Letting go of material objects and things means decluttering your life, wardrobe, and home from things you don’t need. It also means not buying anything you absolutely do not need. It is also called a minimal way of living.
Clutter has a negative impact on your mental well-being and can steal your time, space and energy. It can also steal your peace. Recently, there is immense awareness on decluttering and letting go of material objects as it helps you focus on what is important as well.
Not too long ago, a lot of my time was taken up by shopping and arranging the things I already had. I took to the concept of minimalism where I didn’t buy anything for twelve months consciously. I gave up on buying things that I didn’t absolutely need and started giving away the things that I no longer used or needed. I adapted to a minimal way of life. This helped me focus my mind on what was most important for my evolution as a human, a mother, and an entrepreneur. And it also helped me create new habits.
By not indulging in impulsive purchases, I was able to focus on my priorities and myself.
It also helped me establish my self-worth from the inside rather than through what I wore, what bag I carried or what car I drove.
Today it doesn’t matter if I repeat a dress or a shoe multiple times or even carry the same handbag several times. My self-worth is not determined by the car I drive because I am in love with myself, I am not judging myself and I am focused on my growth, mission, and relationship with myself.
The benefits of let go of material things can make you feel free. Letting go of material things is an important part of self-care. Acquiring objects only gives temporary pleasure as they act as painkillers to numb the pain momentarily.
When I started my self-love journey, I was so passionate about learning and growing that anything else that I would do was waste my time. I wanted more time to discover myself, read, journal, and learn. This is the time I stopped browsing fashion websites and adapted minimalism. I love fashion but made a promise to use and honor what I have lovingly.
Letting go of material objects gave me 3 things:
1. It gave me self-worth
Letting go of material things made me realize that I don’t need things to feel worthy because as I learned new things, worked on my beliefs, and started having a better relationship with myself, I didn’t need things to make me feel powerful. I was feeling the power from within. I was feeling confident beyond things I own.
2. It made me feel free
Not needing anything is a great feeling, I took to minimalism which was the opposite side of the spectrum to who I was earlier and it gave me freedom. It gave me more time to discover myself and do things to grow myself. It made me so free mentally as I did not need something all the time. It also made me free to be authentic, and be myself.
3. It helped me save more
The ability to say no to shopping, and lay no emphasis on material things made me save money and energy. I redirected my money and energy to educating myself. And by educating myself, I was able to shift my perspective and grow. Through my deep learning, I was also able to identify how material things bring us temporary pleasure and they are just like painkillers that help us numb our pain.
In conclusion, by letting go of material things, I made space for myself and my growth.
So, by shifting your mindset and by utilizing your time, money, and energy effectively you will be able to gain authentic power within yourself to be the best version on all fronts of your life. The biggest learning was that we don’t need material things to make us feel worthy as it is a temporary pleasure.
This article was first published on Thrive Global.
