Over the past 10 years I have had the honor of working with so many amazing people. Living in the DC metro area brings the opportunity to meet many people from across the globe and others who have spent their careers abroad.
These same people have many unique and interesting decor pieces that help shape the story of their lives, but many of these things were being left in closets or storage units only to be forgotten about. Instead, their homes were filled with items that had no story at all. In fact, often times when asked about these decor choices these were the responses I would get.
“Oh, I don’t even remember where that came from. I just put it there to get it out of the way.”
“Someone at my office gave it to me and I felt bad so I just put it there for now,”
“I really don’t like it and the color red isn’t my favorite but I didn’t know what else to do with it.”
The examples are endless. None of the responses I got were positive. All of these people called me because they knew they needed a change but weren’t quite sure what they needed. What they were all in need of was some inspiration. Some new life. To feel alive and refreshed at home.
The first step to making this happen is to take an honest look at EVERY SINGLE ITEM you own. This sounds so overwhelming I’m sure but you can always start small and tackle a room or an area at a time. Remove anything that means nothing to you. Remove anything that you don’t like or that has no purpose.
Keeping items that you don’t like is no different than staying friends with someone that makes you feel badly. The emotions you feel when you look at an object has an immediate impact on your thoughts and reality and shapes the way you feel about the space you’re in and about yourself.
Living Mindfully and creating a Mindful home means creating a feeling. The things in your home help to shape that feeling. So, if you are holding onto things you don’t like or simply don’t care about you are sending a message to yourself. Simplifying your home and taking the time to create a space that inspires and comforts you is practicing a form of self-love. We can all use a little more of that.
Surrounding yourself with ONLY the things that you love or inspires you is only one step in creating a mindful home but it’s a great place to start.
