I must say hearing about the 100 Thing Challenge... http://www.guynameddave.com/100-thing-challenge.html ...really got my attention. Here is the gist of it:
The goal of the 100 Thing Challenge is to break free from the confining habits of American-style consumerism. A lot of people around the world feel "stuck in stuff." They feel like their closets and garages are too full of things that don't really make their lives much better. But how to get unstuck?
Reduce (get rid of some of your stuff) Refuse (to get more new stuff) Rejigger (your priorities)
When I read Dave's list of his remaining 100 things, I know I wasn't going to streamline my possessions that drastically. I decided to make a little game out of getting rid of stuff...get rid of 100 things in 100 minutes. I set the timer and in about 85 minutes I had purged 135 belongings. The experience was liberating and actually quite emotional. I went through books from decades past and found a long forgotten journal about crisscrossing the country....life in a spiritual community...silent retreats...mime school in Boulder...(no mime jokes!!!) meeting awesome people all along the way.....the teary part was reading an entry about a trip home after a few years away and realizing how many people I went to visit then have since passed away....family and friends....yes, while I was working to make money to buy stuff and then laundering stuff and cleaning stuff and sorting stuff...life marches on. And that brings me back to the Rejigger phase of the 100 Thing Challenge...what are my priorities...and how does managing my "stuff" effect my quality of life and minimize time spend on what I truly value.
And so...I will continue my self imposed challenge....get rid of 1,000 things....i'll give you a window into my journey and invite you to follow along...or better yet...join me!!! only 865 things to go....
good for you! i'm not so much about counting what i get rid of as i am counting what i have/keep. ex: i absolutely do not need the 30 t-shirts given to me by dear old pack rat mom, and i probably won't wear any of them anyway since they were mom's...so i keep 5, and move on...
ReplyDeletegood luck to you ~
Cypress...i was just sitting here thinking about tee shirts and jeans...not just the ones in my closet but the ones filling thrift stores...surely they would make good insulation for homes...I'm thinking about a book on the 1,000 thing challenge and how an uncluttered life leads to more creativity...my house will be empty except for art...lol...have a great day
ReplyDeleteWow! What a goal! I'm inspired to try setting one of my own. I'll be interested to watch your progress.
ReplyDeleteWell Lady on the Lake...I'm thinking of starting this challenge and have people make the pledge to do it and then writing a book with everyones experience...Get Rid of 1,000 Things Challenge - The Key to Unleashing Creativity...because the more organized I get the more art I make..it would be fun to see if other people have the same experience...so let me know what you think of the idea...all good things
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! I am going to have to give this a go. Hope you have a wonderful weekend
ReplyDeleteI'll be on that venture real soon. We're renovating our home (swapping some rooms for other rooms), and in the process we will have to swap out most closets. I'm so looking forward to getting in there and disposing of A LOT of stuff.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a terrific challenge. . . I admit to being something of a pack rat, however, I believe I will give this a whirl! Congratulations on the upcoming article, too!
ReplyDeleteI loved your challenge. I am recently divorced and wanting to start a new era for myself. I tend to keep things especially from children and family . I am up to 350 items and giving myself to the end of January to get rid of the rest.Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteI moved from the US almost 10 years ago and although we were basically starting over (from 110 volts to 220)I found that I was able to live without a lot of the conveniences that I had in America. My automatic car died right after Easter this year so I now have to use my bike or walk. The collections of baskets and porcelain that were so important to my status, have literally no value to me. My journals, scrapbooks and family see and hear a lot more from me as I un-amass the stash. Thank you for reminding me that I am not suffering, but maturing.
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