Too Much Stuff

Stuff, we have way too much of it! It not only clutters our homes, it also clutters our minds. The worst thing about too much stuff is that it actually saps energy from us, quietly and sneakily. Just look around your space – I’m sure that you will be able to identify several items that are not useful or beautiful just within your sight line. It can be a tiny trinket that just floats around your desk, a piece of furniture, piles of paper or any useless object. Typically people keep things that are not Beautiful or Useful because of self-imposed guilt.

GIFT GUILT: It could be that the object in question was given as a gift from someone truly special, therefore, getting rid of an unwanted, unloved, item FEELS like it’s hurting the gift giver. But, would giving the item a new home where it will be loved really be a negative? Also, odds are, that the special person who gave you the gift would not want you to keep something unloved. Getting rid of an object, in the vast number of cases (note I’m not talking your grandma’s wedding ring, that you pass along to another family member) will have NO effect on a true relationship. In the future, urge friends and family to forgo gifts unless they are somehow consumable or request that they join together to buy something you NEED, or you can always ask for donations to your favorite charity!

MONEY GUILT: Another great way we beat ourselves up is by keeping stuff that we hate simply because we bought it/spent money on it. Discarding high priced (or not) purchases makes us feel even MORE wasteful than we already feel every time we see the item. If an unloved object is worth some money, take 10 minutes and post it for sale/online auction. The cash payout can be reserved for a small treat like a dinner out or a massage; notice I’m suggesting things that are experiences rather than new stuff.

SENTIMENTAL GUILT: Feelings surrounding these objects are typically very intense and complicated. Often they are visual reminders of specific emotions. One example is keeping an item that reminds you of a failed venture, a lost relationship, bad times, etc. If you are an artist or extreme sentimentalist and you must keep such an item, either store it, take a photo of it, or write about it in a journal. You’ve recorded its existence, you are now free to let it go.

WHAT IF GUILT: Many people also have “what if” guilt. As in:“what if I need this thing down the line”. If you can identify a concrete use for the thing within the next six months, AND it’s an expensive or difficult to replace then, by all means, keep it. If, on the other hand, you are holding onto Hawaiian drink stirrers that you bought ten years ago because they were on sale, now that’s pretty wishful thinking (that you might host such a themed party) and definitely ridiculous guilt. Donate them to a school for arts and crafts or give them to a friend who DOES host Hawaiian parties!

Less stuff=more money, time, and a relaxing home!