Experiencing More and Owning Less
Day 19: Letting go of having brings true freedom
Looking up at the clouds this morning I saw a fluffy, wispy ladder up to the sky. It was just like stair-steps laid out there for me to see. On each garden walk I like to take my time to notice everything around me, to see the miracles that abound and are often hidden if we aren’t looking. This is all part of the 100 day journey I am taking by exploring the book The Infinite Self by Stuart Wilde.
When we truly meditate on it, we can see that we don’t own anything. When we pass away and enter the spirit realm, we will not take anything with us. The only things that we take with us are the things that we learned and the beautiful experiences that we had here on Earth. As we all go through our spirit training here on this planet, we do acquire things, but they are not permanent and one day they will be left behind. Letting go a bit more now will free us up to life’s abundant experiences.
The whole function of money is not to have it; its function is to use it. The main reason for generating money is to buy experiences. You want to get to the end of your life with zilch in the bank, and look back and say, “My God, look at this huge pile of experiences,” because none of your memories are ever lost. Everything you’ve ever done is in your eternal memory somewhere. So what you’re looking to do is not to covet and acquire things, because that will make you neurotic and often keeps you poor. Come instead to the concept of experiencing. -Stuart Wilde
As a minimalist and a professional organizer I love the idea of collecting experiences instead of things. When I look back on my memories so far, what I treasure most are the times with friends and family, celebrations, trying new restaurants and trips we have taken in the U.S. and abroad. Those memories are ones that I can hold in my heart forever. They make me smile every day. They bring a deep joy into my soul that will always be there for me. Truly connecting with experiences and savoring them is what life is all about.
I am continually going through the process of owning less and experiencing more. I have gone through our home multiple times, decluttering and giving away things that we no longer need. It is amazingly abundant to think that every time I declutter, I find more things that I can give away. I have now gotten to the point where there aren’t as many things to part with, but there will always be something that I can share with someone else. That is the beauty of not hanging on too tight to things. You always have a great abundance to give.
So, start to realize you have nothing. You are nothing. When you can get to the point where you say, “I am nothing,” you’re free, because at that point, you’re everything. If you define yourself, then there’s all sorts of stuff that you’re not. Hold on to nothing. Use things, enjoy them, be grateful and give thanks, and when you’re finished with them, release them. Then you’re free. -Stuart Wilde
I have found that each time I declutter I am freeing myself even more. I am discovering that some of those things weighed me down in ways that I did not expect. There is always another layer to get curious about, another layer to explore. That is what is so beautiful about exploring what you have in your home and in your life. Is this helping you to experience more in life? If it isn’t, let it go. Each time I let go of a few things, experiences appear in my life. It may be a dewdrop, a rainbow, a sparkle of sunshine. It may be an opportunity or a call from a friend. Whatever you let go of comes back to you in joy.
Don’t hold on to things, because in the end, it’s a complete illusion to think you own anything. You don’t. You’re only borrowing it from God, and one day, God’s going to want it back. -Stuart Wilde
I love the notion of everything you own is borrowed. We have the joy of being here on the Earth, to learn and grow our hearts and our spirits. We are all learning every day in different ways. We are all borrowing places to live and other objects that we use in our lives every day. What we truly “have” is our inner spirit, our joy and our memories of the experiences we have built up over the years. The warmth of an amazing conversation with a friend, a cup of coffee shared by a sunrise, an amazing trip to experience a different culture. Those are the movies that we can play in our minds to take us to different dimensions. The best part is that we can create these experiences every day. We can choose and we can decide. When we are not tied down by the things we own, we are free to explore and create!
My prayer and intention for you today is for you to take a look at the things in your environment. What is weighing you down? What brings you true joy? All of those things are borrowed. What can you let go of so that someone else can borrow it for a while?
What experiences of joy are you remembering today?
I am tagging my fellow writers here who are following along on this journey so that I may share this path with them: Aurora Eliam, CMP, Michele Thill, Henery X (long), Terry Mansfield, Amy Marley, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Taha Abbas, Dr John Rose, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Suntonu Bhadra, KeepingItRealWithAnnick, Chowa Sekai, Sumera Rizwan and many more! Thank you Illumination Family!
Trista Signe Ainsworth is a professional organizer with Joyful Minimalism. She helps working women clear the clutter, overwhelm, and shame from their homes and lives so that they can truly live in joy.
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