There are many therapeutic effects from downsizing and getting rid of all the stuff we accumulate over the years that have a direct impact on our physical and emotional health. There is a reason that the great ones lived a simple lifestyle and it is simply the fact that we don’t possess possessions, they possess us. The more stuff we have the more we are a slave to our stuff. This is because the ego is never satisfied and unless it is kept in check through some high-speed cultural change (i.e. Getting rid of stuff) we will never have enough. Unless we force ourselves to get rid of stuff, we wont – its human nature – it requires a focused effort.
Just as downsizing has therapeutic effects, the accumulation of stuff has adverse effects on us as well. My grandfather was an extreme example of stuff accumulation. He had a good job as a researcher for the University of Utah where he was in charge of the radio-electronics lab of the cancer research wing from the time he returned from WWII until the day he retired. Over the years he had access to all kinds of electronic components and gadgets, not to mention the military surplus items he constantly brought home to his shop. His shop and garage were off-limits to kids as we were growing up unless he was in there and had invited you in. The garage was a 4-car garage and you couldn’t get a scooter in there to save your life for all the stuff he had stashed in cabinets, cupboards and boxes. It was wall-to-wall fascination for me my whole life and as I grew, he would teach me about electronics and he would have me in his shop to learn and help him. The more I learned, the more fascinated I became with all the stuff he had. During my high school years, I had the opportunity to live with my grandparents and I would explore his secret realms while he was at work, but on occasion he would know it and all hell would break loose. I never understood why it was such a big deal or what was so sacred about his stuff, but it was apparent that whatever it was, it was important to him. Grandpa passed away at the age of 80 and I had the privilege of caring for him his last year of life. Rach and I would make sure he ate, I would bathe him and we did all we could to make sure he was comfortable while the cancer ran its inevitable course. He had been like a father to me and had put up with my teenage shenanigans to an extent that was above and beyond the call of any grandparent. He was truly a wonderful role model and the best grandpa anyone could ask for - he was just a jackass about his stuff. Shortly after grandpa’s death, I inherited the task of cleaning out his house and the sacred sites of the basement, the shop and the garage. We worked for months sorting through it all, and the whole family was amazed at the things he had. But as we filled a 28 foot dumpster with the obsolete electronic components, equipment, and junk that he had treasured to the extent of alienating those close to him over, I couldn’t hold back the tears as the irony sank in. As we irreverently threw box after box of his precious treasure into the dumpster, I realized that all this stuff had become a burden to him in his later years. He didn’t know where the hell to put it all, but he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it.
While grandpa is an extreme example, we all have stuff that we accumulate that we don’t need yet we hang on to it because “some day it will come in handy”. Whatever the reason, it is stuff that weighs us down physically and emotionally. The down-sizing process is tough, and it may be easier to do in steps, but whatever you have, if you haven’t used it in 6 months to a year at the most, you don’t need it and you would be best served by getting rid of it.
My mother recently implemented this concept of Barbequia in her own life and is now experiencing a level of freedom she never knew existed. Mom has a good sized home with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and a 2-car garage with a fair amount of stuff she accumulated over the years as well as inherited from grandpa. She decided to simplify her life and rent her home out which was far too large for her needs, and rent an apartment in stead. After several yard sales, trips to the donation drop off of the local charity, and lots of trips to the dumpster, she pared down to what was truly important to her, and the more she pared down the more she realized that there isn’t that much that is truly important. Now, she is able to better focus her efforts on her business, her finances on productive things rather than storage units and repairs and she has the freedom and flexibility to travel and do the things that she wants, when she wants or as her business needs. The most important part of this is her own testimonial about how much better she feels and how much more productive she is, just by downsizing.
If you haven’t used it in the last year, get rid of it – sell it, donate it or throw it away.
