De-Influencing: Lies Your Things Tell You & How to Declutter Them

De-influencing

Interestingly, a new trend is going around right now as more people become aware of the excess and the consumerism culture we live in as a way to combat this. 

It's called de-influencing. As a minimalist, I feel like I see the concept of de-influencing a little bit differently. The benefit is encouraging people to be highly intentional about the items and products they choose to purchase and bring into their lives. 

Lies about things

Today I want to share three of the biggest lies we've been told or believe about things. As I go through this list, I want you to remember that having a balanced perspective is the key to understanding that things themselves are not bad. It's all a matter of how you perceive things and what you believe about things. 

Your things are personal

I want you to remember when you bought or received something new, probably not groceries, but something you'd longed for, such as an article of clothing, a piece of jewelry, maybe artwork, a new car, or an electronic device. 

As soon as that item came into your life, it became your possession. You started to have a sense of responsibility and care for that item. 

The problem is with these specific types of items, the ones that we've longed for and wanted to have; we often end up overvaluing them, and in turn, we end up personalizing these specific possessions. 

It's also this personal feeling that can sometimes make it extremely difficult to declutter even the most basic things because we start to feel this sentimental attachment, this personal attachment towards our belongings. 

Even general things such as a shirt you wore to your first job interview, a ticket stub from a concert you attended with a friend, maybe a serving spoon you received as a wedding gift when it's just an object. It's just an item. 

It can become quite dangerous when we find this personal nature in our possessions. So how can we de-influence ourselves from this particular lie? 

I think the Minimalists said it best in their most recent book and documentary with this simple statement. 

The right thing can improve your mood or your life

This is where marketing can get to a person. Companies love to play on the vulnerable emotions of their customers. 

We get caught up in believing that if we can only find the right thing, all of our issues will be solved. In the quest to find the right thing, we end up making purchases. When that purchase doesn't meet our expectations of solving our problems, we assume that we haven't found the right thing yet, so we make another purchase and another and another. 

By the end of that whole cycle, we can end up feeling even more down and depressed than before because of all the money we've wasted and the time and resources that are gone. 

Any purchases that we make above those needed for basic survival, such as food and shelter, et cetera, will only give us a temporary spike in happiness or joy, and they will fade away. 

Eventually, we will be left looking for that feeling again. True happiness and contentment can only come from within. 

De-influence from this lie by considering the statement you are complete in an empty room. 

Your inner being, your spirit, and your soul. That is what makes you who you are. So if you want to make an improvement, improve the world by bringing out your spirit into the world, not by trying to bring things into your life. 

You need the thing

Many items are a great aid to us in our lives. The trouble is that sometimes we feel we can't get by without a specific thing. We start feeling desperate and inadequate if we don't have this thing. This great need for a specific thing may be brought about because of marketing or a preconceived notion that we have ourselves based on prior life experiences. 

Consider all modern conveniences like the dishwasher, the clothes dryer, cars, and indoor plumbing. These inventions haven't been around all that long. Our ancestors got along just fine without them, yet we feel that there is no way we would survive if we didn't have access anymore. 

Take a step back and think about the rest of your belongings. The more insignificant items like your toaster, throw pillows, and fancy Christmas dinnerware. We can sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that we also need these things.

The truth is our items need us more than we need them. Our things are constantly sending us subconscious messages. Water me, says the plant; fold me, says the laundry. Clean me, says the cup. Empty me, says the garbage can. 

It's that constant interaction and care between us and our items that make us feel more dependent on them, even though it's our items dependent on us. 

Busting through this lie is one of the core principles of minimalism, recognizing that sometimes things, even if useful, can become distractions and extra burdens. 

Minimalism is being intentional about what things you value enough to keep in your life. 

Once you realize that you are the only one who can make conscious decisions about what to keep in your life, the things you value and choose to keep in your life will be there because of a thoughtful, intentional decision-making process. 

De-influencing

Do you recognize any or all of these lies have manifested themselves in some way in your life? If so, are you ready to move forward from blindly believing them to taking a more thoughtful and intentional approach toward the items you decide to surround yourself with?

Comment below with your thoughts and plans for a minimalist life.