Uncluttered

Are you struggling as to what the first step is take in Minimalism? Or do you feel like you got rid of a bunch of stuff and you’re struggling where to go? May I suggest Uncluttered.

Uncluttered is a 12 week online course led by Joshua Becker, a minimalist whose voice has resonated with me, as well as many others.

What do you get out of the course?
Videos with step-by-step instructions
Interviews with thought leaders in productivity and minimalism
Live webinars tackling specific tough-clutter topics 
Live Q&As for members to ask questions
Weekly challenges
And accountability and encouragement from a super-engaged community.

One of the best parts I think about this course is that you get LIFETIME membership! That means that if you get to a “stuck point”, you can come back and review the material covered. 

The course is offered 3 times a year and registration starts today and goes through September 2nd. The cost for the course is $89. Check it out and sign up here!

One thing lacking

Before I dive in to this post, if you’ve read my blog and looked at timestamps, you’ll notice that there’s been a lull in my writing. It’s not for a lack of ideas. I was on vacation, then dealt with the busyness of the return from vacation. On top of that, I’ve been focused on creating a podcast for Church musicians, called The Healthy Church Musician podcast. Now that things have settled down, I’m going to get more in a routine of writing and my goal is to have a post up on Tuesday and Friday each week.

In our worship service this past Sunday, we looked at the 10th chapter of Mark. We’ve been going through the Gospel of Mark in our services. But there was something about this section of Scripture that jumped out at me. And it was in verses 17-31. It’s the story of the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus and asks what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus reminds this young ruler about the commandments, to which the ruler responds that yes, he has kept those. Jesus doesn’t argue with him about this, but says, “One thing you lack...go sell everything you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This young ruler couldn’t do it. Was because he was rich? Somewhat. It wasn’t the things (or lack of it) that caused the issue. It was the relationship and value placed on the things. Jesus and His disciples traveled regularly. They didn’t have much and they relied on the love and generosity of others. They trusted in the provision of God. It seems that this rich young ruler didn’t want to or couldn’t do these things. So Jesus told him that one thing was lacking.

So let’s fast forward to today. As a Christian, I trust in God, but....the reality is that there are plenty of times that I focus more on my wants, my needs as opposed to the needs and care of others around me.  I allow stuff and things to get in the way of what’s most important to me. In the end, whatever I collect or own on earth will just go to someone else when I die. It’s not that important. But yet, for whatever reason, I seem to think from time to time that it does matter and collecting and owning these things are important. I’m moving away from that mindset more and more, but I find myself returning occasionally to thinking that stuff matters.

What’s the takeaway from all of this? Are we supposed to just sell all of our stuff and live on the streets? Of course not! But, it is definitely a step toward evaluating what our belongings and “possessions” really mean to us. That’s the thing with minimalism. As I’ve walked down this road, I’ve seen many struggle with the “what are the rules” question. And really, to each person, the rules will be different. Over the past 8 months or so, we’ve definitely gotten rid of a lot of things in our house. Looking forward, I’d hope that we would continue to do that as a family and continue in that mindset. It’s hard, it takes lots of work, but I’ve found it to be freeing, encouraging and extremely valuable. I hope that you’re encouraged and challenged to look at your stuff and your attitude and relationship toward it and determine what the best course of action is for you.

Simple

In response to my post yesterday "Discipline and focus", I received a comment. It said "Wow, you mean the secret to getting things done is just doing them? And the cure for a lack of discipline is sticking to your calendar? Why didn't I think of that!" 

If eating healthy were so simple, why is the diet and exercise industry so large?

If keeping a neat and tidy home were so simple, why are there so many resources out there to help you, or how many people pay someone else to clean their homes?

If staying disciplined were so simple, why are there so many books about how to be more disciplined?

I don't ask these questions to argue, rather, to make the point that these things aren't as simple as they seem to be. While we may have the best of intentions to do things, there are other things that get in the way. Or, as was my point in writing the post yesterday, we lose focus. As I said, I'm awesome at being focused for short periods of time....and then I fall off. And I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

While I may have the best of intentions for my calendar, being a church music minister, things come up. Like funeral. The last 2 weeks, I've had 2 funerals to prepare for and play for. That takes priority over other things when it comes to practicing. 

