"The Ego Trap" (Patreon)

Patreon Exclusive. Joshua and Ryan talk about letting go of presumed burdens and perceived obligations, and they answer the following questions:

Why do we write? (01:20)

How are opinions and beliefs detrimental to the truth? (12:38)

What is the ego trap? (13:06)

What is the difference between self-glorification and self-fulfillment? (30:18)

Is the root of our problems an ‘us versus them’ mentality? (40:14)

How can charity not be a wholly good thing? (54:16)

What is the ‘code of honor’? (1:00:06)

As a returning college student, I’m pushed to join everything, do community service projects, campus projects, etc., and scholarships often depend on who appears to “care for others the most”—how do I balance all of that? (1:02:37)

Can we love conditionally? (1:04:33)

Can we care too much? (1:05:31)

How can hope be a dangerous thing? (1:09:30)

How do we love someone but be untethered from their pain? (1:14:18)

How can wanting to fix something be bad? (1:20:03)

How do I permanently say ‘no’ to after-hours networking events that my employer hosts without risking my job? (1:22:22)

What are toxic expectations? (1:24:49)

What should I do about a job I love that has obligations I dislike? (1:25:06)

How do I prioritize and balance my professional and personal obligations? (1:31:40)

How do I appropriately address family obligations, and balance them with my own personal obligations, when my spouse works and most of them fall to me? (1:34:11)

What is the difference between drive and commitment? (1:41:12)

What is the difference between pain and suffering? (1:44:18)

When does something cease to be a burden? (1:45:40)

How do 20-somethings not feel burdened with trying to do everything when they’re building a career to do meaningful things with their lives? (1:48:55)

How do we appropriately address burdens? (1:51:30)

LINKS

Book: Hell Yeah or No

Book: The Way to Love

Class: How to Write Better

Essay: Compassion for Hypocrites

Essay: Confined by Attachment

Essay: Letting Go Is Not Something You Do

Essay: Success Does Not Exist

Essay: The Solution Is the Problem

Instagram: Jordan Moore

Instagram: Podcast Shawn

Instagram: Jess Williams

Listen: “Purple Rain Thing”

Podcast: How to Love

Podcast: Minimalism Today

Podcast: Obligations

Resources: The Minimalists

Subscribe: The Minimalists

Text: 937-202-4654

Tour: The Minimalists

MAXIMS

“Every obligation is a perceived obligation.” —Joshua Fields Millburn

“We’re never running toward happiness—we’re always running from misery.” —Joshua Fields Millburn

“The best way to take care of others is to first take care of yourself.” —Ryan Nicodemus

“Change happens not from how often we say ‘yes,’ but when we say ‘yes’ to only that which propels us toward our destination.” —Joshua Fields Millburn

“‘No’ is the most freeing word in the world—it is often the most compassionate, too.” —Joshua Fields Millburn

“Boulders can be set down as easily as they were picked up.” —Ryan Nicodemus

“You can’t prioritize your desires.” —Joshua Fields Millburn

“If you pursue enlightenment, you will never be enlightened.” —Joshua Fields Millburn

“Our freedom increases in relation to our exposure to the truth.” —Joshua Fields Millburn

“To do the thing we can’t not do, we must also do some things we’d rather do without.” —Joshua Fields Millburn

This Maximal episode corresponds with Minimal episode 270.