Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus lived wealthy lives. They had six-figure jobs, new cars and lived in houses with more rooms than people.
But they weren’t happy.
“I was living the ‘American dream,’ but that wasn’t my dream,” said Millburn. “I wasn’t concentrating on what was important.”
After losing his mother and his marriage in the same month, Millburn was in a state of confusion and said he was trying to make sense of everything.
While contemplating what to do with his mother’s possessions, Millburn said he realized he didn’t have room for extra stuff. He donated or sold most of the items only keeping a few sentimental objects.
From that point forward, Millburn began to minimize his own possessions, curating and keeping only what he felt was valuable.
He said it made him happier. Living without the clutter and without the baggage, Millburn said he could concentrate on what was important. His friend Nicodemus soon took notice.
“I had sat him down for lunch and asked, ‘what is making you so happy?” Nicodemus said. “And he began to tell me about minimalism.”
Today, they call themselves The Minimalists.
To them, minimalism is not about depriving yourself from all of the things you enjoy, but rather finding value in the objects you decide to have in your life.
According to theminimalists.com, Millburn quit his “boring six figure job” in 2011 to become a full-time writer – his “deepest passion.” Nicodemus said on the website that he was living the American dream—until he was laid off. “But that was one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
“Currently success is having the best job, making a lot of money and owning a lot of stuff,” Millburn said. “That isn’t what makes people really successful. It’s the company, culminating the things that make you passionate, and acting on those.”
The two have written three books, hundreds of essays and now run a podcast about how to simplify your life by ridding yourself of material objects.
On Saturday, Jan. 23 the pair presented their new documentary “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things” at Bandit Coffee Co., a new coffee shop on Central Avenue that is set to officially open on Feb. 1. Owners Joshua and Sarah Weaver opened the doors early to host the documentary presentation.
The film covers how minimalism relates to the tiny homes movement, meditation, traveling, families, touring through the United States, and global warming.
The money that was earned through tips during the special event, as well as a percentage of the Minimalists’ book sales, go to funding a family-style orphanage in Honduras.
Katie Callihan, a USFSP journalism and media studies student, attended the event and said minimalism is an important thing for students to consider.
“Students are some of the busiest people. They have a lot more going on than a full-time job. They are fixated on classes, some are parents,” Callihan said. “To take out the things that don’t improve your life can help simplify it, help make you more productive. If anything, I think students have the most incentive to minimize their life.”
The Minimalists film has been shown at several festivals and will play in select theaters on May 24.