When you work, when you have children, or even if you don't, maintaining focus and discipline is not the simplest thing in the world. If the secret to get things done is just doing them, then we'd have no problems. We'd be the most productive people on the planet. The productivity section in your local bookstore would cease to exist. If the cure for a lack of discipline is sticking to your calendar, then calendar sales would be off the charts! But neither of these are the case. Why? Because it's not that simple.

Life is a series of choices. Sometimes we choose well. Sometimes we choose poorly. I've made my share of good choices. I've made my share of poor choices. As I've grown older, I've learned that I don't have all of the answers, and I try to look to and lean on others for help. Because it's not that simple. 

So is that it? Just throw your hands up and say, "well, it's not that simple, so I'm sunk"? Not at all. My point in writing the post yesterday and this one is to share that while it isn't simple, you keep trying. While I did awesome in January at eating healthy and exercising, and staying focused, I didn't in February, March and so far in April. Does that mean that I'm sunk for the year? Of course not! It's only April! There's 7 and a half months to learn from those mistakes, make better choices and make progress. I haven't managed my time as well as I should have. Same point applies. And the same thing goes for you. It's not simple. But it's doable. And it's necessary. So I pray that you are able to find those things that bring you focus and discipline, as I pray that I am too. 

Discipline and focus

Yesterday I came across a post on Facebook which really hit me. It was “Clutter is no just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self.” There’s a lot to unpack, but I’m going to deal with what hit me out of that quote.

I’m awesome at something. I do really great at it. It’s a talent that I have.....but I don’t want to be that way anymore. What am I awesome at? Being focused, successful and disciplined for a short period of time. And then I fall completely off the wagon. Whether that’s exercise, practicing music, composing music, being organized and cleaning up regularly, blogging, and more....I’m awesome at being focused and doing great for short, maybe 2-4 week spurts....and then for whatever reason, I quit. I stop.

So how does it change? That’s the struggle. Of course the easy answer is, “suck it up buttercup”. But that only goes so far.  So what changes? What is different? I wish I could say there is a magic bullet that if you do this one thing, everything falls into place. Ain’t gonna happen. What it is going to take is a plan, focus and consistency.

So how do I exercise more? Well, back on about Ash Wednesday (February 14th) I quit walking. Why? I chose sleeping in. This morning, that changed. I got up and took the dog for a walk, even though it was cold (for Texas) and it’s going to be a long day. That’s even more reason for me to do it.

How do I practice more? I calendar it. And I stick to that calendar. This is one of the hardest ones because throughout my week, my schedule isn’t always “regular”. There may be meetings that come up, funerals to practice for (that’s happened the last 2 weeks after Easter) and more. So it’s a matter of doing my best and when I’m practicing, focusing on using that time as well as I can.

How do I compose more? That’s easy. Just do it. Actually, the laptop I’ve used to compose is a few years old and it’s run slowly....which, of course, works great when you’re fantastic at making excuses. Of course I made excuses to not do anything because of schedule, computer being slow, and really, honestly, what the answer is, I was scared. Composing music puts you out there. You’ll get plenty of rejections, non responses or tepid encouragements. I’ve gotten plenty of all of them. But I feel called to be a composer, so the only way I can call myself a composer is......to do it.

How do I get and stay organized and keep the house clean. Funny, right? Well, yesterday was my oldest’s 9th birthday. We got the house (and her room) cleaned. So, keeping up shouldn’t be too hard. It’s about doing a few things each night after the girls go to bed. Of course, moving (as we’re hoping to) will lead to even more of a focus and attention to organization, what needs to stay or go, etc.

And finally, blogging.....how do I do it regularly? Just like doing things before bed, I sit down and write out posts. Whether that’s going to be daily or a few days a week, that remains to be seen. But in a previous blog incarnation, I planned out the month coming up and topics to write about. That helped to keep me focused. With this blog, I haven’t. I’ve basically been spitballing, throwing things against the wall, and been unplanned.....and yet you still read it. So thanks for that! I know that I’m capable of giving you better ideas and information than I have in the past, and I look forward to doing it.

How about how? Where do you struggle with discipline and focus? What habits are you wanting to adjust, change or drop completely? Comment with those habits!

