Get Rid of Useless Stuff

40 Tips To Re-Invent and Re-Launch at Age 40, 50, or Beyond. (Tip #5)

Over time we often accumulate a lot of stuff.  Some things we own are important, valuable, and have sentimental ties.  There are many items that are used often or are saved for a specific purpose However, if you are like me, over a lifetime it seems we collect a lot of crap.

My ongoing experience is showing me that to re-invent I need to regularly purge my stored "stuff".  I am not advocating living as a minimalist, although I will admit that I admire those who can let go of so much and live with a realistic view of their needs. Our society has placed such an over-emphasis on material things that it has become so hard for people to throw things away or donate them to others.

The truth is I am good with this concept of cleaning out the clutter in theory, but I am not good at it in practice.  I am not a hoarder, but I do have a lot of junk that I do not use or need. There is not much I possess that has generational family sentimental value, and I doubt my kids would ever want any of the things that are placed on my closet shelves.  When my parents passed away and my brothers and I sorted through their items, we found little that we needed to save.  

Stuff can hold us back and clog our storage space.  This is true of closets and our minds.  The more often that I go and throw out physical items, the more I seem to let go of mental road blocks.  My closet is a perfect metaphor for my brain, as the more I can eliminate from the shelves, the more attention I can place on the things I have decided to keep.  

While my progress is slow, I do have an occasional ritual where I set a timer for 15 minutes and purge items from my drawers, closets, and other storage areas.  I place belongings in the trash or create a donation pile for Goodwill.  This is a hard task, as for some reason I want to hold on to clothing or other things that trigger memories.  Throwing away items is hard, but in an effort to move forward and continue to learn, grown and change, looking backwards is not congruent with my goals.

If you want to re-invent and re-launch your life, sometimes you have to make a fresh start.  Let go of the past, and make room for new stuff and experiences that you will encounter in the future. 

Purge the excess and live in the now. Get rid of useless stuff.  We don't need nearly as many trinkets as we have been lead to believe.  There is freedom in tossing out the old stuff.

Have A Great Day

thom singer