It's a Minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily, The Opportunity of Lent by Joshua Becker of

Becoming Minimalist.com, and I'm Justin Mollick, your personal narrator, reading to you with permission

from the authors. I cover lots of topics like personal development or personal growth, self-help,

mindfulness, happiness, and usually minimalism on Mondays,

but anything that I think can help you live a more meaningful life in just a few minutes every day.

So with that, let's get right to the Minimalist Monday post as we optimize your life.

The Opportunity of Lent by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist.com.

Growing up in small towns in South Dakota and North Dakota,

I can vividly remember students in my school observing the season of Lent,

but to me, it only meant that our school lunch menu changed for a month and McDonald's

advertised their fillet of fish sandwich for $1. As I grew older, I began to understand more and more

the spiritual significance and religious tradition behind the season. And even though I've always

been open to the idea of a personal god who loves me and cheers for me, Lent was still never a season. And even though I've always been open to the idea of a personal God who loves me and

cheers for me, Lent was still never a season I observed. But my mind was changed when I was

invited by a mentor to observe the season by fasting from one controlling influence in my life

for 40 days. He promised life-changing personal benefits to the exercise.

I trusted him, man, so I chose fast food. I was in a season of life and a mindset that lent

itself to eating out often, and I knew cutting out fast food was going to require great

intentionality and self-restraint. It turned out to be an

unforgettable 40-day season and a valuable exercise in self-discipline. That was almost 12 years ago,

and I can still vividly remember eating the brown bag meals in my car that I prepared each morning.

Since then, I have observed Lentz a number of times. Each time, I choose one controlling

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