Now there are a few different reasons for why I used to collect clutter in my
life. Parts of me was clinging to the past; I
felt guilty at times; there was also a piece of me that was
using the things I owned as a means to define who I was but it
wasn't until I took the time to pay attention
to my life that I realized that this was the case for me.
It was a reality check that was needed and during this time I also learned
that clutter is sneaky and it takes the shape of many different forms, yet
the underlying reason for why we collect it
is usually one of a handful of things and the first one
is because we're used to it. See sometimes the thoughts of dealing with
the clutter in our lives is daunting and if we can avoid it
we will and because of that we find ourselves
growing used to it. Comfortable with the clutter surrounding us.
"Well that closet has been that way for 10 years and it's not bothering anyone,
just keep the doors shut." "I've walked past that box for
two years now and honestly I just started using it as a table."
"I'm barely home as it is so why does it matter."
"Well I might need that one day so I'll just put it
here and hope I don't forget about it." See
in a weird way saying these things out loud makes us feel
okay with the clutter in our lives which is why we struggle with dealing with it
directly because changing it would make us feel uncomfortable right.
So instead we just store it and ignore it.
All right number two is fear of change. It's almost like the idea of
decluttering is terrifying as if it's a scary movie right.
It gives us the chills whenever we think about it because A)
we either don't know where to start or B) we're afraid of change.
Now this fear keeps us from experiencing the true benefits to owning less
because in our mind anything that's opposite of what we're comfortable with
in this case our clutter, the things we've held onto
for years, can't be good for us right. So instead of letting go,
we grip tighter out of fear. Fear of change.
Fear of the unknown, thus closing ourselves off to growing and
experiencing everything life has to offer. Ok
number three is guilt. See we collect clutter because there's something
in us a feeling that's preventing us from letting something go,
in this case that feeling is guilt. Now in order to overcome
this feeling of guilt we have to change our perspective a little bit.
For example let's say you're holding on to something that you don't need,
don't use, don't enjoy and can't realistically see yourself using
in the future. Now instead of holding on to the item out of guilt
because "it's in really good condition" and we don't want to feel wasteful.
Instead of holding on to that item, if we change our perspective and think
because I'm holding on to this item that I'm not using,
I'm preventing someone else from using and truly enjoying it.
See making a small tweak in our thinking like this can really help dissolve our
feeling of guilt. Number four is clinging to the
past. Now I want you to comment below and
answer two questions one are you holding on to anything from
the past and two if so why? See personally I don't believe
there's anything wrong with holding on to a sentimental item or two from the
past. You know something that's truly
meaningful and valuable to you but we have to keep in mind that there
has to be a balance. If everything is valuable then
nothing truly holds value to you. If everything is
sentimental then nothing truly holds sentiment
to you. Number five is self-worth. "The more I have the more I'm worth."
"I'll feel better about myself, my image, if only I had
this thing." "My friends will like me more." Things we're telling ourselves
internally to justify the clutter in our lives or our need
to hold on to something but see we have to keep something in mind.
See most things in life are depreciating assets.
Meaning they lose value over time now there are some exceptions to this right,
a house, a collection of something and so on right. Now
I don't want to get into the weeds of that because it's not what this
conversation is about. There are some exceptions ok, but for
the sake of this conversation most things in life are depreciating
assets. However you my friend are not. You don't
lose your value over time. Your value, your worth, is whatever you
deem it to be. So when you look in the mirror tonight
or when you finish watching this or listening to this,
I want you to tell yourself that I am worth more than these things I own
and these things do not define me. Alright
before we continue this conversation if you're enjoying this and how real and
honest it is, let me know in the comments section down
below. Also if you're new here and you're not subscribed, make sure you hit
that subscribe button down below and tap the bell so you're notified every
time I drop a new video. Alright number six is buying too much.
When we do this it's usually the result of or something called
"aspirational clutter" and I actually talked about this in a video I did a
while back discussing eight types of clutter and
I'll leave a link to it down below so you can check it out but
aspirational clutter are things we buy and only aspire to use,
but never do to the extent that we thought we would. Funny example let's say
you took a walk through a very nice nature trail or hiked a small mountain
and you absolutely fell in love with that mini adventure right. So now
you're at an outdoor store buying every piece of outdoor clothing and equipment
that catches your eye. Bags, tents, the whole nine yards right and now it's
stored in your closet. Some time passes by, you
may have gone on a walk or two but if you're being honest the
likelihood of you pitching a tent in the mountains or going completely off grid
is not very high but you've bought those things
thinking you would. See we have to be conscious of what we're buying and how
much we're buying so we can cut back on some of that
aspirational clutter in our space. Alright number seven is never saying
no. Simply put, if you say no to nothing you
will say yes to everything. Yes to buying this. Yes to
getting that and ooh I can't leave without picking up one of
those. See saying no doesn't mean we can never
say yes it actually has the opposite effect. When
we say no to things that don't matter, that aren't
important and don't add value to our lives.
It then gives us the room to say yes to everything that does matter.
That is important and does add value to our lives. Remember our homes and our
lives are only cluttered if they're filled with things, thoughts
and emotions that we don't want, need or use. I hope I said something in this
video that resonated with you and if I did give it a thumbs up for me and
comment below so we can continue this conversation.
If you're new here hit that subscribe button and always remember
to stay true to you. I'll see you the next one.
Peace!