Rightsizing Your Life

In the little vintage shop where I work I get a lot of folks joke that they shouldn’t even be in our shop because they are downsizing and actually trying to get rid of stuff. But what I really hear is the unconscious torment they’ve created in themselves by having so much stuff that they feel guilty to be looking at even more. In this modern consumer world where acquiring stuff has become a national pastime, I totally get it.

We mindlessly buy, secretly hoping to fill some void, to nourish some missing emotion. We want to feel happy, trendy, included, savvy – even environmentally responsible. Then one day we wake up and realize we are drowning in gadgets and gizmos, so we endeavor to de-clutter our lives. Our mission becomes to downsize. But instead we find that we don’t own our stuff, it owns us. The emotional hold, at times, becomes ridiculous.

Just because something was useful in the past doesn’t mean it works for your life now. Why are you keeping that old sports equipment when it hasn’t seen the light of day in years. Why do you have a hobby room full of crafting supplies when you no longer desire to craft? And more importantly, how is keeping all this stuff holding you back from enjoying the new lifestyle you may desire?

All matter holds a vibrational energy. That old set of golf clubs are vibrating at a frequency that is no longer in line with your current vibration. When your personal space is full of this kind of stuff it can feel oppressive. Think about the last time you opened that overstuffed storage closet, did looking into that jammed packed space make you feel overwhelmed? You know in your heart that you need to purge, and yet some how all this stuff has a emotional hold on you. It may feel like you will need herculean strength to tackle the task of sorting through the jumble. So instead, you close the closet door and put it off for another day.

But what if instead of downsizing you choose to rightsize?

Rightsizing is the process of re-defining your lifestyle and possessing only items that fit within the parameters of that new life. When you focus on rightsizing your life it becomes easier to clear the clutter because you recognize it for what it is, old energy holding you back.

When I think of the word “down” in downsizing, a negative image comes into my mind. Feeling down, down and out, down for the count, being put down, is it any wonder it feels like a chore to de-clutter your life.

But when I think of the word “right” in rightsizing, I feel like I am doing something, well right! Right on, right as rain, all is right with the world, right where I’m suppose to be, how can something so positive be considered a chore. It seems more to me like a purposeful activity that is designed to align me with my new lifestyle, and that is exciting.

So what do you need to do to begin to rightsize your life?

The first thing you need to do is give yourself permission to discard your old unwanted stuff beginning by getting over the habit of scarcity. If thoughts like, “I may need this someday” or “I paid good money for that” or “It still works fine” are going through your head you may have a scarcity issue. Yes that VHS video recorder still works fine but it is not compatible with the new smart TV you want. Move on and send it to be recycle, it is no longer right for your life.

We live in abundant times folks, if you get rid of your harlequin romance collection from 10 years ago and then realize a year from now that you miss reading bodice ripper novels with handsome pirates, the universe will provide thousands more for you. You need only to go down to the used book store and browse. Understand that the vast majority of the stuff we keep is not rare or one of a kind. There’s plenty more where it came from so there is no need to horde your share.

And here is a little wisdom gem for all you people holding on to clothes that no longer fits you. If and when you do get down to that size again, I will guarantee you will be so happy about it, you will want to go out and buy yourself something new and in style to celebrate. So clean out your closet and purge your guilt. That is definitely old energy you no longer need.

Once you discard (recycle, give away or sell) all that un-needed stuff something amazing happens. You will feel lighter in spirit. You will feel energized by living with space and openness once again. Suddenly options open up for you because you are no longer bogged down by all that old outdated, soul sucking energy that was unconsciously holding you hostage to the past. Instead you can now move forward feeling lighter and with the clarity of mind to make new choices that may better reflex who you are today. How can that not feel right!

A final note: 

Once you rightsize your life, you may just find that the peace and serenity attained by de-cluttering your home of un-needed items may actually becomes your new lifestyle. Perhaps you will  begin to collect experiences and friendships instead of things, and the only clutter remaining in your life will be in your head full of amazing memories and in your heart, rich with warm emotions.

This blog post was originally published March 28, 2016