Getting overwhelmed

You’ll notice that the last blog post I wrote was on February 16th. This post today is March 10th. What happened in the almost last month that led me to not write? Simple. I got overwhelmed. With life. With everything. And it sucked. Big time! You see, I’m a church musician. It’s Lent. It’s a very hectic and busy time. We’re also looking for a house to buy. And so my life took on its own direction, spinning quickly out of control. Walking didn’t happen. Surviving the day became the goal. And it frustrated and angered me to no end, but I couldn’t really do anything to control it.

So what has changed? This week is spring break for my wife and girls. I don’t have as much going on over the week, outside of working ahead to get ready for Holy Week and Easter. And along with that, I’ve already been and will continue to figure out how better to get a hold of my schedule and my life. I’ve gained weight. I’ve been out of regular exercising for almost 3 weeks. I feel like my most productive thing I’ve done over the past 3 weeks is survive the day each and every day.

We all face those moments of being overwhelmed. How we respond is imperative. I could throw a pity party, say “woe is me”, but what good is it going to do? I’m blessed in so many ways. I can’t complain. And what I need to do is to figure out how to maneuver through the busyness of life and not just survive, but thrive. There are things I want (and need) to do like lose weight, pack up our house, get rid of stuff, write and arrange music and write books. That’s a lot to bite off, isn’t it? It’s overwhelming, but not impossible. Today, I’m not doing anything but intentionally resting. And it’s already been wonderful. Stepping back and breathing.

One of the most important things in all of this is to give yourself grace. While you may get overwhelmed, it’s a learning experience. Kind of like when you learn not to touch a hot stove, or are around sharp objects. If you touch them, they’ll hurt. So you learn what not to do. But more importantly, you learn what TO do. That’s called growth, and it’s something we need to be quite regularly doing!

So how do you cope when you get overwhelmed? Do you step back, reassess and strategize? Or do you push even harder? Or give up? Or do something else? Maybe curl up in the fetal position? What I have been reminded of in the past week is that work is hard, and nothing comes without work. And while sometimes that work can be overwhelming, it takes intentionality, focus, and support from others. You can do it!! And so can I!

How much do you need?

I’m a musician. That’s my job. But I’ve recently been asking myself the question....how much music do I need? Sounds strange, right? Well, considering my organ music as an example. I have over 3,500 titles cataloged, and that’s probably not everything I own. Through the years, I have inherited organ music from family members, had my dad purchase music for me, and I purchased music for myself. I will typically play about 5-7 preludes on a Sunday morning, as well as a postlude. Even going with the high side, of 8 pieces a Sunday, playing everything I currently own, even just focusing on Sundays, without repeating, I’d be looking at about 8 and a half years before I’d need to repeat something. Now, much of my music is seasonal, but still, that’s a lot of music. And so, I’ve purged some. And I’ve also gone through music that I’ve never touched and I’ve found things that I want to work on, things that are fun, and things that I don’t even want to try.

Maybe you’re not a musician. Maybe you’ve got a bunch of something specific. Maybe it’s books. Or CDs....or something else. Do you read/listen to/use all of it? Or is it just taking up space? Maybe it’s time to review what you have and figure out if it’s needed, or remind yourself of why you got that thing in the first place.

It’s easy to collect things. It’s not always easy to review how necessary those things are. Maybe all of them serve a purpose. Maybe not. Or maybe there was a purpose, but now that purpose has changed. This has to be an ongoing process. That’s one of the harder things to do. We can get motivated to go through and determine what the purpose of things are, but does that purpose change in 6 months? In a year? And how do you figure out the purpose? In the past, I’ve gone through our CDs and movies. Honestly, I haven’t put a CD in a CD player in a good 2 years, but I still own CDs. Why? Some of them are autographed. Some have special meaning. But there are many I can do without. Same thing with our DVDs. We stream most everything, so we don’t really need the physical things. However, last week, my wife and I wanted to watch “The Goonies”. It wasn’t streaming, so we played the DVD. It served a purpose.

What is it that you need to determine the purpose of? How are you going to do it? Comment with your feedback.

Week 5 check in

I could subtitle this post “The new me”. Or I could subtitle it “You’re not defined by your mistakes”. Read on and I’ll explain. I blew it last night. I ate horribly. I’m guessing many of you are waking up feeling that way. The “old me” would have wallowed in self-pity, made excuses and ate some more. Most definitely wouldn’t have exercised. Today, I got up at 4:30, walked the dog, ran a bit, and have been drinking water. While yes, I didn’t eat great for 1 meal....it’s just that. 1 meal out of 21 for the week. See, this is where my thinking has radically changed. I had eggs for breakfast yesterday, I had a salad for lunch. I budgeted to eat badly. And I did. But, that doesn’t define my week. In fact, it pushes me to be even more on track. I had my meal of overindulgence. It was good. Now back to eating right.

