A person can donate all their possessions to charity and still end up with a cluttered home within a year unless they change their mindset.
I have had to give up most of my things several times in my life. More than once, I’ve had to fit everything I owned into a carload. I was good at finding things at good deals, so I’d always end up with twice as much stuff within a few months! A lot of my security came from having stuff.
This started to change when I had to drive across several states with only the things I could fit on and in my Hyundai Elantra and it’s home made roof rack – including bedding, tent, sacks of dried rice and beans, clothes, spouse, and two cats. After that I never wanted to have too much stuff again.
The stuff crept in again but not as quickly as before. I started to focus on quality rather than quantity. When I had to move one more time, I had better resources for moving everything but used that move as a reason to rid myself of more dross and replace it with more good quality items.
I can see the effect of my mindset changing – smaller spaces look larger as I have less furniture. I have more time in my day because I don’t have to organize things. I can find everything easily. Once, I was famous for always losing things. Now, I know where everything I need is, right away, and I find it the first time.
Life is a bit more satisfying as I move from plastic to glass and metal and get rid of disposable things around my home. I feel more settled. As the things I use grow fewer in number, but more beautiful, my life feels more like art rather than common drudgery. I haven’t had to spend a lot more money to do this, but I have had to be intentional about my purchases and choose quality over convenience or quantity. I still have a long way to go. However, my changing mindset has brought peace to my life and home!
Mindflight 