We don't need much to be happy, yet we spend our lives looking for more. We want more clothes, more money in our bank account, more connections, and more possessions. More of everything we already own. But, have you wondered if having more makes you feel more? Do you feel more aligned, more in sync with your loved ones, more content with the life you have?
I have always been a responsible buyer, but like most people out there, I had too much of certain things. My guilty shopping pleasure were books and cosmetics. From an early age, I spent the little I earned in my weekend and babysitting jobs buying books and DVDs and later on, where I had better jobs, buying cosmetics became a hobby. My book collection grew so big, that when I moved abroad I spent hundreds and hundreds of euros in shipping my extensive and heavy book collection. I had accumulated so many that you could say I had a little library at home. I was so proud of my book collection that once in a while I would spend time looking at them, dusting them, and sorting them by topic and language. I was proud of how much I had amassed through the years. Yes, amassed. To me, my book collection was wealth. It meant knowledge, memories, effort. It meant I had, for a long time, worked hard towards creating something personal and big. Something material that I could see, touch, and smell.
The Breakthrough Moment
Time went by and several things changed my way of looking at life. The most important one and defining was the illness of my mum. It made me reconsider everything, from who I was and who I wanted to be, to how volatile everything is around us. Also, I started asking myself how much I really needed in order to be happy. After reading various books on Buddhism, spirituality, minimalism, and watching one too many TEDtalks, I realised I had some of the most important things a human being needs: love, relative good health and a roof over my head. "How simplistic and clichéd!", some of you might think. But it was true. It is true. And knowing that got the ball rolling.
The day my mum passed away, I felt, like many in my situation, "weird". I can't say I felt numb, I can't say I cried rivers (that happened and happens later, sometimes without an apparent reason), but I felt it was the beginning of a new chapter and that perhaps, only perhaps, I would be able to subtract good things out of something so painful. The pain of losing someone so close to your heart shakes you to the core. Ironically, this pain helped me become more aligned with who I was and it made me question everything I had ever believed to be "the norm", starting with possessions and attachment to material things.
A week after her funeral, I could not bear to sit or be still for 2 minutes. Even though having a small toddler meant I had plenty to do, I needed to fill every minute of my day. I decided that I didn't need everything I had. That I would travel lighter in this journey of life. I spent hours putting for sale everything I didn't need, from shoes in mint condition, to baby clothes and unopened cosmetics. However, the most important thing I decided to sell was my beloved book collection.
I put my books for sale, some limited editions, some gifts from people I loved, for ridiculous prices like 1, 2 and 3€. Needless to say, I quickly got tons of messages on the online ads I posted and in less than a week I had sold over 200 of them, including my extensive Shakespeare and Shoa-related collections. Seeing day after day how my library was getting smaller and smaller, gave me mixed feelings. Am I doing the right thing? Is this being done in the heat of the moment, while going through grief? Will I regret it later? Am I really going to feel "lighter" after getting rid of something I love so much? The answer to all these questions is yes. Yes, I somewhat regret having "lost" pretty much all my collection, yes, I did it fast and furious because I needed to fill my every minute to not think the person who gave me life and whom I loved very much was gone forever, and yes, I felt immensely lighter after all these items that filled cabinets started leaving my home.
Minimalism Made Me Feel Richer
Ironically, getting rid of so much stuff made me feel richer. I won't lie, I was in serious need of cash, but I sold things for way less than they were worth, so I didn't do it to get cash quickly. The more I sold, the less I needed, and the less I needed, the better I felt. I was both shocked and surprised on how this process of decluttering had given me purpose and peace of mind. How having less, meant I had more. All of a sudden I had more space, more time since I didn't have to clean as often and thoroughly, more cash so I exchanged all my belongings for things we really needed, like food, a lunch with the family and nappies for the little one.
The downsizing journey is far from over. Minimalism starts with getting rid of everything that you can live without. In the past 4 months I have gotten rid of clothes, donated countless items to charity, taken old stuff to the dumpster, and given away things I don't need or don't use to friends and family. It feels good to share, give away and even to sell for symbolic amounts of money.
Downsizing is not about getting rid of stuff, it is about eliminating those things that are superfluous and that only overwhelm you or clutter your life. Are you ready to go minimalist?
Comentarios
Publicar un comentario