A couple of weeks ago, I sat outside around a hearth alongside two highly successful entrepreneurs. Both, wonderful human beings.
As they began asking me questions on my work, the conversation steered towards minimalism. I shared not only concerning the work I do around the subject, however the profound, positive impact it has been on our lives.
My friends were intrigued—but surprisingly skeptical. They could understand the connection between clutter and distraction and even commented how clean they prefer to keep their garages.
But as we began to press deeper into the implications, the notion that one could maintain ambition without the pursuit of larger houses in nicer neighborhoods, costlier cars, and an abundance of fabric possessions for his or her families seemed foreign to them.
One remarked, “I believe I’m just too entrepreneurial. That’s just my heart. And my drive for nicer stuff keeps me motivated, which is a superb thing for my business. I don’t think the minimalist lifestyle is for me.”
Quietly, I assumed to myself, “Well, I’m an entrepreneur too, you understand…”
But my audible response was this, “I’m not suggesting we lose ambition. I’m suggesting we will find greater ambition by redirecting it towards more meaningful pursuits than the buildup of fabric possessions.”
That evening, I shared a modest list of different motivations that encourage me.
But as I’ve thought of that conversation quite a bit since then, I’d prefer to take a moment and supply a more comprehensive list of where we will find motivation and ambition other than material possessions.
Perhaps we’ll all find it helpful.
Before we dive into this list, it occurs to me that not all motivations are equally fulfilling. Even though any variety of pursuits can motivate us (and are likely to achieve this), some are higher than others.
In fact, my most up-to-date book, Things That Matter, is about this very topic. The book is about recognizing and overcoming the distractions that keep us from a meaningful life. And every topic raised within the book exists precisely because it could actually develop into a motivating consider our lives.
So let me divide this list into two categories (fleeting motivations and longer-lasting motivations):
Motivations Beyond Material Possessions (but equally less-fulfilling)
1. Money
It isn’t unusual for people to shift their focus away from accumulating possessions but remain focused on amassing wealth. In fact, some people embrace minimalism for that very reason. So let’s start here.
Someone can remove the pursuit of flashy possessions, but still remain motivated by the countless pursuit of accelerating their net value. It is comprehensible, common, and even encouraged in our world. I just personally consider there are more fulfilling goals to chase.
2. Early Retirement
Equally so, the dream of early retirement might be enticing, motivating individuals to work tirelessly. Again, some will embrace a minimalist lifestyle for the only real purpose of achieving this even earlier. And while the motivation to work may wane after retirement has been achieved, it could actually definitely be a serious driver for a time period.
Again, and why I place this motivation on this category, the pursuit of leisure can quickly distract us from fulfilling work and meaningful pursuits.
3. Accolades
The pursuit of fame, recognition, and praise can drive individuals to remarkable achievements. In fact, as I write in Things That Matter, this motivation trips me up greater than I prefer to admit.
There’s nothing unsuitable with receiving praise for a job well done or a life well-lived, but when that becomes the goal rarely can we achieve it.
4. Power
A desire for influence, control, and power has motivated multiple man and woman on the planet today.
5. Competition
Healthy competition can spur innovation and growth, obviously. But when winning, only for the sake of beating the opposite guy, becomes the largest motivator in our lives, we will miss out on the importance of cooperation, joy, and lifting others up along the best way.
This list of 5 motivations, all different than physical possessions, can move us to work hard and remain ambitious.
While these motivations can result in success in some societal definitions of the term, they don’t end in our best meaning and lasting success. Even worse, they often end in regret at the tip of our lives.
So let’s turn our attention to more enriching sources of motivation—passions with more meaning, more success, and fewer regrets.
Motivations Beyond Material Possessions (with more fulfilling outcomes)
6. Being the Best Version of Myself
The quest for private growth and self-improvement is a noble journey. It encourages us to continuously evolve, learn, and embrace our fullest potential. With this as a goal, motivation never ends.
7. Setting an Example for My Family
The desire to be a job model for our family members is usually a powerful motivator—especially children. It pushes us to embody the values and virtues we want to pass down.
8. Making a Positive Difference
The aspiration to go away the world higher than we found it motivates us to have interaction in acts of kindness and repair—at all times working our hardest to attain it.
9. Advocating for Justice
We have an ingrained desire for fairness. The pursuit of justice and equality in our communities and the broader world can drive us to take motion, speak up, and contribute to meaningful change.
10. Solving Problems We See within the World
Whether it’s addressing a spiritual need, a financial need, a societal need, a health crises, or the impact of a natural disaster, the drive to unravel problems—whether down the road or across the globe—can result in a compelling motivation and sense of purpose.
11. Living Faithfully
For many, faith is a profound source of motivation, guiding actions, inspiring service, and inspiring faithfulness on daily basis in each small and large ways.
12. Loving Others
A pure and easy love for others guides lots of these motivations already listed when you consider it. Love inspires us to be the very best version of ourselves that we will possibly be in order that we will live for and profit others.
13. Cultivating Relationships
Investing in deep, meaningful relationships with family, friends, and community members might be incredibly fulfilling and provoking.
14. Impacting our Local Community
The desire to create or contribute to a way of community and belonging can motivate us to have interaction in local initiatives, social events, and group activities that bring people together.
15. Creating and Innovating
We all have an internal desire to create. For some, this looks like art, music, or writing. For others, their creativity is expressed in parenting, relationships, systems, inventions, or problem-solving. The desire to be as creative as we might be might be highly motivating to us.
16. Living Up to Expectations
No one is here due to themselves entirely. We all stand on the shoulders of those that have come before. While not at all times the case, sometimes we feel a healthy responsibility to those that invested in our lives and we will find constant motivation in living as much as the instance that they set for us.
No doubt there are much more motivating aspects in life that I didn’t even think so as to add to the list: lifelong learning, environmental stewardship, personal passion projects, celebrating art and culture all come to mind. Perhaps you may have others which you can add within the comment section below.
Minimalism is the intentional pursuit of our best values by removing all the pieces that distracts us from them. We own less, so we will live more, focused on things that matter.
Some may use minimalism as a way to ascertain out of life and go lay on a beach for the remaining of their lives. But you’ll never find that promoted in my writings.
Minimalism allows us to live a more ambitious life. It isn’t about selling short. It isn’t about losing drive or ambition or that entrepreneurial spirit. It is about redirecting that ambition towards things that truly matter.
Because our lives are too precious to waste chasing and accumulating material possessions.
