Simplify life to amplify enjoyment!

What does having “stuff” mean to you? We got to thinking about the subject of stuff because I (Lynn) went out to the garage recently and noticed a bag on a shelf. I pulled it out and found a hidden treasure, a new birdfeeder – that I had purchased last April! I was happy to find it – but it also made me realize that we have a lot of stuff. Now, that birdfeeder has replaced the old dilapidated birdfeeder and Doug and I enjoy watching the birds coming to it. We help our clients to simplify life, so we thought we had better follow that advice.

We watched Marie Kondo, who has a popular series on Netflix called Tidying Up. She goes to homes and helps people organize and get rid of stuff. As we look around our garage and house, we realize that we have entirely too much stuff. We wondered how we got so much stuff and we are determined to pare it down so life becomes simpler.

We aren’t alone in our interest to simplify so we can amplify the life we want. Amplifying life is about the freedom to enjoy the things that are meaningful and not be held down by stuff. Can you relate to this, too? When we Googled ‘How to simplify your life,’ we came across 141 million results! We also learned the average person spends twelve days a year looking for things they can’t find. Not how we want to spend our days!

By phone, I (Lynn) coached a group of busy professional women around the world who wanted to simplify so they could amplify enjoyment in their lives. Their goals were to spend two hours attacking clutter in their homes and offices and then discuss their accomplishments. It’s amazing how much can get done in a short time frame. Having accountability partners can be quite helpful.

It can feel good to purge stuff, so why do we wait so long to do it? Do you think it’s because life is busy and getting rid of stuff involves so many decisions? Barbara Hemphill said, “Clutter is postponed decisions.” Each day is full and maybe it seems easier to delay making those decisions.

Decisions about what clothes to keep can be harder than you think. Marie Kondo suggests taking all the clothes from your closets and piling them on the bed. Then go through each piece and determine if it brings you joy. One problem is that stuff often has memories attached. Remember the clothes you wore to your friend’s wedding ages ago? Or how about the clothes that you hope you will fit into again someday? Are there clothes you haven’t worn in a year? If so, Marie says to thank the items and then sell, donate or give them away.

Delaying decisions can be risky because life sometimes takes unforeseen turns. If we want to be the decision-maker for our stuff, then it’s best do it before someone else has to do it for us. It’s helpful to set aside time to have a “retreat” where you can look at what you really want in life. What are your values and what is important to you? Stuff can feel like anchors that tie you down. You need a place to keep it, maintain it and sometimes even insure it. If we look beyond physical stuff, there are three more areas of stuff that are important, too. So, let’s look at these areas.

Digital clutter is stuff that can grow out of hand if emails are not deleted. It’s easy to ignore them daily and they pile up quickly. We love digital pictures and they can accumulate, too. Mental and emotional clutter can result from negative situations in life and negative thoughts that creep in. Even in the area of spirituality, people often carry baggage which is stuff from the past that keeps them from moving forward. Some of these things might be shame, guilt or unforgiveness.

How about you? Are you seeing areas where you want to simplify life?

Here’s a challenge: Take time to look at your values and what you really want out of life. If you are not caught up in caring for stuff, you can have freedom to explore more enjoyable experiences. When you simplify life by clearing the physical, digital, emotional and spiritual clutter, it allows you freedom to amplify enjoyment in the areas of life that are most important to you – and you may even find a hidden treasure. That reminds us, we need to refill our new birdfeeder.

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2018 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.