I have recently gone through a lot of changes from moving my home to switching jobs. What’s helped me along the way has been embracing that minimalistic outlook. After watching the documentary, “The Minimalists” and reading Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” I felt an urge to purge. I started with my clothes, which is what Kondo recommends. She mentions in her book to pick up each material item you own and ask, “Does this bring me joy? How is this adding value to my life?” Most of the time the dress was ok, or those shoes mostly fit, but I could never let go of them before because I had either gotten them from a special place or it was one of the pieces I had owned for a while. The stories I was telling myself about my clothes The memories I had from those places are embedded in my soul, not in a piece of clothing or good. I tried on ALL of my clothes, asked myself if I felt AMAZING in this item, and if there was an inkling of doubt, it was GONE! Wow! Sounds brutal right? Shorts that were too tight, that I was “waiting” to fit into, or something I was saving for the right moment, they left me, too. That day or moment will never come. These items were making me feel negative about who I was right now and that if I didn’t fit in them now, then I wasn’t good enough.
After I was finished, all of these items were sent to a company called Thred Up (<—Click the Link for $10 off your first order). This website is amazing. All I do is create an account, ask them to send me a ‘clean out’ bag, shove my bag full of the clothes I don’t want anymore, then I drop it off at Fedex (no fees). Then it’s on it’s happy way to their warehouse, where they take photos of the items and put them up on their site to sell for consignment, and you get profits. NO WORK involved. I have literally gotten rid of more than half of my wardrobe using Kondo’s method, the Minimalist mindset, and Thred Up as a resource. Now, I barely even shop for clothes. Everything I purchase has extreme value and it’s something I absolutely love. I also have been trying to live more sustainably and more eco-friendly. I have been checking where my clothes are made and am trying to only choose locally made clothing from the USA. I also recommend purchasing things second hand, like from Thred Up! They have amazing brands to choose from and you will be saving the planet from making new goods, decreasing the amount of waste we create.
After purging myself of all the clothing that didn’t align with who I was or who I wanted to become, I did diligent research on my style. I wanted to then create a capsule wardrobe. I love these! It’s kind of like a game to see how many ways you can wear only a few items. To only have good quality pieces around me that I adored, was so rewarding that I didn’t feel deprived at all. When we choose to not buy into the fads that come in and out of fashion and stick with the timeless pieces that look amazing on our bodies, we don’t ever feel that sense of FOMO (fear of missing out). I use an amazing app called Cladwell. You choose within their database clothing that looks similar to yours and they create thousands of outfit combos for you, and will recommend ones based on your location and the weather! WHAT?! You do pay $29/year, but I think it’s worth it. You can log what you wear, so by the end of the year you can see what you’ve worn and what you haven’t even touched, encouraging you to either wear it or get rid of it.
I encourage us all to live more simply and not ‘buy’ into this scarcity mindset of needing more, wanting more, and what we have or who we are isn’t enough. We don’t need to buy a product or own a piece of clothing to feel more loved. Our worth is not measured by our belongings. Your naked self is enough 😜
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