Campus Connection

Speaker to share what he discovered through living with less

Joshua Becker decided to declutter his home and life about eight years ago after cleaning out his garage. He was standing in the driveway looking at the big pile of stuff he’d just spent half the day weeding through while his kid played alone in the backyard. “I was realizing that everything I owned was not making me happy,” he says. “Not only that, it was taking me away from things that did bring me happiness.” His suburban family of four decided to intentionally live with less. Now Becker, a writer, public speaker and pastor, is taking that message to others. [caption id="attachment_45165" align="alignnone" width="685"] Joshua Becker and his family at their home.[/caption] He will make the case for owning less at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in the Brian and Lori Hesprich Auditorium, Graff Main Hall. The event is sponsored by UWL’s It Make$ Cents program and La Crosse Area Cru. The event is free and open to the public. “As American’s we are surrounded by marketing and the constant message of buying more, wanting more, doing more and having more,” says Amanda Gasper, coordinator of UWL’s financial literacy program It Make$ Cents. “I believe this message is key to changing people’s thinking, homes, lives and values; making what matters most the focal point not what society and culture is teaching us.” Becker aims to help people realize their lives are too valuable to waist chasing material possessions. Becker paired down his belongings getting rid of multiple TVs, closets full of clothes, cupboards full of dishes and shelves full of books.  Now he has just one TV, 40 items of clothing, enough dinnerware to dine with eight and the books he actually uses on one shelf. “It has never been about getting down to the bare minimum,” he says. “It’s about intentionally trying to decide what I need to own to accomplish what I need to accomplish.” Along the way, he noticed the benefits of owning less. For instance, having just one TV meant the family spent more time together in one room when they watched TV. But the biggest benefit was having more time to pursue life passions, he adds. “It’s helped me realize that my life was so much more valuable than the things I owned or the things I was chasing,” he says. “I could live for better pursuits than the accumulation of money or possessions.” Becker aims to influence and inspire others to pursue their greatest life passions by owning fewer possessions. He says college students could particularly benefit from the message because they can recognize the freedom they have now — not tied down by mortgages, credit card debt or the accumulation of stuff. “If we can shift the thinking before we get into that pit, we are far better off,” he says. Becker has shared his story across the country and he has been featured on the CBS Evening News and National Public Radio, as well as in The Boston Globe and The Wall Street Journal. Becker’s 10 most important things to simplify your life: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-10-most-important-things-to-simplify-in-your-life/