I was just reading the latest post from Becoming Minimalist which is titled The Life-Freeing Nature of Forgiveness. This post speaks about forgiving others for past indiscretions and moving on. How does that relate to decluttering you ask, well let me explain.
How many items do you have loitering about your home that haven’t been evicted yet simply because they owe you something. You know the ones you wasted your good hard earned money on but they never lived up to your expectations. Now you just can’t let them go because you may eventually come up with a way to extract their worth from them and justify the initial expense. There is a cure for this problem.
Admit that you should not have bought these items in the first place
Forgive yourself for wasting your money on them.
Promise yourself you will not be so wasteful in the future and move on.
Extinguish your guilt by letting these items go to someone who will get the use out of them that you didn’t.
Don’t make the same mistake again by shopping more thoughtfully in the future.
Being the perpetrator of an offence can be painful being the victim at the same time is doubly so.
ITEM 169 OF 365 LESS THINGS
Another kitchen item to go.
Essentially, then, we need to forgive ourselves for being silly or shallow or stupid–forgiving ourselves for being human, just like we need to forgive others for the same. Keep the best of what had been, then move on.(I almost bought a bowl just like the one in today’s picture, too)
I agree Meg,
we are all just human and we can make some silly decisions at times, some big some small. How does the saying go to err is human to forgive devine.
“Don’t make the same mistake again”-important to remember!
I know this is an old post, I’ve recently discovered your blog and I’m reading each entry. This is one I’m currently struggling with. I’ve bought so much and now want to get rid of it, but it feels like such a waste of money. I don’t do well with craigslist or eBay, I need to just donate it and move on. Or try eBay again? So indecisive!
Hi Kay, just be happy that you have changed your ways. The wasted money took place when you bought the items. Sell them to recoup some money if you feel inclined but it really is a lot of bother. When I first started my declutter mission I had no idea how quickly I would become accustomed with the idea of not acquiring. I feel so free now that I don’t care to buy anything. It is a wonderful feeling. I wish it for you as well.