Last week, I had the pleasure of being interviewed on NPR/WFAE’s Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins.
One comment I made seems to have really struck a chord with people. I’m getting calls and emails and comments about it still.
I said, “Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.”
The host, Mike Collins, had asked, “I mean, if we have so much space available to us with all this inexpensive online and digital storage, why don’t we just keep everything?”
*Sigh*
It’s sort of like saying you can go to Carolina Office Solutions and buy up every single filing cabinet they have to store all of your papers, just because they have 100 different kinds of affordably-priced filing cabinets available.
Or that you can stuff your out-of-control piles of paper and unopened mail into grocery bags, simply because you seem to have a nearly unlimited supply of those free little bags.
Or the growing trend of renting storage units to store all kinds of stuff you never use – just because you can (and because your house and office space are probably already overstuffed).
Or letting your email inbox(es) fill to the brim simply because Google gives you tons of space to do it.
All this access to cheap storage perpetuates your attitude of “I’ll worry about it later” and your rather sad frame of mind that everything is important – or might be.
So you better keep it, right? Just in case?
Frankly, I’d like to start a revolution. One where you and I begin to act more thoughtfully about what we allow in our lives. One where we thoughtfully decide what is valuable and worth keeping – and what isn’t.
Right now, everything is lumped together.
- What’s cheapest and most readily available? Lump.
- Where can I stuff stuff so I can delay making decisions right now? Lump.
- What can I put off today and maybe never worry about tomorrow? Lump.
Soon, all of these lumps of denial become mountains. Mountains which do have a day of reckoning – either for you, your business partners, your employer, or even your family.
Wouldn’t you rather have a thoughtfully constructed day and life where you can focus on a few truly important things, rather than running around like a crazy, stressed out person trying to manage it ALL?
Many of my clients have done it – they’ve decided to toss, purge, delete, and decline. They’ve decided to simplify, systematize, and get it together
And they feel less overwhelm, more calm, and happier for it.
It’s January and the time is now. Call me, maybe?
Sincerely,
Angie
P.S. I sound cranky, don’t I? I shouldn’t. After all, one of my newest clients called Friday to tell me she felt ten pounds lighter after we spent two hours purging her office of “stuff.” She loves the feeling it produced and she’s now thoughtfully eliminating stuff from shelves, files, and boxes. Yay!