I used to have so many objects in my house that I lost track of what I have and where to find them. I was not necessarily messy, and swept and cleaned alot, but in closets and pretty boxes were stuffed all types of knick knacks, clothing, books, magazines, etc. that I saved for a rainy day that I may need them. Then I moved into a studio in New York City. I threw away alot of books and items, but also moved in a whole lot more, because they were expensive or because I thought I might need them later.
Yet, I have been feeling very uninspired because I realize that these things are not in tune with who I am and what I want to do in my life, and I cleaning up was so annoying. Furthermore, it seemed so wasteful and seemed to hold me down. I came upon a blog post called the 100 Thing Challenge that I was intrigued by.
I attempted do inventory of 100 things I would like to keep, to not much avail, because I probably had close to 500. I had not thought that I had a lot of stuff because I have periodically donated clothes, shoes and coats to the Salvation Army, donated and thrown away lots of makeup, knick knack and housewares. Yet after getting frustrated that I did not have time to count all the items I owned, I began to really examine what I really needed and used often.
I started by realizing that even though I only use lipgloss daily, mascara once in a while, and add eyeliner or shadow only on special occasions, I had a crazy amount of makeup products
10 eyeliners, 10 eyeshadows, 5 mascaras, 5 lip glosses, 10 lipsticks and 6 nail polishes that I have never worn
My clothes were an even more interesting discovery because I have donated numerous bags in the last year, but had the following clothing:
22 work shirts (button down for spring + summer)
10 party shirts (I party only 3x a year)
23 sweaters (though I probably wear only 7)
4 Spring jackets (only wear 2)
4 Winter jackets (only wear 2)
1 Formal jacket
9 skirts
15 slacks
7 jeans
7 weekend pants
3 formal dresses
6 informal dresses
6 flats
6 knee high winter/spring boots
3 ankle boots
I started looking into myself, and wondering why I have so many things, when I am not very high maintenance as a person. I realized that I felt the need to have such diversity of items because I had a few friends that cared a great deal about image, and I did not want them to see me with the same items lest they think I don’t have alot of cash and because they would make comments about other people not looking or dressing classy. The truth is that I just finished school, and am currently job hunting, so technically, I don’t have alot of cash. Furthermore, I was not really being myself because although everyone has a right to what image they want to emulate, whether it is one of an upper or middle class, I personally did not care for such things. I care more about the intelligence and hearts of those around me. Furthermore, my lifestyle is very low maintenance, and did not require all these items.
As I look back, every year, I throw away or donate so many things. I have wasted thousands of dollars because of compulsive shopping, and the thrill of the buy always went away soon after the item was purchased. I realize now that these objects have added very little value to my life. I now plan on only bringing things into my home that add value to my life, and embarking to remove those that don’t
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