In the Bible, Jesus tells the rich young man to go and sell all of his possessions and give to the poor and he would have treasures in heaven. I believe that we can all agree Jesus was talking about the man’s money, but I also believe he was talking about our possessions. These possessions are things we hold so close to our hearts that they get in the way of our forward progress.
For some, it may truly be money, others may be holding on to precious valuables and to others it may be our mindsets, our pride, or our traditions. I would like to address the “possessions” that we are holding on to that might need to be let go of!
You have found yourself in that season of life that you are downsizing, you are relocating, or you are just finally fulfilling that New Year resolution of getting your house in order……now what? The hardest part is to know where and how to start the process. Here are three easy steps to follow that will help you identify the significance of your possession. These will help you decide if the items you are holding on to are really items that are needed in your progression forward.
- Does the item still have current use? Do you use the item in everyday life? An example would be cleaning out a closet:
- Have you actually worn the clothes you are holding on to in the past year?
- Are you holding on to items that will only fit once you lose that last 10 pounds?
- How about that item that you know once you get rid of it, an occasion will occur that you need it?
In this process, you must be mindful of holding on to things just out of fear that if you get rid of it, it will be gone forever. This is processed as a truth, but in reality, it is not. It is just baggage that you carry with you from place to place.
- Does the item have sentimental value? Every family will be faced with what to do with a parent or grandparent’s belongings. The task of dispersing someone’s estate is an overwhelming process. It might take teamwork to decide who or where a specific item will end up. An example from our family was an old clown cookie jar!
- The cookie jar had no financial value
- The cookie jar actually did not even have original paint left on it
- But the cookie jar had special memories of sitting on grandma’s kitchen counter with fresh cookies in it.
In this process, normally, different family members will be attached to different memories and the process goes smoothly. In the end, the decision with what to do with the item is made easily.
- Does the item have a future use? When sorting and cleaning out a room or an entire house, we will have to make decisions regarding items that are not necessarily used in everyday life and have no sentimental attachment at all. I came across an example of this when helping a friend declutter her living room. She was sorting through things that had been stored for a while. Here are a few things to ponder when faced with this dilemma:
- Is the item something that will be needed sometime in the future?
- Is the value of the item something that is not easily replaced? (For example: we came across a bag of rocks that are used in fish tanks. She didn’t currently have a fish tank, but was keeping them just in case they decided to get a fish tank.)
- Be honest with your decisions
Some of the items that fall in this category are easily identified……some are not. Some items need to be held on to just in case!
Although these steps may seem like common sense, it seems that when you are in the middle of the process, we get overwhelmed. When we get overwhelmed, we quit. We don’t want to quit. We have to learn the ability to let go. In using the above referenced steps, it eases the process of determining an item’s fate.
At The Whole Estate, it is our passion to help families with these kind of decisions and choices. We truly believe that there is a peace that can be accomplished by organized and orderly households. It is our way of helping families find a little heaven on earth!
Blessings
