movements” have to be especially aware. Often a book is the easy way out. I know I have read enough free material to know in general what a new book or class will talk about. I love reading about other’s journey and little hints and tips about these subjects, but there is only so much you can read about without actually doing something.

You can only read so much about organizing your house and getting rid of clutter before you’ve read everything anyone has to say on the topic and you’re left with actually going forward. I struggled with this when starting this blog. My thoughts were, “do we really need another blog on minimalism?”  I answer that now by noting that no, we don’t.

But I keep this up for two reasons. One, I needed to stop reading about minimalism, and creating a career you love and start doing it. Two, part of the beauty of the internet is that everyone else can have a blog, why not me? I may not hit the big time, I may not influence many, but the point is to put it out there. Someone may stumble on this and not on other minimal blogs. I believe that in this cultural/historical context, one of the most important things to realize is that possessions aren’t everything, and that we are not living out our faith as Christians if we behave much as everyone else with regards to our stuff.

Books are good, but they can only take you so far. Getting rid of books doesn’t mean getting rid of knowledge. In fact, getting rid of books might help you to get started on doing what all those books told you about.

I was at a concert last year, one I was looking forward to. Many people had their cell phones out and were recording it.

I wasn’t one of them.

It was nice, to just listen and attempting to sing along.

I’m glad I took the time to really be present, even though it wasn’t a classical music session.

The person came down from stage and walked around, passing not ten feet from me.

I didn’t record it.

Yet I still remember it clearly.

I’ve had times where I felt I would lose a moment or memory if I didn’t take a picture. I took one. I don’t remember the moment.

Pictures and video have a time and purpose, but lets not forget to enjoy the occasion. Don’t overwhelm everyone with snapshots

1. I am too sensitive and overreact?

2. I tend to say whatever I feel regardless of the consequences?

3. I tend to remember the slights and mistreatments of others?

4. My voice is too loud?

5. I answer back to people too quickly?

6. I excuse myself when I take out my frustrations and discomforts on other people?

7. I am stingy with my smiles?

8. I tend toward a sour disposition?

9. I try to “get even” when I have been mistreated?

10. I remind others of my failures?

11. I frequently feel misunderstood?

12. I always see the difficulties in every situation?

13. It is hard for me to be kind to those beneath my station?

14. I tend to complain and nag

15. I dislike giving credit where credit is due?

Here is the solution to my problem:

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” -Ephesians 4:31-32

I didn’t expect to do it, but out of the need to move my fish tank, it happened. Partly due to a lack of cash and partly because of the growing number of ebooks available, this seemed to be the best thing for me.

Another reason is that I’m realizing that some of these books belong to my fantasy self. The part of me that says, “I need to keep that, you never know when I will want to study *insert doctrine here*” Or the one that comes up often as, “This book will help you be a better Christian.” I mean, who would give away books that would help them know God and get closer to Him? In those cases I have to remind myself that it is the Bible that people have relied on for that purpose, not necessarily Christian books.

It can be so hard to live without fear, especially when it comes to giving up things. Part of the reason we keep so many possessions is because of the security they appear to give. Freedom from want. In daring to live now, I want to say to myself that those are real fears, they are possibilities, but to consider what I really fear. Not having Christian books is not the end of the world. Not having that particular tool when I will need it will not set me back a lot of money.

One shelf of books does not mean ignorance or failure.

Think of the last time you had orange or grape juice. Was it anything special? What if I told you that there are people who consider that one glass of juice a special treat? That happened to me recently and it made me realize how privileged I am.

Perhaps some of us could live in voluntary scarcity and simplicity. What if we decided to take something that we consider a special treat, and voluntarily decide to live without it for a certain limit of time. We might save money, but I think it will also help us appreciate it more. I think I am going to do this with chocolate. It is usually cheap and tastes great, but maybe I don’t enjoy it as much since I have it so often.

Instead of instant gratification, how about we decide to wait, learn to live without, and make it special later and enjoy it more?

The minimalist one room studio apartment.

It has been a long time in coming, but now I can say I’m happy with my apartment, how it looks.

I’ve been pursuing this for a long time. Getting rid of things that I don’t need. Pairing down my already small amount of possessions. Ever organizing.

But I realized something.

Minimalism is about getting rid of clutter in order to focus on things that you enjoy. I realized that I was constantly getting rid of things and never moving on to the next step.

Let me backtrack though.

One reason to embrace a minimalist lifestyle is because possessions take up space in your mind. You think about them constantly. What you have, how much they cost, what about them needs to be fixed, the fact that some need to be replaced. Every item has this cost associated with it.

But at some point in the minimalist journey, you have to say that it is enough, that you are satisfied with how far you’ve gone. Just like it cost a lot in mental energy to have so many things, it cost mental energy to keep a minimalist home exactly as you want it on a regular basis. And after realizing that, I’ve let go of the need to have it perfect.  I can move to the next stage of doing what I love.

“More like a chump” replies the father.

Or an intern.

Some of you have been through that. I’m still there. Others may not have had to. Some choose it over driving. Leo Babauta of the
Zenhabits website made the choice to use it. I thought it might be stressful or even dangerous to ride the bus, but it has turned out to be the opposite.

