What do we really need in life? Learning to let go.

This month I was faced with the challenge of either finding a new room mate or being forced to move, since my friend and I would not be able to afford the entire house that we rent on our own.  Our other room mate, a good friend of mine is deciding to venturing out into the world on his own a life independently as he starts a new part of his life.  All of us in the house are out of school, working, and now in the second half of our 20s.  We are starting to realize what we want out of life or at least we hope so.

Condensing what you own is a good thing.

It has been on my mind for the last year, but I decided to start getting rid of things I don’t really need.  Whether or not I move out, I am getting rid of stuff. I have purchased so many things for photography, video, and just about every other random hobby I have.  I also have been starting a journey into craftsmanship through wood and metal products.  I built my first high table last May and now I plan on making a dining table with benches and even my own bed.  I will be experimenting with making rings from fine pieces of wood.  I just love what you can do with wood and was always influence by my father and grandfather, who always built and refurbished furniture and lawn ornaments. There is something amazing about building something with your own hands and even giving something you personally crafted too.  Less buying, more creating.

How to define what NEED means.

On my drive to work the other day I was thinking about what I really NEED.  I began to break it down in my head using an acronym type format to help remind myself of these ideas.  I am going to use this acronym to help me decide if things are worth keeping or should be let go.

 

Necessary

Is this something that is required for your well being? Do I need it for work, for my family or for my own personal development? Is it something that was passed down to me through the generations?  There are a few exceptions that can be sentimental, but don’t let sentimental become something that has only a few memories.  Memories live within you, not within objects.  Write these memories down in a notebook or in the cloud if you never want to forget them.

Enhancement

Is it something can enhance your life not only immediately, but in the long run?  Everything seems so disposable today and its easy to spend a lot of money over time on little things that don’t provide long term investments.  Things like tools for your trade are something that can enhance your life.  Only purchase these tools if you know they are necessary.  If you can do just as good of a job without them, then move on.

Endeavor 

Is it something that will help you reach your personal goals? Sometimes we need that little extra help from a better tool or perhaps a nicer set of clothes to make ourselves more presentable.  If you get new clothes, give away your old ones.  I myself am going through this process.  I realized I just keep old clothes because I “might” wear them for a messy day or something to keep my other clothes clean. Then I realized I had enough for at least a week of messy work.  Make sure if you are going to invest in something, that it’s worth is equal to it’s positive influence on you.  Many things we purchase can have negative effects on us.  Make wise investments for your own growth to success.

Dedication

Is this something you are going to stay dedicated to or is it just type of impulsive or immediate desire?  Most of the time these impulsive feelings will pass within a few hours, a few days, and hopefully by the end of the month.  When you can tell yourself that it is not something you will keep important to you and that this surge of impulsive behavior is temporary, you will do just fine.  If the item you own was an impulsive buy, odds are you can let it go.  Give it to some one you know may enjoy it or sell it to invest in something you are dedicated to.  Either way it will feel good.

 

The hardest part is the follow through.

I can talk about these guidelines all I want, but that is all they are. This month I plan on following through and letting go of things I don’t NEED.  Whether or not I end up moving I know I will be much happier with less.  Which is such a good thing.

We all think we need more to be happy, but in the end we realize happiness is the simple idea of knowing you have what you NEED.

What things in your home do you think you could get rid of to help you reach a true happiness?

 

Featured Image Photo Credit: AngeIhead via Compfight cc