So how about you? Maybe January wasn’t the best. Or your February isn’t off to the best start. You can fix it. You can start now. Because it’s about the choices you make.

I realized I didn’t share with you my goals for February. So my main goal in January, the Whole30, was a success. My goal for February is to continue to follow the guidelines, eating right and trying to add in more exercise. I started the couch to 5K app last week and while I’m doing a 5K on Saturday, I’m not going to be able to run all of it, but my main goal is to run the 5K I’m doing on April 7th. That’s one I’m working toward. My other stuff goal is two fold. I didn’t quite finish in the garage in January, but our youth at church are having a garage sale, so I can take stuff up there. Along with that, I want to tackle the office. It’s a mess. So that’s my 2 main goals for February.

So where are you at this week? Has your 2018 been off to a great start? We’re only 5/52 into the year, so you’ve got time. Get after it!

Oh, something random I decided to do last week. I recorded some music I’ve been working on and uploaded it to Noisetrade.com. You can listen to it for free or download it for free there. http://noisetrade.com/craigharmann/lent-and-easter-demos

It’s up to you

As I’ve spent the last couple of days reflecting on a productive January and a success at Whole30, I was reminded of a truth that I forget all to often. Whatever your situation, you can make choices to change the circumstance. I was very, very, very unhealthfully overweight. I still am. But I am less overweight because I have changed my circumstance. I started focusing in on what I’m eating, exercising and there are results happening. As for the stuff around our house, there is less clutter and that is progressing daily.

Now this can absolutely seem overwhelming, right? No doubt about it. We see “quick fixes” sold all the time in regard to health. “Drink this shake 2 times a day and you’ll lose the weigh. Oh, did we mention that each shake costs $12.50?” There’s no quick fix. None whatsoever. It’s much easier to put weight on than to take it off. It takes intentionality to lose the weight and even more intentionality to keep it off. But it’s possible. So do you go out, get a gym membership, throw out all the unhealthy food in your kitchen and get to work? Well, that’s a little drastic. Baby steps are the way to go. Anytime you try to do too much at once, you’ll get overwhelmed. Start this way. Instead of 5 sodas a day, go to 3. And incorporate more water. Or instead of trying to find the closest parking spot somewhere, park farther away. You’ll get more exercise in. Starting with little steps changes your mentality and creates new habits. Or (GASP!!) instead of 4 cups of coffee, have 1 and maybe 2 cups of green tea. You get the point. Little changes make a huge difference.

The same thing goes with your stuff. You may feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. That’s OK. It’s up to you. You’re in charge. Maybe it’s just starting by cleaning off your kitchen counters and keeping them clean for a week. A small habit, then you add to it. Then you take the next step. That could be books, CDs, clothes, whatever it is where you feel cluttered. Go through and ask, “Do this have a definite purpose in my life?” And if that answer is no, get rid of it. If the answer is I’m not sure, put in a box and put the box aside for a while. If you don’t find yourself needing it or thinking of a purpose for it, get rid of it.

Little steps are the biggest way to make a change. It’s up to you. You can do it!

Whole30 wrapup

There have been a million ways that have gone through my head as to how to begin this post. But I’ll start here: Minimalism is fashionable, trendy and hip right now, especially in regard to stuff. And I’ve written plenty about relationships to stuff. But really, the primary thing that matters in minimalism is you. And if you’re not taking care of yourself, the stuff really doesn’t matter. So this is why I started the Whole30 diet on January 2nd....which means today is DAY THIRTY!!

