Simplify And Declutter Your Life.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.~Hans Hofmann

Too Much Stuff

Destruction, in the sense that we’ve been talking about it, doesn’t have to mean actually physically breaking something. It can also mean getting rid of something that isn’t adding value to your life.

Physical objects take on energy and can weigh us down and hold us back. Much of what we hold on to isn’t really necessary… There isn’t an actual need for the objects. There may be a strong desire attached to physical things, but very little is required to live life.

A quick test to determine if an object is a need or a want is to question if it’s contributing to your goals for yourself. If it is, good. If it isn’t, it’s just clutter that we all hang on to for reasons other than need.

Sometimes objects hold sentimental value… I have a lot of old Christmas decorations that belonged to my Grandmother and Mother. Do I need them? No. I could function in life without them. Are they contributing to me reaching my goals? Yes. The decorations remind me of happy times as a child. They inspire me to try and create the same memories for others when December rolls around… They make me a better person.

Some objects don’t contribute anything to your life other than being an anchor holding you in the past. Old clothes and shoes that don’t fit, deals we found but didn’t really need and gifts given that have no real use for us are the types of things to get rid of.

Get Rid Of The Anchors

Doug is buried in comics…

I’ve moved five times in the past fourteen years. I had boxes of junk I kept moving and never unpacked… Mostly stuff from my childhood that I didn’t even want anymore.

During the last couple moves I began to sell, throw away or give away the stuff that was weighing me down.

These boxes of things were spiritually and emotionally draining. I don’t know why I held on to everything so long.

I converted much of the valuable stuff into cash… Ebay is good for this. Much was donated or put to the side of the road too. How stuff is shed isn’t as important as just getting it out of your life.

I still have some things to get rid of. My comic book collection is pretty large but pretty much valueless now. The value tanked when the internet flooded the market with more books than collectors want.

So, I have five large boxes of comics in my loft that I spent a fortune on and I’ll never get the money back. I guess that’s why I still hold on to them… The thought of how much was spent on them.

The comics are the one major anchor left in my life. I try not to think about them… I’ll be better off when I finally give them away. I don’t look at them and all they do is remind me of money poorly spent… I’ll be happier when they’re gone, some day…

Exercise

Think about all the stuff that you’re holding on to. Why are you doing it?

Go through your closets, drawers, cabinets and other places you stash stuff. Take some time to examine the items. 

When is the last time you used it, or even touched it? Has it been more than a year? Does it fit anymore? Does it still work?

It should be pretty easy to identify the obvious anchors.

Get rid of stuff… Clothes aren’t coming back in fashion… Old jeans aren’t going to fit again tomorrow. Pass the objects on to someone else of just throw them away. Be grateful for the use you received from each item and then let it go. 

Go through your stuff again and examine what you chose to hold on to. Does it have monetary value? Sell it… Gift it to someone… Be ruthless.

If you find things that help you progress towards your goals and/or make you a better person, hang on to them. This will be a conscious decision which is better than hoarding stuff “just because”.

I think you’ll be surprised by how much better you feel once you let go of your clutter…

 

Connect With Your True Self Series Home     Next: Destroy Your Beliefs And Create New Ones For Yourself.

 

 

 

Tags: change, Consciousness, growth, healing, life, Philosophy, Spirituality