Why is it so difficult to get rid of things that aren’t important to us? When we have houses and cars and rented storage spaces full of stuff we don’t need, use, or even know about, why is it so hard to let go?
It isn’t that getting rid of unimportant stuff is difficult. That’s easy.
The problem is that we believe everything is important to us!
So even when we decide to declutter and simplify our lives, we set ourselves up for failure before we even begin.
Importance only matters when a few, select, truly valuable things have importance. If everything is important, then nothing is.
When we look around at a room full of stuff we don’t use, or when we look at our packed calender, or our overflowing list of projects…most of the time, we’ve already convinced ourselves that everything is important. Just listen to your inner voice as you’re about to throw something away: “but I might use that…it’ll be difficult to find another…it’s sentimental to me.” These voices are telling us that everything is important. But it isn’t.
If you have a select few priorities, that’s wonderful! But if we have more than a handful??
Then “priorities” will keep us from decluttering.
“Priorities” will keep us from accomplishing things.
“Priorities” will weigh us down.
And “priorities” will keep us from having time and energy for what should be our priorities.
So if we want to live a minimalist life. If we want simplicity and the freedom that comes from not being spread thin and weighed down. We have to first decide that all this stuff isn’t important!
And not only decide in our heads, but teach our slow-to-learn emotions this truth as well.
