The dead of winter is a great time to walk around your house and look in your car to assess your clutter – the stuff! It’s accumulated everywhere from hopes of instant happiness without us even being consciously aware of it. It’s part of our nesting instincts to make us feel comfortable.
The mass marketing that goes in our world of consumerism is constantly promoting insecurity and fear. We eat more than we need and surround ourselves with “collections.” Yes, if it sounds like our animal instincts are taking over us, you’d be right.
Don’t forget, everything on ‘Madison Avenue’ is about convincing you to buy more (and more) as a lure to happiness. We’ve been hammered with 24/7 messaging on TV, radio, films, and print to make us feel insecure or needy. As a result, we buy something to get comforted. It’s impulsive and only solves the problem temporarily. It’s a dirty trick to separate us from our money.
Taking Inventory
You may feel ill at ease with your life situation today. It might seem that everything is unsettled and in a state of confusion, which could leave you feeling protective of your possessions. This would be a good time to think about what your possessions mean to you. Consider how much you need in life and examine what you own at this moment.
You might want to make an inventory of everything necessary for you to get through the day — food, shelter, and clothing.
When we feel our lives are unstable, it is essential to inventory everything we have. The world constantly lures us with promises that happiness and stability lie in acquiring more material goods. This leaves us feeling anxious and afraid that everything we have will disappear in a split second.
Being Grateful at This Moment
By examining what we need at this moment and what we already have, we realize that there is no need to feel discomfort. Allow the feeling of comfort you get from knowing that the universe protects you from washing over you. As you walk into your house, eat, or feel your clothes brushing against your skin today, you can make it a point to give thanks to the universe for its provisions.
Most of us have the basics that allow us to live each day. In truth, we need little else for genuine happiness. Find comfort in what you have today, and you will gain a more incredible feeling of stability and a sense of well-being.
Collect and Dispense of Clutter
Now that you are enjoying a greater sense of well-being take it one step further by using those new boots to take the trash to bins. Valuable items can be recycled at your local thrift store. In addition, gently used items can go to missions, Goodwill, and other retail stores that recycle clothes and home goods.
There may be a few items that you will want to sell online or through a local Facebook group. There are plenty of online stores to sell used goods. There are even apps.
The practice of donating your items to people who need them will bring you genuine happiness. Not the temporary fix from satisfying a need brought on unconsciously by giant marketing firms. You may even begin practicing awareness daily so you can catch yourself being enticed by those marketing ads or impulsive buys while at the store.
