Are you holding onto items that reflect your wannabe you?

At the moment I’m into de-cluttering and minimalism. As you know, I did the Marie Kondo method last year. Basically her method is that you hold onto things that bring you joy, and get rid of everything else. We threw out heaps of shit! It was amazing. I let go of a lot of stuff, boxes of memories, clothing and photographs. My memories are now in a teeny box with some special items like books that I want to give to my niece and nephew when they get older. I can now see all the clothes in my wardrobe rather than having summer and winter items everywhere. (And in 12 months I’m pleased to say that I haven’t looked for anything I have thrown out.)

This year, I decided to take it up a notch. We really want to travel more, to make more space, to fill our apartment with light and art so we can have more avenues to do the things we love like cooking, photography and writing. So I’ve signed up to Joshua Becker’s uncluttered course. Over 12 weeks we are going through the rooms in our house one by one and de cluttering.

One of the concepts that I’ve loved about the course, is that I have learnt that we tend to hang onto things that reflect our “wannabe selves”, rather than cherishing who we are and owning things that reflect what phase we are in our lives right now. Let’s now face where my life is at these days. I don’t go out anymore, except to the pub for a low-key night. I don’t go out to fancy parties. (If I do I have one or two dresses that I love.) I spend my time training, yoga-ing, walking and writing. My holidays are the active kind, freediving, hiking or adventuring rather than sit-in-a-bar-all-glammed-up. Yet I have found myself buying things recently that reflect this ‘wannabe me” that I actually am not. Here are some things that I have found in my sorting!

Exhibit A – Crystal Cuff

= Person that goes to fancy events

What the fuck possessed me to buy this Crystal Cuff I have no idea. It cost $100. Never worn it. Ever. When would I wear this and why? Whhyyyyyyyyyy? Wheeerreeee? It’s even too much bling for a wedding. Maybe a black tie. But when have I been to a black tie wedding? Never, said I.

Exhibit B – Fishing Gear

= Person that goes sunset fishing

Now I do enjoy a fish every now and then (on holidays) and I am not half bad at it either. When I moved by the beach I thought The Ginger Hunk and I would spend our sunsets walking along the beach and fishing. Nope. This has been gathering dust since 2014.

Exhibit C – Linen Kaftan

= Person that wears Kaftans around resorts

Now I like to think that I could become a person who swans around like the lady above in resort wear. Not a bead of sweat in sight, and flouncing around in fashion wear in crystal clear water. But no. I’m not that sort of traveller. This is what I really look on holidays. I’m in sports gear, hiking, freediving or doing yoga. Mostly always covered in sweat. Mostly wearing cheap items of clothing that I’m more than happy to leave to the peril of the Thai or Balinese laundromats.