It takes a lot more courage to say NO. I bet most of you heard this quote many times before. The hard truth is it’s not easy, sometimes, to stand up for yourself and to realize what you truly deserve. It’s not just about saying no to people or situations, but saying no to items is equally difficult. It’s required a lot of valuation and self-examination to understand what’s important in your life.
I have been saying no to many material items lately. I find that it becomes easier when you started to understand the other side of freedom. I always thought being equipped with stuff will make me efficient, productive and success which lead to freedom to do anything I want. But now I realize that a lot of stuff can actually weight me down and distract me to go after things that I want.
When I had tons of clothes, I used to feel like I had nothing to wear. It’s such a cliché; I know right? But it’s basically how I was. I bought new clothes every other week, and I still felt like I didn’t have enough so I ended up shopping more. Last year when I attend a professional event with Sadik, we thought that I had nothing to suit the event. We went out to buy an expensive jacket for me. When we reached home, I had to spend hours to find the right outfit to match the jacket. I even found that I could have borrowed my mom’s jacket so I didn’t have to spend Rs. 7,000 for something to wear on just one night.
Now when I stepped inside the minimalist lifestyle, I think and act differently about buying stuff. I can say “no” immediately and easily now that I know the functional value of the things I own. In my minimalism journey, I’ve worked on decluttering my wardrobe. The first step in doing this is to define my style. I started to throw away stuff that doesn’t fit me. I got rid of trendy clothing and accessories that didn’t look good on me. I only keep quality clothes that speak my personality. And it becomes so easy for me to find things to wear and be happy about it all the time. Now that I realize I have enough clothes, I stop buying new clothes completely. I won’t buy until some things won’t work for me anymore so I have to replace them.
Wardrobe decluttering is one example of the journeys I’ve adopted in minimalist lifestyle. I did the same thing to my household items, personal care products, home decor stuff and even groceries. When you think of getting rid of many things at once, it’s quite scary. Very scary really. But what was I scared about? Throwing away stuff can’t be that hard! The truth is sometimes we get unnecessarily attached to items. We’re afraid that without these mementos to remind, we will forget. But in the simplest reality— if it’s really important enough, we will remember it.
It’s overwhelming to throw things that have been in your life for years so I came up with a challenge to throw 3 things away every day until I feel absolutely free of excesses.
So these three items can be anything you want to get rid of, big or small, that are not included in your daily trash. So they’re not plastic bags or banana peels, but they’re real solid items that occupied important space in your home. And every part of your home is important by the way.
I’m not going to tell you it’s easy, because after a while, you when there are fewer items, the decisions are going to be harder. There will be a lot of stuff that you think you like or love, but they have no use in your life anymore. However, this challenge is flexible and it should be easy. You will not throw away anything you love. If it’s important, then it’s important, and you won’t get rid of it. But this is after the deliberate contemplation whether the item is really that important.
To me, the item is important when it adds value into my life.
So I have been throwing 3 items out of my house every day. It’s so funny I still have tons of things to go through. Can you believe I kept sugar sachets from a flight I took 8 years ago. Yep, I think I had a serious hoarding problem. I also gave away the tiny Yaseen’s shoes that are super super super cute. This was a hard one, but I knew I made the right choice.
I feel good after throwing stuff out of my house. I feel lighter. And this might sound stupid, but I actually feel taller. I feel that my house is cleaner, and I become less clingy to things. I feel independent, and having things becomes less significant. Because now every single object in my life has a purpose, it adds value, and it absolutely belongs here.
Love,
Tes
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