Stage 2 of Decluttering

I have had the privilege of talking with a few of you about what to do after you have decluttered, decluttered some more, and MORE. You are at the point where you feel you are as far as you can be – where getting rid of more, means getting rid of “the hard things.”

So now what?

Decluttering and simplifying often means getting rid of the physical clutter in our lives. That is the easy part (as hard as that is to believe). Getting rid of physical clutter is easier because you can SEE the change – you can see the progression. Once you have all of your spaces decluttered and organized, where do you stop OR start again?

This is where simplifying becomes that much harder.

It starts within.

You may remember reading Rebekah’s Story and her journey towards a more simplified life. I have had the joy of continuing the conversation with her and I would like to share some of her thoughts. We both have been wrestling with what it means to not live for our possessions, but live for the one Who created us – God. We wrestle with how not to continuously pursue the things of this world, but the things that make a DIFFERENCE in this world.

I asked Rebekah what it means to her to live a simplified life. These are a few of her suggestions:

Thinking about how I want to spend the hours of my life on meaningful pursuits instead of caring for objects is impactful.

Dreaming about what I might be able to do with time gained from a lighter itinerary of maintenance is motivating.

It is sobering to consider the impact of what excess costs me, my family and our future. Objects require stewardship, time, and in essence, life.

Part of living simply is making purchases carefully.

I think it is important to be mindful of the poor and thoughtful regarding what is appropriate in the light of their suffering.

We can be compelled to replace something that is in perfect working order just because it is no longer in society’s definition of accepted style.

I have also been struck by the power of pattern and color. For example, when my kids were little, they would be drawn to a package of something they would ordinarily not want because of the image on the box. My son liked Spider-man, so a box of fruit snacks with a Spider-man image on it would make him want it. I took that opportunity to talk to him about marketing and the power of an image printed on a box. I told him that the fruit snacks might be really good, but did he really want fruit snacks or did he just think the picture was cool? I asked him to consider what would happen if I bought a package of Spider-man stickers and put a few of them on a can of potatoes. Would he now want that can of potatoes just because of the image? It was eye-opening to him. I came to realize later, I am not much different. I see a throw pillow or a frame with a cute pattern or beautiful color, and I am drawn to consider buying it. I find that very interesting.

I don’t know where her thoughts put you, but they put me in a state of wonder. What IF, we all considered what our possessions did to us? What WOULD I do with more time? What WOULD my life look like if I questioned every purchase? What WOULD our world look like if we all were more mindful of the poor? What WOULD life look like if we weren’t influenced by the marketing in society?

This may not sound like any “fun” to you. In fact, fun is probably the exact opposite. You may be thinking “I haven’t even touched the items in my home – how can I begin to think about these deeper questions?” Well, that is the beauty of life, really. It is a constant challenge. We are never “finished” until our God calls us home and says “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

I want my life to count. I want what I do, to make a difference. I don’t want my life to be marked with how much I own. If I were to pass away, I don’t want the thought of going through my stuff, to be overwhelming for those left behind. I want others to look at my life and see it as a life well lived – not a life well FULL-filled with objects.

I want to leave a legacy.

I want to leave a mark.
What are YOU leaving behind?

This is just the beginning of what is going to be an ongoing conversation about entering into Stage 2 of Decluttering. If you are at this point, what are some of your suggestions? I am going through this stage right now in my own life and am excited to see ways in which I will continue to be challenged, yet also make the necessary changes too.

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One Comment

So well put – gaining generosity instead of spending on ourselves. That to me sums up the beauty of living with less. It takes the focus off of us and puts the focus on others. How beautiful to create the desire to take others out, treat them, out of the desire to live with less. I think we often are blessed in ways we never imagine, when we choose others over ourselves! Thanks for sharing!