We all go through many phases in our lives-- we went through our "terrible twos" when we were little, and we may have times when we are students, newlyweds, young moms, empty nesters, or retirees. We may have career changes that also mark new phases. Hopefully we grow and learn all the time, and we can see that growth when we look back at old photos, old letters, and other souvenirs from the past.
But beyond memorabilia, how about the way our STUFF marks our phases and reflects who we are and who we've been?
My friend was telling me that when she left the corporate world to start her coaching business, it was SO EASY to pitch the books on "shop floor management" and other corporate topics. It was no longer who she wanted to be. It was a reminder of something she had wanted to grow away from. Clearing it out made her space reflect her new business and her new life.
On a personal note, and hopefully not too personal, I recently threw out all of my old pajamas and started replacing them with ones that feel more like me. I had a bunch of cottony, cartoony pajamas for a long time, and I just realized one day that they did not feel like who I am anymore. I am a mature, serious woman and I wanted some mature, serious pajamas! And I feel SO great in them! The old ones were worn out anyway, but the real point was that I wanted to have stuff around me that reflects how I see myself now. They are SO TOTALLY ME! :)
What does your stuff say about who YOU are right now? Is it mostly reflective of your past, or your glorious present? (I just wrote more about this recently in my observations on the Pixar movie "UP!") If you are pleased with who you are being and becoming, getting rid of the old stuff should make for relatively easy decisions. If you are keeping things that don't express who you are or who you'd like to be, could it be that stuff (and the thoughts they represent) are actually holding you back? Share your thoughts in the comments...
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Love this, Lorie and totally concur. It's so important to "move on" from certain phases and things in our lives and replace them (or not)with things that help us stay current and relevant. We can hang on to a few things that mark certain phases or are timelessly valuable, but generally I think it's helpful, cleansing and even therapeutic to do a good old fashioned purge on several levels & on a regular basis. Thanks for keeping our de-cluttering inspiration going!
Posted by: Patti DeNucci | June 26, 2009 at 03:25 PM
OK, it really is time to pull up the dumpster. I've been tempted for months to just go through my closet and drawers and throw everything away. None of it is who I am now. That's been eating at me for a while now. Getting braver....It's just that I haven't found my new style yet. Nothing feels quite right yet. So I hang on to the old stuff. Mind clutter?
Posted by: Carole | June 27, 2009 at 12:52 AM
Great post. This hits home. I purged my closet and had it redesigned to fit my fiancee's stuff. I didn't touch my dresser and it is quite comical what I am finding in there. This can also follow with furniture (hopefully not too often because it could get expensive) When I split from my 21 year marriage I found myself purchasing furniture that was on the complete opposite spectrum from what I had in the marriage. (A field day for most therapists I'm sure) Now that I am settling into who I am and happy with it I have some big pieces of furniture that do not reflect me and am challenged as to how to reasonably get rid of them. Stuff can definitely weigh you down.
Genny Esterline
www.connectionsforwomen.com
Posted by: Genny Esterline | July 02, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Yours is a great article. I am faced with a huge problem, uh, opportunity/challenge. I decided to pull up the yucky carpet in a small area of the house,when low and behold, the hardwood floors were unfinished, but beautiful. My husband and I decided to pull up all the carpet upstairs (3 huge bedrooms and 3 huge closets as well as the stairs) and have the floors finished. This required moving EVERYTHING upstairs, downstairs. We are in an awful mess but I am determined that when the floor man comes and we can move things back up, we will not have to take nearly as much back up. I really need continued motivation. I work 7 12-14 hr days as a nurse and then 7 days off. The floor man told me today that it would be another week before he gets here.
Posted by: Agnes Mayo | October 19, 2009 at 06:19 PM