A Purpose Beyond the Paycheck
Joshua Becker
One evening I sat outside around a fire with two prosperous entrepreneurs, both wonderful human beings and followers of Jesus. It was our first opportunity to really get to know one another. As they began asking me questions about my work, the conversation steered toward minimalism. I shared about not just the work I do around the topic but also the profound positive impact minimalism has had on my family.
My friends were intrigued but skeptical. They could understand the connection between clutter and distraction and even commented on how clean they like to keep their garages. But as we began to press deeper into the implications, the notion that one could maintain ambition without pursuing larger houses in nicer neighborhoods, more expensive cars, financial success, and an abundance of material possessions for one’ s family seemed foreign to them.
One of the men remarked,“ I think I’ m too entrepreneurial. That’ s just my heart. And my drive for nicer stuff is what keeps me motivated, which is a good thing for my business. I don’ t think the minimalist lifestyle is for me. It would kill my motivation for succeeding in business."
I thought, Well, I’ m an entrepreneur, too, you know. But my audible response was this:“ I’ m not suggesting we lose ambition. I ' m suggesting we can find greater ambition by redirecting it toward more meaningful pursuits than the
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