Things That Matter
Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life
-
-
4.8 • 6 Ratings
-
-
- $16.99
Publisher Description
#1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER • Discover practical steps you can take today to live a life focused on things that matter, from the bestselling author of The More of Less and The Minimalist Home.
“Things That Matter points the way to free ourselves from the distractions of everyday life so that we can build the lives we seek to create.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project
Everywhere around you are distractions: That text you respond to quickly, just to get it out of the way. The newest money-making side hustle to cross your mind. The evening spent organizing your overflowing kitchen cupboards.
Disruptions are the enemies of a life well lived—both the new distractions of our generation and timeless ones that have existed for centuries. They all add up to make you feel restless, tired, and unfulfilled. They’re keeping you from living with joy, from accomplishing the good that only you can do.
But that can change today.
In Things That Matter, Joshua Becker uses practical exercises, questions, insights from a nationwide survey, and success stories to give you the motivation you need to
• identify the pursuits that matter most to you
• align your dreams with your daily priorities
• recognize how money and possessions keep you from happiness
• become aware of how others’ opinions of you influence your choices
• embrace what you’re truly passionate about instead of planning that next escape
• figure out what to do with all those emails, notifications, and pings
• let go of past mistakes and debilitating habits
Things That Matter is a book about living well. It’s about overcoming the chatter of a world focused on all the wrong things. It’s about rethinking the common assumptions of today to find satisfaction and fulfillment tomorrow.
How do we get to the end of our lives with minimal regrets? We set aside lesser pursuits to seek lasting meaning. And we discover the joy of doing it every day.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this underwhelming follow-up to The Minimalist Home, Becker advocates for adopting minimalism as a way to overcome the everyday distractions that drain people's lives of "meaning, purpose, and satisfaction." The "personal, societal, and cultural distractions" Becker decries consist of the usual suspects: money, possessions, technology, and fear. Transcending them, he argues, requires embracing the minimalist ethos: essentially, doing better by having less. Becker hits his stride when observing that one best serves others when one best serves oneself, because "we remove distractions so we can live our best lives of contribution to others." This service-oriented approach buoys a book otherwise bogged down by overreliance on cliché ("Having more money isn't the secret to having more happiness") and the author's frequently unfortunate choices, such as likening technology users to heroin addicts and calling rumination "the enslavement of the past." A few pearls of wisdom shine, but readers might not find the hunt worth the effort.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful
Listening to the audio book is a pleasure
Looking at life the way human is meant to do is priceless
It’s like rewiring our brain in the right way; I really enjoy these teachings
Things That Matter
I purchased this book as an audio book, but I will probably order the hard copy. There is a great deal of wisdom in this book and I feel that I will want to return to many of the thoughts and examples both for myself but also for sharing with others. Many of the principles I have used in my own life, but having researched information and a point of reference makes it a great resource.
Great book
I have listened to the whole book, and I really enjoyed it. It has given me I new look at life and doing things that really matter. I enjoy the stories being told about other people and the challenges they have faced and overcome. I recommend this book to everyone.