Perception: Public transportation is dangerous (to people or property).

Many of us are afraid of those who are different than us. Its irrational, but we do. Movies and TV shows help that fear stay and grow in our mind. But its not true. Sure there are some places where it may not be safe, but mostly we are just not comfortable being around people who are different than us. Using public transportation exposes us to humanity. The rough and dirty world out there. It is true that a certain part of the population can be found on busses and trains, but it really is one of the safest forms of transportation.

What do we do with Jesus’ saying that we are to go and invite those to our feasts (or parties) that can’t pay us back? We’ve been sheltered from the world and the Christianity seen in America today is so far removed from what the Bible speaks of. You may not be ready to invite strangers from the bus to your Christmas party, but going where they are is enough. Whatever you feel like doing, take a small step out into fearless and be around humanity and others.

Perception: I’m in a hurry and the bus doesn’t fit my timetable.

Probably true. But I’ve found that if riding public transportation is an absolute necessity, you’ll schedule your time around that. I’m not saying to give up your car, but it can be useful to give up on the illusion of control. Most things in life we can’t control but we forget that. We have expectations of people and things, and get frustrated when it doesn’t meet our beliefs.  Learn to live in reality, be fearless that sometimes we will have to wait and that the bus doesn’t always get there on time. Lets embrace life.

Though in some ways, using public transportation can be more convenient. I usually take an express bus home from work, and it is one of the most relaxing parts of my day. We leave downtown at the start of rush hour. Instead of getting angry at everyone I can actually enjoy the sun sets. One of the main reasons I use the bus is because parking downtown can get really expensive, not to mention the cost of gas, maintenance, parking fees, and the mad scramble home. I can enjoy my time downtown more when I’m not worried about all these things.

While taking public transportation may not be the answer for everyone at all times, it is an answer and the good outweighs the rare bad things that happen. It helps me to learn more about people and life. I’ve listened to people talk and see what is normal for different groups. It is a prime ministry field to learn how to love
and care for others. You might even make friends with the other regulars.

Bible translators, they work very hard for years to do what they need to do. Make a written alphabet, teach others to read, actually translate the Bible, etc. While it was brought up, we often don’t think much about the extreme length of time that it takes to actually translate the Bible. It takes days full of effort and they are at times filled with problems, stresses, hardship, and yet also with love, joy and gladness over what is achieved.

Days add up and over the course of many years leads to an amazing finished product. Something that impacts a large group of people. It is interesting to see how for Bible translators, they admit there were day-to-day struggles but the constant theme it goes back to is that it is all worth it. What are we doing on a daily basis that has long term value?

Until very recently, time has been measured in months and years, not minutes and hours. We are in a hurry to get results as fast as we can. But it doesn’t work that way. Investing time now often doesn’t lead to a bigger payout until later. I struggle with it. I really don’t want to write these posts at times, knowing that most likely, they will not be read. I get tired after work and the last thing I want to do after dinner is sit down and work some more. I probably won’t see results from all this effort until later down the road, but once I get myself thinking that success is measured in longer time periods, it will help motivate me to pursue this dream.

Many of the Bible translators I heard speak had lived out their dream. They had a full life, they took a chance, trusted God and went for it. Success in life is measured in months and years, not hours and days. I want to spend some of my time each day working on something that will be meaningful in the future. I want to live a full life.

But what if we realized that everyone else is trying to impress everyone else ? We all are looking for validation from others that our life means something. Which is why people today who don’t feel they are good at anything feel miserable about themselves, that they have no meaning in life. It’s often hard to be happy when the world around you judges your importance by what you do for a job or school.

So we look to impress people all the time in order to feel important. This can range from showing off what you can do, to having a smart phone and checking emails often simply to tell others that you while you mean nothing to them, other people out there need you and realize your importance.

But only once we see that most everyone has these insecurities, can we get off this treadmill and into confidence. Think of what you do have, and be confident in that. If you have no ‘marketable skills’ then simply enjoy life as it is, be confident in that and realize that you can enjoy lifewhile others stress. It’s a simple and much more enjoyable life.

And remember, there is usually a trait in everyone that people admire, realize you have one and enjoy life.

You have something, be confident in it. Other people are trying to impress you. Help them see what they have so they don’t go through life always afraid of what others think.

Expecting too much too soon

One thing I’ve seen is that adventures can take a long time. Months even. In this series, the author allows at least 4 months to pass with minimal activity. The book stays exciting but we only see highlights in the time frame of a winter.

We tend not to see past the action into the dullness of everyday life. A boat trip can take place over 3 weeks and span 10 pages. We think there is more adventure in the characters lives than in our own. But maybe that’s not true. Even the characters have dull times

How about we make the most out of the exciting and adventurous times in our lives. We prepare ourselves to be the best we can, and then enjoy when the adventure comes. Study and read a language, even when we don’t want to, and be glad when we get to that country and can use it.

Novels never show us the tedious and boring times in the exact proportion to the exciting ones, but they are there and they show that those times prepare us to succeed when we go on our adventure