Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Possession
Do we possess our stuff or does our stuff possess us?
Many of my clients have books—lots of books. Have they read them all? Not usually. It’s like we have a mystic belief that if we possess a book, we possess the knowledge in that book, but of course it doesn’t work that way. It’s the same with skin cream or yoga mats, as though having them in the house will make our skin dewy and our backs limber. But when we have to spend time managing our possessions, or spend money to store them, we don’t possess these things, they possess us.
I think we’re attached to these objects because they represent potential. We want to read the books, use the skin cream and salute the sun every morning, but we don’t.
I believe in self-improvement, but you don’t need stuff to improve, in fact, it can get in the way. So take a deep breath, close your eyes and let go of those things that possess you, the things you don’t use, but that you hold onto because you mean to use them. Have a little faith: You know what you need to know; the stories from the books you’ve read are in you. One moisturizer is enough, you don’t need three. When you are brave and you let go of those objects that possess you, that is self-improvement, and it’s home improvement too.