Why You May Choose To Read This Book

This book is written from experience. It is not a concept. It is not an idealistic romp (and for the record, I like idealistic romps!) into a world unknown or untouched. I live this life. I know the benefits that I have received in living it.

I have spent over thirty years of my life studying, researching, and applying self-development and human potential practices in my life. These interests led me into the area of social science where I attained an Associate Diploma of Social Science in Community Services. I am also an accredited and credentialed life coach. To add some contrast to my humanity-based studies, I worked for the Tasmanian Government for eleven years. In amongst several smaller contracts, my primary role was as a Compliance Inspector in the regulation of liquor and gaming throughout Southern Tasmania.

In addition to the above, I have literally lost count of the jobs I have had, and the training courses I have completed over the years. The result is a wide range of life experiences in very different working environments.

For somebody entertaining a minimalist lifestyle, let alone any lifestyle, it is always valuable to listen to those who have walked the talk. Whilst all views and approaches are valuable in life, those who have been able to demonstrate or experience what they talk or write about, have a knowing that comes from doing these things. There will always be power and integrity in that approach.

So why might you choose to read this book? After all, there are a lot of books about minimalism and minimalist living.

Increasing numbers of people are looking to simplify their lives and to create a lifestyle that acknowledges more of a work- life balance. This is easier said than done of course.

The fact is that the majority of people in the world, wherever they live, are locked in to a way of living that they consider to not only be normal, but the only option available to them. This is universal. It permeates all cultures, and to varying degrees, all pay scales. How do you start to become aware of this way of living, and how do you something about it?

If you are looking to find new ways, or even to revisit existing ways of changing or transforming your life, this book will help you move closer towards that goal or aspiration. As a person, and as an author, the theme throughout my life and my writings, is one of transformation.

In a fast-paced world that advocates and demands change, it is important to make sure that the integrity of who you are, remains central and independent of any change that you encounter in your life. Making the shift, and it is a shift, to a minimalist lifestyle, you need to be cognizant of that. So as a preparation for reading this book, and indeed all the books I write, it is important to acknowledge and understand that change and transformation are two very different things.

Understanding the difference between making changes and experiencing transformation, can help you initiate your own life changes, and help you to transition towards new ways of living your life authentically.

This book is about transformational change in relation to minimalism. There are so many definitions and degrees of what minimalism actually is. I am not too concerned with labels as they can confuse people. I am concerned with helping people move forward in their lives in alignment with their values.

My journey into minimalism, although a choice, was one brought about by circumstances that a lot of aspiring minimalists would not need to experience. In so many ways, my approach is not the average. This in itself hopefully provides different perspectives and opportunities to explore the degrees and variations of what it means to be a minimalist.

This book is as much about living with less, as it is about simplifying your life, and becoming clearer and more cognizant about what really matters to you. When you start to remove the layers of things around you, your focus naturally moves away from those things.