New Mindset

in Reflections4 months ago

There's something I've been thinking of for the past week or so. Most likely it's going to be surprising for those who are reading my posts on a regular bases as it's not the usual topic, but I feel like it's time to write about it.

I'm not the person to jump from one lifestyle to another in a matter of days, especially not because someone says so. I've seen bloggers jumping into something new every week, just because someone they follow on God knows what platform says that's what we should do. Techniques like intermittent sleeping promising higher productivity, or forcing yourself to read a number of books per week, hoping to get smarter, again, because some hyped loser said so, is not my style. These people sooner or later will lose touch with reality and doing what others say to fit the mood and expectations of the so called influencers is going to lead to losing themselves on the long run.

About two weeks ago, I spoke to a lady, who shared something with me, that most likely I'm going to adopt as long term practice. She's a happy lady, running a couple of businesses and definitely knows how to live happily.

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We talked about a lot of things, but the topic that seemed the most interesting to me was how she treats items, things, objects in her life. Seems a meaningless topic, but hear me out as it has a huge impact on how you live.

She said she's reviewing her wardrobe twice a year and those clothes that she did not wear in the past six months at all, donates them. The books she knows she's not going to read again, she gifts them to others.

At first this behavior seems like a huge waste of money as you're giving everything away for free, but let's look at it from a different angle.

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Last week I bought a shoe cabinet and yesterday was the day to empty the old one and set up the new one. This means I had to take out all my shoes and transfer them in the new cabinet. Looking at the shoes, there were quite a few that I haven't used for ages for different reasons, but for some unknown reason I still have them. I think it's called emotional attachment, but in any case, I have not been able to let go of them. Now that the old space is not available anymore, I was forced to make a decision and today I have a bag of good quality shoes that is going to charity.

While thinking of what the lady said and selecting my shoes, I was thinking how this can be applied of almost all area o life and that I have so many things I'm keeping and never using. For example, I have sections of my wardrobe filled with stuff that I never use and to be honest, most likely I don't even know what it is that I'm storing there.

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I see this behavior similar to what happens when you put out a post-it note on the fridge to to a visible place, with an appointment you need to remember later. If you don't use it shortly, after some time it becomes part of the environment. You get used to seeing it there and forgot about the importance of it.

And this is how we store so many useless things in our life. Why is this important? Because as long as your life is full of useless (or unused) things, you have no space for new ones and this is a huge thing.

Life changes, we change as well and our lifestyle and out surrounding has to change as well. If you're stuck in the past, you will never make any progress, ever. This applies to mindset as well, a bit differently, but maybe this is the most important.

As you know, I'm heavily involved in trading, where right mindset and discipline are tho things you have to master as otherwise things can go wrong very quickly. I've seen traders sticking to the same bias, even though price action has proven them wrong several times.

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Many people don't like change and for some, after a certain age, time stops. They are more than ok with what they have and any new thing is rejected, let it be physical items or knowledge.

I don't want to be one of them. I'm not at the age to collect useless objects, just because I can't detach myself from them emotionally. I keep saying I don't have time to select the things I don't need and do something with them, but the truth is, we have time for what we want. We decide what we do and what to prioritize.

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For me, it's time to rearrange my home and my life as well. Get rid of what I don't use anymore, to make space for new things. This was a very valuable lesson for me, one that I want to keep in mind for the rest of my life. There's always something new to learn and worth keeping an open mind.

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Congratulations! Just yesterday I said in a comment that to go far you need to walk lightly. You have to make room for the light to enter. And I believe that with this behaviour, and these things, we surely illuminate the lives of others.

but the truth is, we have time for what we want. We decide what we do and what to prioritize.

This is a very meaningful sentence for me, it's like a compass.

Thanks

Good for you. The wife and I have been slowly doing this over the last few months. There is still a long way to go though. I wish you much good energy moving forward in your endeavor.

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I like your new mindset. It's actually looks Humans tend to collect a lot of stuff. Throwing things away that you might use sometime in the future is very common.
The more space you have, the more things you will buy.

Decluttering is quite popular. We even have a TV show for it which I like to watch. They take all stuff from a house of a family that has too much stuff and display it in a giant shed. They then have to get rid of all the things they don't use or need. They can choose to sell, donate, or recycle the belongings they want to get rid of. They often end up with 1/3rd or 1/4th of their stuff. It's a real eye-opener for a lot of them.

A tidy house also has a calming effect.
Are you also going to pay more attention buying new things?

Starting with the little things can help organise life. We have a saying in German: "Ordnung ist das halbe Leben," which translates to "Organisation is half of life." I've been moving so much lately that I've gotten used to not having unnecessary things. Good luck on your journey.

There's always something new to learn and worth keeping an open mind.

The past and things that connect us to it are often what keep us from moving forward. Sometimes getting rid of some of the baggage is a good way to start moving forward again.

The lady knows what she’s talking about!

In my house, we do something similar; we give our items to a friend who holds garage sales, part of the profits is donated to community charity.

This way, we support a local business and charity at the same time. At first, it's difficult, especially for the ladies in my house; they found it hard, but it’s a very liberating practice. Letting go of material things teaches a lot. It’s something so simple yet so challenging that once you get used to it, it feels like a small victory. In a few months, you’ll see it becomes a habit 😉

Here at home every now and then people who are in street situation ask for food or clothes, at home with the passage of time we take the habit of collecting the old clothes but that are still good to deliver it so we can stay calm because we know that they reach the right hands.