Culling the Clutter to Happiness

When I was reflecting on the times of my life that I have felt the most at peace with myself, the times I was truly and wholeheartedly happy, I realised that more often than not these were times I was living out of a suitcase. At first I believed this to be solely because I was overseas and it was the experiences I was having, the country I was in and the people I was with. It wasn’t until not long ago that I realised there was more to it than that…

Having recently moved house I thought it would be the perfect excuse to go through all of my belongings and remove what I no longer wanted. Being someone that has almost zero interest in fashion, beauty and doesn’t place any value on materialistic possessions in general, I was amazed that somehow I managed to fill two rooms and wardrobes worth of stuff. After reading ‘The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up’(it’s a fluffy read I’ll admit) but the advice that resonated with me was to make sure the item made me feel enlightened and happy at the very moment that I touched it. I managed to cull and donate well over half my stuff, including my desk and bed frame so that I didn’t have somewhere to store unnecessary stuff.

It then occurred to me the potential benefit to applying this concept to other aspects of my life. I started fairly literal, the click as I unfollowed the hundreds of people on social media that only brought harmful comparisons (which I know we all have!). Even the amount people I chose to surround myself with that brought nothing but negativity and drama. As I progressed I found myself culling more metaphorical clutter such as overwhelming thoughts of self doubt and harmful overthinking.  I allowed all these things to clutter my life and never knew how much impact it had.

I now realise the reason I was so content whilst living out of a suitcase is because I had everything with me that I would ever need. Not once when I was experiencing some of the greatest times of my life did I stop and wish that I had of brought these items of clothing over with me, or had this particular piece of décor in the apartment or this particular accessory. When you surround yourself with the things that bring you value and happiness you choose to live a life without clutter and negativity. This allows you not only time and money to focus on dreams far more important but it makes you truly appreciate the things that you do love in your life.

So I ask you to stop to consider the things in your life that actually bring value; the things that looking back in the past you would want to remember; the things that you would want if they were the only few things you could have. Are they materials?  I understand the desire to accumulate belongings as an investment. We invest as a guarantee for a secure and happy future when the future isn’t guaranteed. Assuming you never got the opportunity to utilise your things you’ve worked so hard to get, would you be happy with how you’ve spent your life?

Emphasis on experience over materialism reminded me that gratitude is a tool far more valuable to making my life more full than any object will ever be.