Back then, minimalism proponents like the artist Yves Klein or the musician Philip Glass tried to focus on the core competences of their genres. This is also what Joshua and Ryan from The Minimalists do today. With their essays, blog posts or public appearances, the mentors show people how the minimalistic lifestyle can become a daily routine. And they are doing pretty good as they have been featured in magazines like the New York Times and in TV shows of BBC, ABC or CBS. Unsurprisingly, their explanation of minimalism is very simple: “Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor of focusing on what’s important – so you can find happiness, fulfillment, and freedom.“ This made me think for a minute. We all want to be happy and free, don’t we? So dedicating the first Monthly Topic of 2018 to this “simple happiness” seemed pretty appropriate. This month, we will go a bit deeper than the clean looking Instagram and Pinterest feeds. Of course they look very cool and inspiring but there’s a story behind this whole trend, which should be told more and more. So for this new year, let’s put those overestimated resolutions aside and go for a simple one instead: happiness arising out of conscious and deliberate decisions.