Thus, a handful was put up for sale. Dozens were boxed for my mom and relatives back in the Philippines. (Of course, they appreciate the love.) Some -- like fall and winter apparel -- were donated. (It’s not practical to give them all to my kin since the Philippines has a tropical climate.)
The hardest part of the process is letting go. My brain cells kneaded going back and forth whether to keep it, list it, or give it. How could I let go of nice clothing I’ve favorited on shopping apps for months? Perhaps one day I’d get to wear them.
Nope, that day never came. If I hadn’t worn it in a year since purchase, what makes me think I’ll wear it for the next year or so? Though this nicks my heart and my wallet, it’s time to let it go. And I need a better argument in my thought process. Rather than asking, “perhaps it’d be useful one day” a better question to ask would be “Is this serving me?”
We heap a closet of things in our lives that don't serve us. It’s holding us back. It’s weighing us heavy.
Goaded by the ideas of a book, I took inventory of myself one night. It's disconcerting to find attitudes and behaviors that don’t serve me. There’s a closet-full of them. I found shorts of timidity. Skirts of anxiety. Pants of people-pleasing. Bags of fear. I instinctively pull them out in certain situations; they inhibit me to be my best.
How about you? What behaviors or mindset patterns limit you to show up to your fullest? How do you address these?
Sadly, there’s no other way around this. The only way out is through. Yes, it will be uncomfortable and there will be uncertainties because we are going against our old training.
So the next time I find myself in a situation where my default behavior is challenged, I need to ask a better question, “Should I fall back to my comfortable, limiting reactions?” to “Should I do something different? “What response serves me best?”
As I continually deviate from the old, new patterns emerge. It overrides things that don't benefit to things that usher me to function at my best.
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I won’t be able to avoid buying things that don’t serve me or clothes I won't be wearing as much as hoped, but at least I could return, purge and let them go on a regular.
This is also true of me. I could take inventory of myself, release things that don’t profit, and deliberately chose a better response, no matter how uncomfortable.