Getting Rid of Everything and Starting Again
Note: This is a guest post from Zoë Kim of Raising Simple.
Finding our lives under everything we own is more clearing away just junk. Frequently it requires removing good quality things. Expensive things. Useful things. Admired things. Fancy things. It means letting get of perfectly skillful stuff in society to pursue something more meaningful.
I began de-owning my backlog six years agone. My husband deployed frequently and we had two children under v. I was spending more than time doing something with our stuff than doing something with my family unit.
With my husband one-half-mode beyond the world, the kids and I had to pack upwardly to move once again. It was our third move in half dozen years, but this ane was just down the street. How difficult could that be?
Well, the procedure of personally packing, unpacking, and organizing all of our stuff drained the joy right out of me—for two months. I wanted to take my kids to the embankment, play at the park, and listen to their laughter. Only I was exhausted, and stressed. Busy taking intendance of all our stuff.
It was in that stress, exhaustion, and desire to alive better that I had an 'ah-ha' moment. I began to run across the real price of and then much stuff— and information technology was way overpriced!
I started peeling away the layers of excess. And I was on a whorl—until I hit that layer of perfectly good things! Valuable things that people spent much time and life to buy. I felt wasteful and sick at the idea of giving it abroad. This was adept stuff— wasn't information technology? Peradventure and then. Merely I was learning, "The price of anything is the corporeality of life yous commutation for it." —Henry Thoreau
It is possible to break through the layer of perfectly good things. Through the process, I learned these applied steps:
one. Accept the mistake. Often, we will run into many mistakes equally we start to purge all the 'good stuff.' Admit it was a fault so you can move on. Keeping something that does not add value to your life keeps you lot stuck holding on to the mistake.
2. Shift your perspective. Every bit I journey further into minimalism, I realized there is far more joy in giving things away than can ever be plant in owning more.
3. Designate a spot. In the outset, I would walk through my firm and see things I idea I wanted to donate but they stayed put until I prepare a spot to start putting it all. Set up a box, closet or room to place your donation items. Remove them from your house often.
four. Community. Share your excess with your customs. Donate books to schools and libraries. Donate clothing and other household goods to local foster intendance organizations, shelters, and your local food pantry.
5. Experiment. Experimentation past elimination has helped me shed the layers of good stuff quicker. I simplified my beauty and bathroom routine by removing 60-eighty% of my products. Much to my surprise, many things I kept had no real value to my twenty-four hour period.
6. Keep your center on your why. In times of discouragement, make a choice to focus on why y'all are giving perfectly good things away. Call up, yous're giving upwardly the practiced for the best.
7. Inquire yourself better questions.
Does it serve its purpose—to serve my purpose?
We're often not consciously thinking about our motives when we keep things, but everything has a cost. How much are you lot willing to sacrifice your passion and purpose for possessions? Some of our things serve a purpose. The important things give our lives meaning and joy. The useless ones just drain our fourth dimension.
Tin can this be useful to someone else?
When nosotros hold on to good things we do not demand, nosotros keep them from existence helpful to others. I used to recollect it would exist wasteful just to give things away that were barely used or not used at all—peculiarly if they weren't cheap. But then I idea, what if I just own my mistake in buying this matter by giving it away.
Would I leave this as someone else's' responsibility?
With my spouse deployed in impairment's way, I was expected to plan. I filled out the spouse deployment form—pages filled with detailed questions and answers should my married man be killed. Experiences similar these gave me more prudence. What will the land of my stuff look like when I'g no longer here? Do I savour this plenty to leave if for someone to have care of—because it volition be my family taking care of it anytime?
How do you want to alive your life?
Own too much, and you'll live a life owned by your stuff. Say aye when yous should say no and you'll alive a life organized by others. Keep more than you demand, and y'all'll give less to those in need.
The journey to minimalism might look similar it's nearly going through and purging your possessions. Simply it's much more nigh going through your heart. "The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to alive your life." Marie Kondo
I've often wondered if I would have journeyed into minimalism had we non experienced the active duty military life. If we hadn't moved and then oft and been stretched in stress, would I accept kept it all put-away—like organized hoarding happily?
Nonetheless, I'm grateful for the experiences which brought me to the path to living more intentionally with a lot less.
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Zoë Kim blogs at Raising Unproblematic where she inspires others to live an intentional life by owning less, creating new habits, and cultivating opportunities to give. And be certain to check out her on Facebook.
Source: https://www.becomingminimalist.com/letting-go/
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