Before I dive into the diet and my review, a bit of my backstory. To be absolutely honest (and there will be real talk here), I had an addiction to food. Food was my friend. Food never laughed at me, never let me down, and was always there for me. When I was younger, I kept moving, riding my bike, playing sports, but that problem was lurking below the surface. Cookies, ice cream, seconds on meals, all of that was there. But, in my physical activity, I was burning plenty of it off. And of course, then came.....the dreaded HUSKY size jeans. And then when I started high school, I went from 175 my freshman year to 225 my senior year.....and it wasn’t from hitting the weights. It was hitting the TWENTY piece chicken nuggets and super sized fries from McDonalds when I was in musicals my junior and senior years of high school. It was giving up completely on exercise and becoming sedentary. College was worse. A cafeteria where you could eat as much as you want? YES PLEASE! It was a fat boy’s dream. I had Mountain Dew for breakfast, lunch and dinner (literally) desserts and other food galore. I went from 225 to 275 when I graduated. But all of that paled in comparison to what happened between graduating college and living on my own. The highest I saw on the scale was 330. But I’m sure it was higher. I’d eat 2 frozen pizzas, chase it with a container of ice cream and be happy. I’d eat a dozen donuts for breakfast. And so on. I’m embarrassed to see this all typed out in front of me. But that was who I was. Once I got married, we started to make healthier choices and because we were having trouble getting pregnant, we both started the South Beach Diet. Which led to 2 beautiful daughters. What has happened over the past 14 years is that I’ve lost 15 pounds, gained 10, lost 10, gained 15, lost 20, gained 10. Back and forth.

In the fall, I really started focusing in on exercise, specifically walking. I was feeling great, eating pretty healthy (minus the bags of tortilla chips here and there in an evening) and was making progress. Then December hit. While I didn’t hit the sweets too hard, I stopped exercising. And by the end of December, I felt horrible. I needed to do something different. I turned 40 in September, and my dad passed away last March. I had to start getting really serious about my health so that I can be there, God willing, for my girls and grandchildren. I had friends that had done Whole30 and I started looking into it.

How to describe Whole30? Crazy, insane, stringent, amazing, life-changing and beneficial. The simplest way to describe it is that you can eat meat, fruit, veggies, and spices. You don’t get to eat beans, peanuts, grains, dairy, or alcohol. And it’s all about looking at the labels of food. No added sugar, no added anything. Have you read labels? Do you know how much junk is added to our food? For example, I love bacon. And it’s allowable, without sugar....And most bacon has BROWN sugar added to it!! I broke down and tried turkey bacon, and in the end, I just got ground turkey, seasoned it with homemade taco seasoning, and added that to my eggs for breakfast. AMAZING!!

Now to the details. On January 1st, I stepped on the scale and weighed 280.6 pounds. This morning, 31 days later, I weighed 260.2 pounds. TWENTY POINT SIX POUNDS LOST! I can’t believe it. And yes, my clothes fit better. Clothes that I couldn’t fit into, or were tight, now fit comfortably. I have to wear a belt daily. I’ve had people tell me regularly that I’m looking really good and that I’m losing weight....although I did shave my beard in early January and no said anything about that! :-) But over and above the scale, here’s the biggest and best takeaways. I feel amazing. I am more focused. I am less tired. I have accomplished a lot over this month. I feel creative. My relationship with food has been readically changed.  And this is the exact opposite of how I felt at the end of December, just 1 month ago. And that’s been with minimal exercise. However, over the past 3 days (including today), I’ve started the couch to 5K app and have seen my time per mile go from between 17-18 minutes, to 15 minutes, 14:58 and 14:40 over the first 3 days.

Do I recommend Whole30 to everyone? Nope. It’s your choice. It’s very restrictive. I had people telling me, “Day 4 is going to be the hardest. You’re going to have a crash”. I didn’t. It went a whole lot easier that I thought it would. I thought giving up dairy would be hard. I grew up in Wisconsin. I love cheese. But I didn’t miss it. Probably the one thing I’ve missed over the 30 days is beer. But even that, I survived without.

So now what? Do I go back to what I ate before? Of course not. I’ll slowly be adding in certain things. One beer is first tomorrow. I’ll have a smoothie on Monday with Greek yogurt. Down the road, I’ll probably add in more things, but I’ll definitely be looking at the label.  I don’t want to go back to the way I felt before. I want to keep this feeling. Ultimately, I’d like to be between 200-225 pounds, so I still have more weight to lose. But as the weather warms up and I continue to walk/run the dog and do more yard work outside, I don’t see that being a problem.  So go check out Whole30 and see if it’s for you!

What is the purpose?

That’s a great question, isn’t it? You can use it for lots of things. Food, relationships, exercise, stuff and so much more. Over the past year in my wrestling with this idea of stuff and what is really beneficial, I’ve found that asking this question is so helpful. So let’s dive in.

