“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” —Henry Thoreau
I want to sell everything. Well, all of my material possessions. I don’t think too many people would buy my files of various paperwork.
So the questions I have about wanting to sell everything I own are:
- Why do I feel this way?
- What do I think it will accomplish?
- Does anyone else feel this way?
Selling Everything and Starting Over
Selling everything and starting over seems like such an appealing idea. I think that life would be perfect. This is what I think bit I realize is this not true.
And yet I am a bit obsessed with the thought of selling everything and starting over.
I feel that my possessions weigh me down. That they hold me back .
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ― Lao Tzu
Not too much of what I own makes me happy. Happiness is not tied to buying things or having more material possessions.
I suppose some of it is useful and gives me joy(thinking of the window A/C on these hot and humid summer days!). But overall I don’t have anything that I care about too deeply.
I Claim To Be A Minimalist But…
For years I have identified as a minimalist but I have a lot of useless crap. It seems to be human nature to fill our spaces with stuff. The average North American home has 300000 items in it. Wow. It is a never ending cycle of buy stuff , get rid of it, buy some more.
What is the point of all that?
What Would It Be Like To Sell Everything I Own?
I want to see what if I could do it. I want to see what emotions I would go through in parting with my stuff.
I have spent money on this crap. Would I be able to actually sell it for a fraction of what I paid for it? How would it feel to have 80% less stuff in my apartment? Or maybe 100% less stuff?
I want to do this as a learning experiment.
But maybe there is something more…
Is It Tied To How I Feel About Life?
Could it be that this feeling of wanting to sell everything I own is tied to how I feel about life? I am feeling a bit down lately. Not sure exactly why that is. On the surface my life is great. I have lots of work. I am saving 80% of my income. My health is great. I am down 80 pounds in weight over the past year.
Selling everything and starting over sounds so romantic. It is so appealing. A new life awaits!
Maybe I feel like a failure and this would be my way of starting over. Hitting the reset button.
Would anything change?
I Need To Stop Comparing My Life
This would mean no social media which may be a good thing of course. I need to practice gratitude and mindful meditation. I know how important these things are for my mental well being.
And yet I am still drawn to selling everything I own. This stuff I seems to be some sort of reminder that I cannot get my life sorted out. Grrr. I don’t know how to explain it! It is just a nagging feeling I have.
Maybe it is a way to exert some control over my life. I would be a way to actually see real change. As opposed to just moving crap from one place to another. Which some people call “getting organized”. I call bullshit on that. I would rather de-own stuff instead of just decluttering, which does not tend to get me very far.
So I am dealing with this slightly-more-than-mild obsession of selling everything and starting over.
Does anyone else out there feel the same way?
Please let me know in the comments.
“Change The Code. Change Your Life”
Change The Code 
Wonderful!
I like the idea of minimalism, but every time I try to Declutter I just end up buying more things to replace!
I remember threw away 2/3 of my possession when I moved from the USA to China in 2012. I just cannot see myself lug a bunch of stuff from one country to another. I wonder how people even live in a home that has 300K+ items in it?
Here I am on my phone at 5:05am Santa Barbara Ca time. Why do I have a feeling and an obsession with selling all my stuff: bike, furniture, art, scooter, cookware, clothes, junk( wii, colorbook collection, games). I am feeling too big, like I can’t gather it up and run, I should get rid of it.
IDK…I feel I am in tour boat.
But, I also have a fear of even dealing with people to sell my stuff. It’s a big mess!
Is it my depression, my need to control, my need to feel something: like loss, or hurt or helplessness.
Ugh….this is a horrible feeling.
I have thought about what I need to do though, I wil start with all the winter clothes I brought to Cali from Wa!
Thanks for giving me an outlet for this.
My life’s for sale, yeah; here you go, just live my life.
Mo
I so understand where you are at mentally. I have a feeling that lot of people feel the same way about all the stuff they have accumulated. Just try to remember to breathe. One moment at a time. If you can actually sell or donate a few items a week that is a great start. I am keeping a box by my door and anything that no longer suits me or brings any usefulness or joy to my life goes in the box. Every few days I take the box to the car and it goes in a donation bin. One step at a time Mo.
Me I feel that way… right now. And have done many times before. Lately I had to clear out my late grandparents home, it shocked me how little gets kept for sentimental reasons by other members of the family. Most of it went to charity. Well.. No, Most was actually thrown away. That’s what worries me I have many items I feel are worth something, to me anyways. But when I’m gone whose to say they be worth anything to my children or anyone else. I have nothing of meaning from my parents so do I really want to leave my children loads of crap they will have to find somewhere to put, store, throw or sell. It also makes me wonder how much is my life worth could I live a better life now without it all! Would they be gutted to not have anything of what’s in my life now to remind them of Me!?
Reblogged this on Change The Code.
We did it! My husband and I sold the house and everything in it (almost) and went on the road for 18 months. Exhilarating!
Excellent!!
In selling everything and starting over how liberated did you feel??
It was like losing a hundred pounds – amazing!
Excellent analogy
Yes we have contemplated the same thing. We notice when we go camping that we really need very little. Although our camping is glamping in a motorhome but that’s besides the point. Haha! Maybe we always feel the grass is greener on the other side? But casting aside things that weigh us down is always a good thing. Thanks for sharing. It has created a lot of dialogue here!
Grass is always greener. Indeed.