Simplicity as Spiritual Practice: Declutter for Deep Personal Growth

Simplicity(simˈplisitē) as Spiritual(ˈspiriCHo͞oəl) Practice: Declutter(ˈdēklətər) for Deep Personal Growth(grōTH)

By Leo Babauta

When we begin to declutter our lives, often it’s because we long for some kind of peace(pēs), some space(spās), some relief(riˈlēf) from the chaos(ˈkāˌäs) … or perhaps it’s to start to lead a more intentional(inˈtenCHənl), beautiful life.

But something magical(ˈmajikəl) happens when we dive(dīv) into the decluttering process.

We start to learn about ourselves.

And if we keep at it, decluttering can become a place of deep growth.

I’ve seen this in my own life and in the lives of people I’ve worked with, countless times.

Decluttering causes(kôz) us to confront(kənˈfrənt) some key relationships we have with our stuff, and with the world around us:

We learn that clutter(ˈklətər) often represents(ˌrepriˈzent) our procrastination(prō-,prəˌkrastəˈnāSHən) and avoidance patterns, and if we are to address the clutter, we must shift those patterns.

We realize that we place a lot of power in objects: the power to give us identity(īˈdentitē), a sense of value, a sense of who we are; the power to give use security(siˈkyo͝oritē), hopes for the future, memories, love, comfort(ˈkəmfərt).

But then we realize that this power is within us all along, not outside of us. This takes work, to start to see this in an experiential(ekˌspi(ə)rēˈenCHəl) (not just intellectual(ˌintlˈekCHo͞oəl)) way.

We learn about our attachments(əˈtaCHmənt) to things, and how to let go. This takes a lot of mindfulness, and some realization that we have happiness within us, and letting go of objects is simply(ˈsimplē) a practice of that realization.

We start to pay attention to what is truly important to us, and that will shift over the course of this inquiry(inˈkwī(ə)rē,ˈiNG-,ˈinkwərē,ˈinˌkwī(ə)rē). When we ask this question of what’s important, we can start to live intentionally(inˈtenCHənlē), and once we start living in line with those values, we evolve(iˈvälv) our understanding of what we really value. It changes as we take action.

We start to deal with the shame(SHām) and guilt(gilt) that come up from our clutter, from our procrastination and avoidance, from our years of mindless shopping. The shame and guilt get in the way, but they can also spur(spər) us to reconsider our patterns, to start the process of shifting them. In the end, one of the most powerful shifts is to let go of the shame and guilt while also embracing(emˈbrās) the truth of not avoiding.

These are some of the things we might explore(ikˈsplôr) while we declutter — many more possibilities exists(igˈzist), and I think you’ll find your own realizations and growth that are unique to you.

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https://zenhabits.net/simplespirit/