Luxury of Less: The Five Rings of Minimalism [Versión Kindle]

I've followed Karol Gajda's blog (Ridiculously Extraordinary) for several months since reading his ebook, How to Live Anywhere, so I'm somewhat familiar with his outlook and style.

My favorite of the five "Rings" is Experiences. I can identify with the long lasting value of great experiences versus an excess of material possessions and for myself Experiences often help create or cement Relationships (another of the rings) that wouldn't have matured otherwise. Karol does a good job providing the motivation to take action and eliminate the barriers keeping you from enjoying some of the great experiences you've had in mind but just couldn't make progress on.

My least favorite section was probably the Health section. Not because I don't like health of course but rather because I differ somewhat on the path to health and longevity in tandem with ideal body composition. As I mentioned I'm familiar with Karol's other writing so I knew what to expect. I need to emphasize that I absolutely agree with him that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is awful and something anyone interested in better performance and ideal body composition should avoid. I disagree that a vegan or vegetarian diet is the ideal way to achieve that.

I tend to think that some of the benefits of a whole food vegan diet are more attributable to the elimination of certain SAD components. I won't go too far into details since, as Karol encourages in the book, folks should do some research so they can make a decision for themselves. For myself I would prefer to have the lean but well muscled "hunter-gatherer" body type common to omnivorous adherents to a diet of whole vegetables, fruits, nuts and quality meats (with the elimination of sugars, grains of all types and most/all/some dairy).

By way of resources anyone interested in further research in that area might check out the writings of Gary Taubes, Mark Sisson, Robb Wolf (former vegan), Chris Kresser, Chris Masterjohn, Richard Nikoley (not for the easily offended) etc. A little Googling of names will find you their various blogs, books and the results from people in the community. I know the later two have addressed the popular China Study by T. Colin Campbell to some extent.

All that said The Luxury of Less is certainly a good intro to simplifying your life, acting on the adventures you've wanted to have and not letting common excuses get in the way. I also highly recommend his ebook How to Live Anywhere if you're interested in world travel or living in another country for a bit.

I'd originally purchased and read this eBook when it was released as a PDF on the author's blog, Ridiculously Extraordinary, in the autumn of 2010. I've read several dozen books on Simplicity and Minimalism over the last decade, many of those from the proliferation of blogger books in the last two years.

Karl's is one of three favorites that I have over that span, the other's being The Art of Being Minimalist (sadly no longer available) and the Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life by Leo Babauta (which if you buy the hardcopy on Amazon you're supporting some jackwagon who "stole" Leo's uncopywrited work...not illegal but VERY shady).

While the other two books are largely philosophical, Karol's is very much experiential.

Each of the five rings represents a major life category and within several of the rings the author presents several Challenges that we can put into action immediately.

Ring 1 speaks to the life category of your health (and not just physical health). While Karol is a Vegan he doesn't force that down your throat. His style is calm and engaging.

Ring 2 speaks to wealth. This is my favorite of the five rings as Karol is an inspiring individual. A former six figure corporate burn-out, he's made an incredibly profitable, sustainable, and thoughtful business out of working for himself. I'm much more likely to listen to a corporate burnout turned successful businessman than I am some kid who makes money selling books about making money selling hope.

Ring 3 speaks to Relationships which is something I very much needed the most work on and appreciated the challenges and advice in this section.

Ring 4 speaks to Experiences and Ring 5 the Void. I will not share what, specifically these cover as I think the reader should bring their own experiences to this book.

Is Luxury of Less worth reading? At just above 23,000 it is a moderately short read, packed with good information, great inspiration and, as I stated, some actionable steps to begin immediately.

If you have an interest in simplifying your life in any manner then this book is worth checking out, especially for the modest price on the Kindle. If you prefer to pursue a more materialistic path or are looking at how to climb the corporate ladder this book will probably infuriate you instead...and I'd have to wonder why you'd be searching for books with "Less" in the title.

This is a very good resource from a thirty-something who's built a life on both sides of the fence and has learned that the simpler path is the more joyful path.

This book will be obvious to some people, groundbreaking to others. At the very least it will give you reminders of what's important in life, and most of us need reminders.

Though I am clearly older than the author, I feel a certain kinship for him. We both spent our childhoods in Michigan, and we both play guitar and have traveled a lot. In fact, aside from the passages about veganism, I find most of what he says to be very sensible.

While I am already pretty much TV free and non-materialistic, I look around me and see many people still addicted to junk. By junk, I mean stuff they don't need. Karol's book would be a good start for any of these people.

I was annoyed a bit, though, by the vagabond approach that we can all dump all our stuff and that there nothing a 2 bedroom house can give you that an apartment won't. The book does not address responsible people with families in that sense, and I wouldn't recommend it for someone who is successfully supporting a family. I could pretty much live out of a backpack, and dumped all my accumulated material goods at least a couple times. The first time, I put them in a paid monthly storage for a couple years. After a couple years, I realized I didn't need any of the stuff I was saving. I removed a handful of personal items, pictures, letters, and gave the rest to a broke friend so he could have a garage sale. The only thing I missed was all the money I paid for 2 years to keep all that junk!

Still, that was the single me. Marriage and children change the dynamics greatly. While I might be willing to sleep under a bridge in a pinch, I don't think it would be a great experience for my kids. While love is the most important thing in any home, there are many material things that can help kids quite a lot. The author has missed this point.

That said, I see other people with families who feel they need to get a new TV, even though their old TV works. Or buy a new car so they won't be embarrassed in front of the neighbors. I have seen parents complain that they can't afford to take themselves and their kids overseas because it's too expensive... while they fondle their overpriced Louis Vuitton handbag and their late-model Mercedes (i.e future scrap metal) car keys. They could use this book, and should read it a few times.

Single people who are sacrificing their chance to see the world or build something by buying the latest flash car or fashion need this book too.

Though the book talks about Minimalism, it goes beyond finances to find ways to simplify your relationships and exercise. Its chapters on food and starting an online business, while good, seem to be sidetracks. He could do with a bit more focus, and take some of the chapters for use in another book.

Still, it's a reasonable price and an easy book to read. And, unlike many things one could put in their head over the course of an hour or two, this books provides nutrition for the brain and soul. If you are short of money or like to buy new stuff, get this book. Read it in scrapyard, if you can, surrounded by rusting hulks of luxury cars that somebody once struggled to pay for and broken old televisions that once graced "must buy" articles in glossy magazines.