Over the past few months of Quarantine Life, the concept of ‘things as tether’ has floated across my consciousness more than once. For starters, being housebound while the rest of the world is essentially at a standstill gives you a lot of time inside your home. For another, the concept of “quaran-cleaning” gives you an opportunity to determine what you really need in your life.
Contemplating the usefulness and true value of what you own is actually a gift. Two Georges help me illustrate my point: If you’ve ever watched George Carlin’s comedy routine on “Stuff,” or watched George Clooney as downsizing consultant Ryan Bingham in the movie, Up in the Air (and his “backpack analogy”) then you’ll understand where I’m coming from with this post.
On a very personal note, I filed for divorce a little over ten years ago and spent the 18 months immediately thereafter literally selling or giving away most of my stuff. A five-bedroom house. Gone. Most of the stuff that furnished it. Ditto. Thousands of dollars of blankets, decor, candlesticks—stuff—donated to Goodwill or sold at a yard sale.
Way before Marie Kondo was a known author, my divorce gave me an opportunity to get surgical about what I allowed into my life and why. Clearing my life of extraneous clutter and stuff helped, but this post is also about why we accumulate things in the first place and how that compulsion to do so keeps us from growing into our highest selves.
While I am not a monk and am not suggesting that you become one, I would encourage you to take a appraising look around your house. Take a quick inventory of the things you purchased either for status or because it was something that society said that you needed to own in order to qualify for the role you wish to represent.
What things do you really love? What things express your individuality or add joy to your life? What things reflect your true values? How many of them are duplicates? When I was sorting through my possessions, I’ve kept the essential, but also things that give me joy. The things I released? I gave them away via Freecycle, to people who enjoyed receiving them.
“Simplify. Simplify.” — Henry David Thoreau
When we take a moment to cull our possessions to the essential, authentic items that combine elements of utility and beauty, you will find that you need less of them. You will be packing lighter, so to speak, and anyway, you can’t take nothin’ with you but your soul (to paraphrase John Lennon). When you have fewer dust catchers, you have more time to devote to other things: your studies, your vocation, a hobby and relationships. Perhaps you’ll have more time to evolve into the person you would like to become.
When you remove what no longer serves you, you’re making space in your life for what does. I’ve also found that for me, personally, clutter makes it difficult for me to focus. Again, I don’t live a monk’s lifestyle. If you look at the bookshelves in my home, you’ll see books, photos and other mementos from my travels. But these are things that add value to my life. They remind me of fun times, people I love, books that have shaped my life.
Speaking of books, one of the best books about the exchange of energy for stuff I’ve read is Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. For me, it distilled my focus into realizing what truly was important to me and gave me a guideline to achieve my goals. I read this book early in my founder’s journey, and it helped me to allocate my energies toward activities that would generate return on investment from actions that moved my cause forward.
To reiterate: things are wonderful. Things are beautiful, and having the right tool when you need it is priceless. However, understanding our relationship to stuff is essential to making progress toward our life’s goals.
When it comes to your possessions, who owns whom? What has been your experience? I’d love to hear what you think—please consider leaving a comment below.
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