I know that I’m a little late hopping on the bandwagon of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but boy did I jump in feet first.

I told you last week that I had finished reading the book and started going through our apartment and deciding what we really needed.  Well, we finished up the process this past weekend and I must say, it feels good.  Our apartment is cleaner, neater, lighter, and more comfortable.  I would say that over the course of the two weekends we spent doing this we got rid of 50% of our stuff and our home doesn’t feel bare.  That’s how much extra stuff we had hanging around. 

50% of our belongings we didn’t even need.  That seems crazy to me!  Why was I hanging on to things that just sit in the back of a closet never to be used?  Why was I storing random junk items to move from one apartment to the next?  Why did I think these things made me complete when they were just weighing me down?

You might think I’m getting a little too deep about just “spring cleaning” my apartment, but it was so much more than that.  It was going through every single item in my possession and asking myself, “Does this object bring me joy?”  Not do I use it or will I use it or could I possibly use it but does it bring me joy.  At this point in my life, if it doesn’t bring my joy, why do I need to keep it? 

And this idea transitions so well into other areas of my life.  Why do something if it doesn’t bring me joy?  I want to spend my time and energy doing things that I love and bring happiness into my life.  As cliche as it is, life is too short to waste it on things we don’t like.  I get that in some cases we have to do things that we don’t like, such as taxes or filling a cavity, but that’s even more reason to spend the rest of your time doing things that you like.

I’ve said this before, but if you really don’t like doing something particularly when it comes to your health, don’t do it.  If you really don’t like eating brussels sprouts don’t eat them.  You can find hundreds of other vegetables that are just as good for you and that you like so much better.  If you really don’t like CrossFit or yoga don’t do those forms of exercise.  Again, you can find so many other ways to move your body that you actually like.  Ask yourself, “Does this object/routine/food/person/idea/whatever bring me joy?”  It really might change your perspective on things and help you live a happier and healthier life. 

Ask yourself, “Does this object/routine/food/person/idea/whatever bring me joy?”  It really might change your perspective on things and help you live a happier and healthier life.

As for all the stuff we recently got rid of, I don’t miss it at all and look forward to keeping only the things that really mean something to me and give me endless joy!