When is the last time you thought; I need to buy X or Y? Or perhaps your house and garage is bursting at the seams and you think, I wish we had more space.
Moving country and moving house forces you to go through all your possessions and if you do this more than once in a year you are clearly aware of all the "Stuff" you have in your life – a reality check! I’ve twice had to declutter and pack up my house in 12 months including all my clothing in various sizes, for various seasons, much of it I may never wear again but I’m not quite ready to part with it.
I read, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and on principle I agree with it. I watched Matt Damon in Downsizing which was brilliant actually and Tiny House Nation on Netflix and I think it’s a noble idea. Now I’m not saying we all need to Marie Kondo the crap out of our life but it’s worth taking a mental inventory of what you have for several reasons.
Stuff does not make us happy! Experiences and time with people make us happy and many of us are fortunate to live in a safe world where there is an abundance of FREE experiences on our doorstep.
Abundance vs Sufficiency. Let’s consider this for a moment.
Common thinking now is we can manifest everything we want and we are ALL entitled to an abundance. Of What? Love, clothes, money? Most of the people I know do not go without essential items for living, are not hungry or really need much more stuff.
So, I want to advocate for practising Sufficiency or Lagom.
Lagom, is a Swedish word meaning "just the right amount". The Swedish-English dictionary defines Lagom as "enough, sufficient, adequate, just right". Lagom is also widely translated as "in moderation", "in balance", "perfect-simple", and "suitable" (in matter of amounts).
Why not take a few hours to do a mental or physical inventory of all your stuff (or Marie Kondo yourself) and then start practising gratitude around “Sufficiency” (Lagom) and start saying “NO Thank You, to more stuff!”
As a self-confessed (almost reformed) shopper and excellent spender of money, I’ve applied this concept recently in my own life and it’s actually been very effective at keeping me out of the shops and appreciating all the possessions I do have. Knowing that I’m comfortable and I don’t need anything else is Lagom. It’s not to say that life isn’t always changing and I will need to get some more stuff eventually, especially since I’ve now found my hip bones and waist after 20 years….but instead of wasting time and money thinking about stuff I used to think I wanted or needed, I spend time doing more meaningful stuff, like cooking, meditating, reading, exercising, walking the kids to school, turtle and duck spotting with my toddler.
Here’s a few of my tips:
A good practise or habit, is to Shop your Wardrobe regularly to see what clothes fit and make up outfits that are ready to grab in a rush. Shopping your wardrobe releases the same endorphins as shopping at Westfield especially if you put your favourite music on and grab a glass of wine (herbal tea). It's also good for the environment WIN-WIN!
Subtle shifts in our thinking, of needing, wanting and having enough can have drastic changes to our wellbeing. It can also help with feeling as though we need to keep up with The Jones’s. I’ve never needed to keep up with those Jones but apparently social media makes us envious and some single women I know confess to be married to Mr Amazon (who services them all night long)!!
We can all splurge from time to time and have dream experiences paid for with our hard-earned cash when our motives are pure i.e. to create memories with our loved ones. However, next time you reach for your plastic just check in with yourself.
Do I really need this?
What value does this bring to my life?
Why do I want this?
How long will this last?
Where will I put this?
Will this mean as much to the person I’m giving it to as it means for me to give it?
If you ask yourself those questions and then look at all the things you are grateful for in your life and you may decide that right now, you don’t need it, as you have Lagom! Then put your shoes on and go for a walk outside and enjoy the fresh air.
The desire to buy – this too shall pass.
Practise Sufficiency regularly and you won’t feel that you don’t measure up or need to numb yourself with bright lights and loyalty cards.
Thanks for reading and sharing and I hope you have a Lagom day!!
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