For instance, something like:
“I understand that it’s hard for you to let go of things, and I think I get why. I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do to help you feel OK about letting go of some things. It would be wonderful to have more space and enjoy our home more as a family…”

Starting a conversation without sounding like you’re accusing or criticizing might open up some possibilities. Good luck! M

Letting go of things… you have to sit down and think it through. Sometimes, all you need is sufficient motivation. I was giving away a load of VHS tapes on our local Freecycle. Someone came and picked them up. Then someone contacted me on behalf of his wife, who was about to undergo surgery for cancer she had, and he said having some movies would make the time pass quicker during her healing time back home afterward. Well, talk about motivation! I went back into my movies and found over eighty of them which I neatly packed into four large bags, twenty to each bag. He was overjoyed to be able to help his wife this way and I was delighted to let go of more movies for such a worthwhile cause and help with such gesture of caring… to improve her quality of life during the healing process. So sometimes, the right motivation will help you let go more easily. We caretake all our stuff, and for me, if I can find someone who will take good care of what I want to give away, I can let go of it much, much easier – and quicker. I was able to dive into my LPs from the 60s and 70s and come up with about 150 of them to give away, and the person I gave them to clearly went through them – but I have to laugh. I was down at our local Goodwill store, one day later, here in South Portland, Maine, and guess what I spotted – ? My own former recordings, all priced and people going through them grabbing armloads of them to bring to the front of the store to ring up and take home with them. Talk about a win/win situation. He had been very thoughtful and brought what he did not want for himself to Goodwill so others could go through them.

So Good Luck, everyone, with the art of letting go. It seems like it’s about the clutter and things, but it is really about being able to let go of all those things you aren’t using anyway, of finding worthy destinations and moving everything forward out of your life and back into the world again.

Nothing bad will happen to you when you give things away. I was waiting for it to happen, and then I broke out laughing out loud because the only thing that happened was I felt a million times better, free of all that stuff that had been just sitting and sitting all those years. You feel so proud of yourself when you truly let go. It is very healing to the psyche. Trust me.

Thank you for reading my post and I hope I have helped you to let go a little easier. Submitted by Chris Grasse in South Portland, Maine, U.S.A. on 9 March 2010.

Letting go of things… you have to sit down and think it through. Sometimes, all you need is sufficient motivation. I was giving away a load of VHS tapes on our local Freecycle. Someone came and picked them up. Then someone contacted me on behalf of his wife, who was about to undergo surgery for cancer she had, and he said having some movies would make the time pass quicker during her healing time back home afterward. Well, talk about motivation! I went back into my movies and found over eighty of them which I neatly packed into four large bags, twenty to each bag. He was overjoyed to be able to help his wife this way and I was delighted to let go of more movies for such a worthwhile cause and help with such gesture of caring… to improve her quality of life during the healing process. So sometimes, the right motivation will help you let go more easily. We caretake all our stuff, and for me, if I can find someone who will take good care of what I want to give away, I can let go of it much, much easier – and quicker. I was able to dive into my LPs from the 60s and 70s and come up with about 150 of them to give away, and the person I gave them to clearly went through them – but I have to laugh. I was down at our local Goodwill store, one day later, here in South Portland, Maine, and guess what I spotted – ? My own former recordings, all priced and people going through them grabbing armloads of them to bring to the front of the store to ring up and take home with them. Talk about a win/win situation. He had been very thoughtful and brought what he did not want for himself to Goodwill so others could go through them.

So Good Luck, everyone, with the art of letting go. It seems like it’s about the clutter and things, but it is really about being able to let go of all those things you aren’t using anyway, of finding worthy destinations and moving everything forward out of your life and back into the world again.

Nothing bad will happen to you when you give things away. I was waiting for it to happen, and then I broke out laughing out loud because the only thing that happened was I felt a million times better, free of all that stuff that had been just sitting and sitting all those years. You feel so proud of yourself when you truly let go. It is very healing to the psyche. Trust me.

Thank you for reading my post and I hope I have helped you to let go a little easier. Submitted by Chris Grasse in South Portland, Maine, U.S.A. on 9 March 2010.

There is often an emotional component when we hold on to things. If you find that you are keeping items and don’t know why, take time to sit back and really ask yourself what the items or memories mean to you. Often, once we figure out our emotional ties to an item it is often easier to let go.

Also, another alternative for @JoeTaxpayer and all of the TShirts — If you find that as you go through them you cannot get rid of specific shirts, find someone that quilts and turn your absolute favorites into a quilt. You use the items in a new way, it is a conversation piece and they are not collecting dust in the basement.

To your success!
Stephanie
Productive & Organized – We’ll help you find your way! ™

There is often an emotional component when we hold on to things. If you find that you are keeping items and don’t know why, take time to sit back and really ask yourself what the items or memories mean to you. Often, once we figure out our emotional ties to an item it is often easier to let go.

Also, another alternative for @JoeTaxpayer and all of the TShirts — If you find that as you go through them you cannot get rid of specific shirts, find someone that quilts and turn your absolute favorites into a quilt. You use the items in a new way, it is a conversation piece and they are not collecting dust in the basement.

To your success!
Stephanie
Productive & Organized – We’ll help you find your way! ™

Your 7 yo sounds like a real treasure!
Keep that little voice in your head when you’re wondering whether to hold on to stuff you don’t need or love.

M

Your 7 yo sounds like a real treasure!
Keep that little voice in your head when you’re wondering whether to hold on to stuff you don’t need or love.

M