Happiness is an expansive
concept, it goes without saying. At its fundament, the term 'happiness' is
abstract and abstruse and can be a mind-numbing, migraine-inducing thing to try
to explain with words. But it was this complex idea-the thought of being truly
happy-that led us to live simpler lives. Happiness was at the precipice of our
journey. It was happiness that led us to minimalism. Eventually.
But let's rewind.
Before we discovered the
concepts of minimalism, and before we understood the importance of simplifying
our lives, we were successful young professionals from Dayton, Ohio. But we
were only ostensibly successful.
You see, back then people
saw two best friends with their large homes with more bedrooms than
inhabitants. They were envious. They saw our six-figure jobs, our luxury cars,
our new gadgets, and our life of opulence, and they thought, These guys have it figured out. I want to be just like them. They saw all of those
things-all of that superfluous stuff-and
they just knew that we were successful. After all, we were living the American
Dream, weren't we?
But the truth is that we
weren't successful at all. Maybe we looked successful- displaying our status
symbols as if they were trophies-but we weren't truly successful.
What's worse, we found out
that we didn't have control of our own time and thus didn't control our own
lives.
And then, as our lives were
spiraling downward in ever-diminishing circles towards empty oblivion, we
inadvertently discovered minimalism. Or perhaps it discovered us, as it were.
It was a beacon in the night. We lingered curiously on the limbic portions of
minimalism's perimeter, scouring feverishly through Internet page after
Internet page looking for more information and guidance and enlightenment,
watching and learning and trying to understand what this whole minimalism thing
was all about. Through months of research we traveled farther and farther down
the rabbit hole, and over time we had discovered a group people without a lot
of things but with myriad happiness and passion and freedom, things for which
we desperately yearned.
Eventually we embraced these
concepts-the concepts of minimalism and simplicity-as a way of life and discovered
that we too could be happy, but it wasn't through owning more stuff, it wasn't
through accumulation. We took back control of our lives so we could focus on
what's important, so we could focus on life's deeper meaning.
Happiness, as far as we are
concerned, is achieved through living a meaningful life, a life that is filled
with passion and freedom, a life in which we can grow as
This may not sound sexy or
marketable or sellable, but it's the cold truth. Humans are happy if we are
growing as individuals and if we are contributing beyond ourselves. Without
growth, and without a deliberate effort to help others, we are just slaves to
cultural expectations, ensnared by the trappings of money and power and status
and perceived success.
Minimalism, in its many
forms, is a tool that allowed us to simplify our lives so that we could focus
on what's important. We were able to strip away the excess stuff and focus on
living meaningful, happy, passionate, free lives.
We invite you to join us.
Membership is free. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live a meaningful
life.
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