the day I decided that less is MORE.

Let’s be honest… I’ve always wanted to be this girl. The girl who is absolutely content and thriving with little. The girl who desires adventure and community above possessions. The girl who defines wealth & investment in different terms than the world tells her she should. The girl whose outfit doesn’t define her day. And today I’m asking myself: why can’t I be that girl NOW?

In some ways, I’ve mastered the skills of being a minimalist. I wear little make-up and drive a 6 year old Subaru with some dents from all the deer Caleb has hit with it. As a couple, we’ve put off buying a house for some quality adventures together. We’ve moved across country twice, taken our time on the drive to & fro, and been on some fun stateside & international trips. We’ve pursued the career of Caleb’s calling, despite the extensive time & money it has required us to invest, even when it meant moving to Los Angeles on a prayer, $4,000 in savings, and a $30,000 combined salary. And come on, I’m willing to camp in a tent at a site with no bathrooms. Aren’t I every outdoorsman/adventurer’s dream-come-true?

NO. I’m not.

And no one can attest to this more than my very own outdoorsman/adventurer. I, like most of my gender in the States, have bought the lie that MORE is MORE. I have believed that my value comes from how many compliments I receive on how cute my shoes are. I have placed going out for dinner & drinks at a trendy local restaurant above being thrifty & making a wholesome meal at home for my husband & I to share. I have defined beauty in an unhealthy way, and have made idols of hair products, the HGTV Dream Home, and brand name yoga pants, among millions of other things.

So TODAY is the day that I decide less is MORE, and I challenge you to do the same. I’m certain that will look different for me than it will for you. I’m even more certain that I will struggle with this decision every day and that I will trade things of precious and true worth for things that can never satisfy over and over again, and that each time it will leave me feeling empty. Yet even with the knowledge that it won’t be perfect, I’m feeling a special & unique freedom in deciding that less is MORE and making some real-life changes to see this through… today.