Is a Life of Leisure a Worthy Pursuit?
I just finished famed minimalist Joshua Becker’s book, Things That Matter, and I am reminded exactly why I’m in this whole business of paring down: Living with less goes so much deeper than the number of shirts hanging in our closet.
Joshua and I share pretty similar principles in what we teach about living intentional lives through decluttering what we own. But there’s one nugget in his book that made me wonder if I’ve missed the mark a bit in how I’ve been viewing the increase of time that comes with paring down our homes and schedules.
I think I’ve been a bit too caught up in leisure.
“Declutter your home so you can enjoy relaxing in a peaceful home.”
“Declutter your schedule so you can enjoy doing things you love, like reading a book or going on a hike.”
Of course, my reasoning for exalting leisure stems from a worthy idea: When we enjoy the little things in life, we feel a greater connection to the world around us, decrease our anxiety, and increase gratitude.
But Joshua made this point:
“Leisure makes a great booster to long-term productivity in our pursuit of meaningful goals. But leisure makes a terrible goal in itself.”
I think most of us can agree that the primary goal of minimalism is to focus on what truly matters. When we release tangible objects that take up our time, money, and energy, then we can use those resources in a more fulfilling manner.
But what is fulfilling, exactly? What does it mean to live a life you look back on without regrets?
It’s a life spent pursuing purpose, not leisure.
Leaning into our purpose often takes a lot of hard work - but not the kind that’s a grind. The kind that sets our souls on fire and gets us out of bed in the morning with enthusiasm and focus.
Joshua points out that rest and leisure are important parts of restoring our energy and recalibrating our perspective, but like you just read in that quote: Leisure boosts the productivity toward our greater purpose - it is a supporting role, not the goal itself.
Purpose sounds so elusive, and I like how Joshua laid it out as the intersection of your passions (what can you not shut up about), your abilities, and the needs of others.
“[Addressing] others’ needs...is the category that begins to separate goals from purpose.”
That quote COMPLETELY clarified this idea of “purpose” for me. We might have big dreams and goals, or impressive talents and skills - but it’s when we find a way to combine them in a way that helps others that we unveil our purpose.
So in the spirit of living fulfilling lives by way of honing our purpose, I hope you find time this week to do something you love….so that you then have the energy to pursue your purpose.
And if you don’t yet know what that may be, I hope you find time to identify your unique passions and abilities, and how they might come together to fulfill a need of others, no matter how individualized or global that need may be.