Many of us have more items in our possession than we want or need. We keep things we don’t use because we fear “I might need this”. In doing so, we trade freedom from excess and in exchange we get a salve for our fear. The fear that we won’t have what we need is often unfounded though, because we have other ways to meet our needs: we can borrow from neighbors when we need an item (people are usually nice if you are nice to them), and we can train our minds to be more resourceful with the items we do keep; learn to see a mason jar as a food container, a water vessel, or a flower vase.

When we have under our roof only the things we use or love, this means we are living among only our most treasured possessions. What a rich way to be! We think more clearly and we move our bodies with greater ease.

We have become so used to buying and holding on to things though, we often don’t see the extent of our hoarding and the headaches it causes. It is a massive breath of fresh air to liberate ourselves from the excess that we don’t want. The catch is that we alone must open the door to freedom from excess. No one can do it for us because, while others can help us with the physical act of decluttering, the greatest barrier is usually the fear in our own mind.