Scan barcode
A review by sgbrux
Love People Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works by Ryan Nicodemus, Joshua Fields Millburn
5.0
It's been nearly 8 years since I was introduced to The Minimalists by one of my closest friends. She took me to meet Josh and Ryan at this tiny little indie book shop in Little Rock during one of their early book tours, and I got to meet them again in Dallas when they toured for their first Netflix project, Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. If you haven't seen it, I recommend that you do.
With that said, if I'm a little biased, that may be true, but I think the point's irrelevant.
The message Josh and Ryan share today remains just as important as it was all those years ago—perhaps more so. As a society, we've lost meaning and purpose amongst the beatdown of the day-to-day grind. Take a look around at people's faces the next time you venture out in public. What do you see?
"Love People, Use Things"—seems like an obvious concept, doesn't it?
But sadly, not according to what I've observed and experienced over the last 36 years on this earth.
As a species, we're lacking meaning and purpose in our lives. We behave as if we value objects over our relationships with people, we consume more than we contribute, and we chase after fleeting pleasures rather than pausing to listen to what our inner voices are desperately trying to tell us.
Partly Self-Help, partly a guide on relationships (and grounded almost entirely in psychology), Love People Use Things is told primarily from the perspective of Joshua Fields Millburn who shares some of his incredibly intimate and vulnerable missteps from earlier in life. We also get some of Ryan's experiences, but the book mostly focuses on the lessons and insights Josh learned over the first 40 years of his life, and is supported by Ryan through additional commentary and end-of-chapter exercises for the reader.
Having read The Minimalists' other books, listened to their podcast, read their blog, watched their documentaries, Love People Use Things has personally brought me a ton of value, and I would consider it their best work yet. It is essentially a relationship book that examines our relationships with the following:
While I enjoyed every last section of the book, I especially favored the chapters on our relationships with Values, Creativity, and People. I think people from all walks of life will get a great deal out of reading this book and can't recommend it enough.
If you're feeling lost and overwhelmed and need some help starting over, give this one a read.
With that said, if I'm a little biased, that may be true, but I think the point's irrelevant.
The message Josh and Ryan share today remains just as important as it was all those years ago—perhaps more so. As a society, we've lost meaning and purpose amongst the beatdown of the day-to-day grind. Take a look around at people's faces the next time you venture out in public. What do you see?
"Love People, Use Things"—seems like an obvious concept, doesn't it?
But sadly, not according to what I've observed and experienced over the last 36 years on this earth.
As a species, we're lacking meaning and purpose in our lives. We behave as if we value objects over our relationships with people, we consume more than we contribute, and we chase after fleeting pleasures rather than pausing to listen to what our inner voices are desperately trying to tell us.
Partly Self-Help, partly a guide on relationships (and grounded almost entirely in psychology), Love People Use Things is told primarily from the perspective of Joshua Fields Millburn who shares some of his incredibly intimate and vulnerable missteps from earlier in life. We also get some of Ryan's experiences, but the book mostly focuses on the lessons and insights Josh learned over the first 40 years of his life, and is supported by Ryan through additional commentary and end-of-chapter exercises for the reader.
Having read The Minimalists' other books, listened to their podcast, read their blog, watched their documentaries, Love People Use Things has personally brought me a ton of value, and I would consider it their best work yet. It is essentially a relationship book that examines our relationships with the following:
- Stuff
- Truth
- Self
- Values
- Money
- Creativity
- People
While I enjoyed every last section of the book, I especially favored the chapters on our relationships with Values, Creativity, and People. I think people from all walks of life will get a great deal out of reading this book and can't recommend it enough.
If you're feeling lost and overwhelmed and need some help starting over, give this one a read.