As hinted at in my previous posts, I’m planning on running an experiment this year. 2020 saw me bring lots of new activities into my life and this year I want to focus on making space for the things that matter. So I’m planning on a year of letting go.
It’s an idea I’ve been playing around with since writing Subtract and Thrive, but I wanted to get clear on the purpose before making a commitment because I don’t want this to become just another thing I need to do…
I have enough to do already, which is exactly why I want to run this experiment, and my participation is a heart choice rather than a head choice. I feel compelled to do it.
A Year of Letting Go – an outline
I’ve not come up with a detailed plan for my year of letting go, as that would defeat the object. But the basic idea behind it is that every month I’ll experiment with letting go of something for the entire month.
It may be an activity, habit, physical possession or a thought pattern. I plan to choose intuitively based on what feels right for the month, because what feels right now might seem pointless in October.
Why am I doing this? Well, because I want to subtract and thrive. I want to let go of what no longer serves me to create space for the new things I’ve brought into my life. I want to feel less overwhelmed, take a step back from being so busy all the time and just be.
It feels like it’s very easy for me to identify what I want in my life, but not as easy to identify what I don’t want. And I suspect there are a lot of people out there who feel like me, we keep adding more and more to our lives but rarely take time to pause and reflect on what no longer serves us. So that’s why I’m doing a year of letting go.
30 Day Minimalism Game
I’m kicking off my year of letting go with the 30 day minimalism game. On the first day of the month you get rid of one item, on the second day you get rid of two items and so on, until you get to day 30 where you need to get rid of 30 items.
The items need to be out of the house (either sold, recycled or donated) by midnight. If you complete the challenge, by the end of the 30 days you’ll have cleared 465 items out of your house. Amazing!
It’s going to be tough, especially near the end of the month, but I’m determined to give it my best shot.
I’ll be posting my updates on Twitter (@MFbythesea) and Instagram (@mortgagefreebythesea). So feel free to cheer me along or give me a gentle nudge if I’m dragging my heels.
If you want to find out more about the 30 Day Minimalism game then check out the post on the Minimalists blog. Also, if this challenge resonates with you then let me know so I can cheer you on.
Make a commitment
So here’s my commitment to a year of letting go. I’ve ruminated over it and now I’ve released it into the world. And I’m very excited to see where this journey takes me.
I’m also curious about you… If you had to choose to let go of one thing this year, what would it be?
Do let me know in the comments below.
Image courtesy of Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash