America’s storage units are a shocking $22,000,000,000 industry. Incidentally, that shocking figure does not include the valuation of the items being stored. Minimizing does matter and many are jumping on the bandwagon. We live in a time of information & materialistic overload. And, we are constantly bombarded with retailers trying to separate us from our discretionary money. When is enough going to be enough? How many more pairs of shoes does one need? How many sweaters does one need? How many pairs of jeans does one need? How many pie tins does one need? How many casserole dishes does one need? How many more toys does a child need?
We need so much less than we have. There is a great deal of stress that is attached to materialistic possessions. For example, heirloom items that stay in the home to avoid the guilt of purging it can keep a person stuck in a cycle of conflict. Hanging on to that beautiful dress for 2 years because it cost so much 2 years ago is hardly a reason to allow it to take up space in your closet (or your conscience.) Purging, or minimizing, can free you from that emotion so that you can have less items tethering you to a cycle of guilt and frustration.
Minimizing is easier than one might think. When a person simplifies, he or she has more bandwidth to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Less nick-knacks means less dusting. Less clothes means less choices. Less dishware means more space and less maintenance. Less toys means less clutter.
The pain of choosing what to purge becomes less significant when one can consider what to keep instead. In fact, there are many pioneers in this movement that claim there is almost an addiction to purging once it becomes a habit. One popular pioneer, Courtney Carver, is best known for her ‘Tiny Wardrobe Tour‘, where she wheels her entire wardrobe of 33 items onto her speaking platforms to demonstrate the aforementioned point. For more information on the Tiny Wardrobe Tour movement and Courtney’s story, refer to www.BeMoreWithLess.com
~Lisa Schiro, M.S., LPC-5494
Owner, K-Counseling & Anxiety Treatment, LLC