What’s the purpose of food? At the most basic purpose is nutrition. We eat to survive. If we don’t, we end up looking like one of the final people left at the end of Survivor. Skin and bones. But there’s much more to it than that, right? We like to eat. Eating brings us joy. Eating brings us community. Eating brings us tasty treats! And none of these things in and of themselves are bad. A delicious piece of warm apple pie with some vanilla ice cream melting on it is heavenly. But if you eat that every day....that’s probably not going to be the best overall for you. So, if you stop and consider what the purpose is, and truly think about what you put in your mouth, and use it for that purpose, that may help your relationship with it. In an article on Fortune.com, it says that 40% of American adults are considered obese and 20% of children are obese. I’m one of those 40% of adults. There are definitely genetic and health factors that do contribute to this, but a large portion of this, I believe, comes from our “fast food” society. Not just the amount of restaurants and drive-thrus, but the quick, cheap, high sugar, high salt, highly processed foods available at our local grocery stores. The purpose of food is definitely something for each individual to consider.

What’s the purpose of relationships? Being connected to others, having a network to lean on and be supported by. People to do things with. In our busy lives, it seems to be harder and harder to build genuine personal relationships. Why? Those take time. Those take intentionality. But relationships are important. They are needed. The amount of people who are being diagnosed as depressed and feel more isolated and alone seems to be growing higher and higher. You could also ask the question toward a more specific topic. What’s the purpose of THIS relationship? Is it a healthy relationship or is it toxic? Is it causing you more harm than good? Again, this is all an individual consideration, but the question is essential to ask.

Exercise. Really? What’s the purpose of exercise. I googled “Do I have to exercise to lose weight” and this was the first article that came up. And so what is the answer? Yes and no. You don’t need to exercise to lose weight, but there is proof that diet and exercise combined helps to keep the weight off. And there are physiological benefits to exercise. Now, I’m not saying you need to go out and join a gym, but look at where you’re at. What could you be doing to be more purposeful in getting more exercise? Taking the stairs instead of the elevator? Going for a walk? There’s plenty of low stress exercise that you could do, if there’s a purpose for you for that.

Now to the last one. Stuff. This is what people seem to be finding most interesting about minimalism. What purpose does the stuff serve? What a great question to ask! What is the purpose of a chair in your bedroom that you don’t sit on, but serves as a catch all for laundry and other stuff? Does that purpose work for you? How about your kitchen? That fondue pot you got as a gift and you’ve only used it twice in 8 years? What purpose does that serve? I could keep going, as could you. But here’s the thing. Your stuff doesn’t own you. You own it. It serves the purpose you choose to give it. But that takes work. That takes intentionality.

I could go on with the different topics this questions works well with. What’s the purpose of work? Social media? Politics? So on and so forth. But my challenge to you today is to try to ask that question of 3 different things today. See what your response is!

Looking back, looking forward

2017 is almost done. At the end of the year, it’s time to take a look back at the year, find things that were good and weren’t good, and then look ahead to the upcoming year. I’ll share more about my personal goals for 2018 tomorrow.

My first gut reaction in thinking about 2017 is that it sucked. I can’t really be more blunt than that. Why? Well, it goes back to 2016. In November of 2016, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It spread quickly throughout his body and in March of 2017, he was called home. My parents live 3 hours from me, so I had lots of back and forth trips. I am not complaining, that’s my responsibility as their son. But that cast a huge pall over the year. From March through about late October, I was in a fog. I didn’t realize how much of a fog I was in until it lifted. And I can’t really explain it.

Another challenge was that my wife was continuing to work on her masters’ degree. She has been taking classes online from a University in California. We live in Texas. The first semester of 2017, she was taking 2 classes. One of the classes met on Monday and Thursday night for the first 6 weeks of the semester. The other class was Tuesday night. All the classes were from 8:30-11 or so. She was working full time as well. On top of everything with my dad, I had to be supportive husband, take on more responsibility at home, and continue to somehow keep my sanity. By the grace of God, I did.

I had a goal of having a musical composition published by the time I turned 40. I had a piece that I submitted, and was accepted, but hasn’t been published yet because of some apparent financial issues with the publisher. I turned 40 in September and didn’t quite meet that goal.

I had spent a few years now creating a brand and a blog called Harmanny Music. In May, for many and various reasons, I killed it. But, of course, in December, I started this blog, so there’s something positive to come from all of that!

On top of everything else, I live in the northern part of Houston. At the end of August, we had a visitor. Harvey dropped a bunch of rain on this area. People lost everything. Thankfully for us, we “only” lost power for 2 and a half days and were able to borrow a generator from a friend. But this radically changed things for the whole area. For me, it definitely got me thinking about what really matters. Is it stuff? Is it memories? Is it something else?

And in thinking through the year, my gut reaction to 2017 isn’t my final reaction. 2017 didn’t suck. I learned so much about myself, my faith and the strength that God gives me. I’ve grown as a person. I turned 40, which isn’t a big deal. I actually had someone say yes, they would publish a composition that I wrote. My wife is now finished with all of her masters’ classes, and just has to write her thesis. This has been a two year journey for all of us, and we’ve made it through. I’m blessed to have 2 beautiful daughters and I’m proud of who they are becoming and I’m humbled by them each and every day. The biggest thing that I realized about 2017 is how blessed I am to be my father’s son. I didn’t say it much, or even as often as I should have, and since his passing, have realized something new almost daily of how he impacted my life. The biggest one is his encouraging me to make music and to make music in church.

So how about you? How would you say your 2017 went? Good? Not so good? The good news is that 2018 is a new start. Comment with how your 2017 was or join the Facebook group and comment there!

Also, I want to give you a huge thank you for visiting the blog! I’m humbled and amazed that someone actually wants to read what I write. Please share it with others, as that’s the best way to help me get the word out!

So now what?

You may be overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your house, whether it’s Christmas stuff or just the overall amount of stuff. You’re ready to get rid of stuff and get rid of the junk and the clutter in your house. Awesome. So now what? Where do you start?

Trying to do everything at once is overwhelming. And impossible. And will lead to frustration and more than likely, you won’t get far. So, what to do? Start small. Start simple. There’s a couple of different directions and suggestions I’ll give for you to consider.

First, pick a room. Focus on that room for a month. I saw this suggested in a Minimalist Facebook group and I thought that there was some positive things that could come out of this. If you focus on one room for that period of time, you can really focus on getting down to the things that are really beneficial to you. This makes things less overwhelming and it helps you to be more focused and concentrated.

Another alternative is something that I’ve picked up from the bloggers The Minimalists. They do what they call the “30 day minimalism game”. The idea is that based on what the number of the day is, that is how many items you get rid of. So, day 1, it’s 1 item, day 2, it’s 2, and so on. This can be very beneficial, as well as quite challenging. I did it in the month of November, and while it was challenging, I found it quite fruitful.

No matter what way you choose to do, start somewhere. It could be that you pick tonight and start with your closet. Awesome. Start and start simple. Maybe it’s each day you’re focusing on a shelf or a drawer or something. You can do it. We can do it. Together. Over the next couple of days I’ll be sharing more about what I’ll be doing to close 2017 and get started into 2018.

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What’s the purpose?

Over the past year in my journey toward starting to be a minimalist, I’ve learned one really simple and yet challenging question. What’s the purpose? Whether it’s a thing, a relationship, health, whatever it is....knowing what purpose the thing serves is essential.

Let’s unpack for a second. Not literally, of course! With your possessions, what purpose does each thing serve? Can you specify it? If not, do you really need that item? Maybe so, maybe not. I’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff, but I’m still constantly in the process of asking what the purpose of each things. CDs, books, sheet music, clothes.....you name it, I’m asking what purpose it serves. When you get to the point where everything in your house has a purpose, how much less stress would you have? How much less clutter? How much more freedom would you have? But it’s always an ongoing process.

What’s the purpose of being healthy? One big purpose is feeling your best, right? Of course it is! But there’s so much more to it than that. You feel good, you look good, your clothes fit. But there’s even more. You’re able to take care of your responsibilities better and more efficiently, you’re able to be there for others around you. But the most important reason is whatever your reason is. When you are purposefully motivated, you are focused and it will be easier to stay on task. It will be challenging, but it will be easier.

Purpose drives what we do. There is some reason you’re reading this post. Maybe you’re overwhelmed by stuff and busyness in life. Most people are. And deep down, most people want less. Or at least, want focus and purpose and meaning to their things and what they do. So keep checking back and we’ll be on this road together. We can do it!