How does one know when it is okay to change and let go of belongings you don’t use, want or need? Is there a test you can take?
If there was a test would you take it?
In order to remodel my home office, I emptied it. In the process, I’ve found a new sense of freedom I didn’t realize was possible. When I was surrounded by all my stuff accumulated over the years, I was missing out on embracing changing out the old with the new.
That’s crazy! So I’m doing an experiment and testing myself to see what I really need to function in my office on a daily basis. Instead of keeping stuff just because it had always been there.
It’s exciting and scary too to ask yourself, “Do I use, need or WANT this in my life?”
Facing scary feelings about letting go is a way to test yourself about what you really need. If you bring the stuff back in too fast, it might just end up right back where you started. For me, that would mean an office, cluttered with the old familiar items of the past. Letting go of stuff shouldn’t be a repeat of the past, it should be a new beginning.
“Up from the sea, the wild north wind is blowing, under the sky’s gray arch. Smiling, I watch the shaken elm boughs, knowing it is the wind of March.” – John Greenleaf Whittier
Spring is a perfect time to start new and fresh. Yesterday, on March 8, the wind was howling at about 37 mph. Sitting in my empty office I was intrigued by the sound of the wind echoes. Strange, when it was cluttered, I never noticed the sound of the wind.
I still haven’t moved back in all the items I removed a couple of weeks ago. Amazing how much stuff I really don’t need on a daily basis. Hmmm…maybe minimalists are on to something after all?
When I started to move stuff back in, the familiarity of the stuff felt odd and yucky. I don’t love the old hand-me-down and used furniture. It’s bulky and not fresh. Oh, my…enlightening…it is time to lighten up!
“When life’s strong winds come blowing, bend with them, and let go. By bending you will become stronger in new places. By letting go, you will be making room for the new and better.” – notsalmon.com
Going lighter means starting out fresh and letting into your life only what you need and want. No “might come in handy someday items.” If your destination is to be lighter and own less stuff, you must change what you have surrounding you that holds you back from doing so.
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean
Going lighter means you are open to the future and opportunities, not embracing the fear of what you might need from the past. Look at the stuff accumulated that you thought you might have needed with fresh eyes. I bet you didn’t really need the stuff after all did you? Some of my stuff had been there for 20 + years. I didn’t plan 20 years ago to keep the stuff, it just found a comfortable holding spot.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain
Let go…go lighter…good graycious, it is good for the soul!
The winds of change are blowing, urging me to flow. It’s time to start the journey and finally let go. The path may be uncertain; I will have to walk alone. But my heart will guide me through this; my soul will lead me home.” – Mila Bron
