3812: Five Steps Toward a More Meaningful Holiday Season by Joshua Fields Millburn of The Minimalists

Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

Optimal Living Daily LLC

Education, Mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3812: Joshua Fields Millburn urges us to reclaim the true essence of the holidays by shifting our focus away from consumerism and toward connection, contribution, and presence. His five-step approach offers practical, heartfelt ways to simplify the season and deepen its meaning, making room for more joy, gratitude, and togetherness. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.theminimalists.com/season/ Quotes to ponder: "The best present is presence." "Consumption is an unquenchable thirst." "Possessions can’t make up for lost time." Episode references: Charity Water: https://www.charitywater.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:45.0	This is Optimal Living Daily. Five Steps Toward a More Meaningful Holiday Season by Joshua Fields Milburn of the Minimalist.com. And I'm Justin Mollick, your personal narrator. We'll get
0:50.5	right to it as we optimize your life.
1:02.8	Five steps toward a more meaningful holiday season by Joshua Fields Milburn of the Minimalist.com.
1:10.5	The room is full, a bit cramped, the crowd filling their seats. It's snowing lightly outside the half windows behind the stage,
1:12.2	just a few flurries coating the sidewalks above this basement. It's December 2012. The windows
1:18.5	weep from the indoor heat. I turn on the microphone and look over the crowd, avoiding eye
1:23.3	contact, which will just make me more nervous than I already am. I begin my speech by telling a story
1:29.0	about a child on Christmas morning. Fast forward a few weeks from now, Christmas Day, as little
1:34.8	Andy unwraps Optimus Prime. A grin breaks across his features when the large toy lights up and
1:41.3	comes to life, flashing and beeping and driving Andy's parents crazy.
1:47.0	But in a few moments, Andy discards the toy and begins unwrapping the rest of his presence,
1:52.5	extracting each box from under the tree one by one, some long, some tall, some heavy, some light.
2:00.0	Each box reveals a new toy, each shred of green and red wrapping
2:04.2	paper, a flash of happiness. An hour later, though, little Andy is crying hysterically. Based on his
2:11.7	fits, this has undoubtedly been the worst Christmas ever. Sure, Andy received many of the things on his list, but he's far more
	...

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