Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
The site
Some time ago I began to wonder whether I could take the above quote and work it into my daily routine to improve my life and the lives of those around me. This became an ongoing journey of constant self-evaluation and many small but deliberate nudges toward minimalism that have helped me to remove the excesses in my life, which in turn has empowered me to become a better version of myself with each passing day. While not all of the ideas I place here will be entirely new (indeed, I will assuredly lift concepts from others and put my own spin on them, though I will do my best to give credit where credit is due!), my hope is that by providing one more venue for the minimalism dialogue to play out I can encourage and inspire others to see the value that “less” can add to their own lives and the lives of those they love.
The inspiration
The primary inspiration for this site comes from Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, “The Minimalists,” who completely reshaped my understanding of minimalism from a selfish concept to a selfless one. That is to say, pursuing perfection through minimalism is not all about you: it’s all about others, for becoming your best self by shedding certain trappings positions you to better help others become their best selves as well. These guys are doing a great job at getting the word out on minimalism, and I would highly recommend checking out their blog, podcast, and documentary.
The author
My name is Greg “Gerf” Strnad, a computer geek living in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. I’m passionate about running, playing In the Groove as a form of exercise, dream journaling, improving healthcare through outcomes research, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Fluttershy is best pony). Rather than go on about myself here, I’ll direct you to other places I live on the Internet that do the job much better: