The art of a simplified life
A year ago, I discovered a video online with two guys that called themselves The Minimalists. They talked about how they had simplified their lives, living more minimalistically and somehow listening to this video, I got all fired up inside! I just knew I had to test this out.
So without even giving it a thought, I went live on my Facebook page sharing my excitement for this practice with my community, inviting them to come along with me and do a minimalistic challenge!
And my community was not slow at taking action. It seemed like this was something that hit a chord in them as well. So, for 30 days, we let go of one more item every day, starting with one time the first, two item the second, three items the fourth day etc.
Now letting go of things we have stored for so many years, is actually not that easy. We often get more attached to things than we are aware of. What helped me, was to ask a simple question for each item: does this item spark something within me. If no, I would put it in my Ikea bag, if yes I would keep it. I would also thank the item for having served its purpose.
What I didn’t expect
Now what astonished me was that during this process, something shifted within me. I realized that I was not happy in my apartment that I had lived in for 11 years! I was a bit shocked about this, because I really thought I had loved it. I had been going around telling people for years how much I loved this place, because I thought this was how I felt!
But what dawned on me, was that it wasn’t true.
Slowly but surely, I had found myself feeling more and more uneasy, and I didn’t know what it was all about.
The process of letting go of clutter in my apartment made me realize that I wasn’t happy in that apartment at all!
I was a person who loved the sea, nature and stillness. And here I was living in the midst of Oslo, with noise all around me, looking straight into another building, being far away from the sea.
So, no less than a month later, I found myself moving to a small apartment outside Oslo, having my very own garden, living 100 meters from the beautiful ocean.
Three reasons for decluttering
- In our spiritual work, we often work from the inside and out. But sometimes, working from the outside in, can help us get access to sides of ourselves we have had difficulties getting in touch with. Often when something is not working, the golden rule is to try a different approach and testing out working from the outside in, can be a new angle that might help you more than you know.
- Everything is energy, so if we surround ourselves with things that don’t really spark anything within us, this will influence our overall well-being. Keeping things that does spark something within you, however, will help you raise your frequency in general.
- The process of decluttering is also a powerful self-love practice. When you take care of your home, removing things that is just taking up space, making it tidier and more beautiful, that is an act of self-love. And the more acts of self-love we do, the more our self-esteem will grow as we are showing ourselves that we care about ourselves. You are signaling to yourselves that “I care about how you are doing” and this is helping us rewire our conditioned mind.
Decluttering your home – a way of raising your frequency and practicing self-love
So, what if you could spend a few weeks this summer, decluttering your home? Testing out this transformation technique as a new way to get to know yourself deeper, raising your frequency and practicing self-love, by showing yourself that you care about your own wellbeing?
What are the 5 things on your desk right now, that no longer brings a spark within you? Or in your closet?
Happy decluttering my friend!
Jannecke Øinæs is the founder of Wisdom From North AS. She has interviewed around 400 transformational teachers all over the world and gained over 40 000 followers on YouTube. Today she runs the Wisdom From North Membership offering masterclasses with highly recognized and sought after speakers and thought leaders.
