Decluttering and Simplifying

So many North Americans have been come entangled in the pursuit of wealth for the purpose of acquiring more stuff and are currently living beyond their means. We are constantly being bombarded by images of celebrity lifestyles and it's difficult not to be seduced into thinking that we need All-The-Things to be happy and popular. Most of us do get a buzz from acquiring new things like clothing or home accessories and some people get addicted to that feeling. The problem is we don't all live in 20,000 square foot mansions and the feeling of being overwhelmed by stuff can quickly cancel out the good vibes you get from acquiring the items in the first place.

Some people are not buyers but acquirers of stuff. Maybe they've lived in the same house all their lives and it's full to rafters or they've inherited a house and it's contents from a relative. They get accustomed to their surroundings and the lifestyle changes they need to make to live with their things, not realizing that there's another way. Sometimes the stuff becomes a stand-in a person they've lost - grandma's table is way too large for the space and completely unusable - but they can't let it go because it feels like they'd be saying goodbye to to the person all over again.

For most of us we are somewhere in the middle. We have gifts we don't use, inherited keepsakes we don't love, and stuff we spent too much money on but we don't know what to or where to begin.

The first step in the process of simplifying your life is making the decision to make a change and then deciding if it's something you can manage yourself or if you need professional help. Sometimes people are ready to let go of their excess things and they just need an extra pair of hands to help with the process. Sometimes letting go of stuff takes courage and by courage I mean feeling fear and discomfort but moving forward anyway. In these cases it helps to have someone there to keep you on track and to hold you accountable to your stated goals