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From A Woman's Perspective: International Human Rights Day

Friday Dec 08th, 2023

A transcript of our podcast:

Thank you, Marilyn, for raising awareness about such an important topic as human rights. It may seem like the problems in this world are too big for one person to solve. But then I’m reminded of your message: that it’s up to each of us to do what we can to make the world a better place.

Last week I spoke about small acts of kindness like donating our surplus clothing to charities so that they can help people in need. We can also practice mindful consumption, and sticking to “needs” most of the time, and “wants” only occasionally. We can also focus on collecting experiences of this life, not the stuff of life.

By shifting our mindset, we can not only make the world a better place, but we can also leave the world a better place. Have you ever considered what all your stuff is going to mean to your legacy? Someone is going to have to deal with it, and it probably should be you.

In our booklet, The Decluttering Battle Plan, we outline the obstacles that people face in getting rid of surplus stuff. Sometimes the blockages are practical in nature, but I have to say more often it's mindset blockages that keep people held hostage by their stuff.

To help overcome the overwhelm, we’ve created a “Decluttering with Confidence Checklist” that I’d love to share with your listeners, free of charge, of course.

We use this checklist when faced with a dilemma whether to keep individual items.

Frequency - People often use the excuse, “I might need it some day,” to which I ask, “When was the last time this item saw the light of day?” If it’s hidden in a box somewhere, the most reasonable conclusion is that you don’t use it, and you don’t need to keep it.
Emotional Value - We all keep things because of the emotional connection - but does this item actually spark joy - keepsakes, souvenirs of happy memories - or do you feel like you’re only really keeping it to lessen the sense of loss you feel - or worse, are we keeping it from guilt, thinking it would be somehow disrespectful to their memory.
Replaceability - This answers the objection that I hear: “But I paid good money for that!” But here’s the question to ask: Would you buy it again today? Most likely not. But if you had to replace it, could you? Are you actually spending more money to warehouse this stuff than the individual items are actually worth?
Legacy - Here’s another frequent category of blockage - People say they are keeping stuff to give to family or friends. I’d challenge that assumption with three simple questions: Do they know? Do they want it? And what’s the plan to retrieve it? Far better to know now who does or doesn’t want your stuff, rather than surprise them from the beyond.
Alignment with your future self - Finally, when you picture your ideal life, does it include bric-a-brac accumulated over the years? Can you start to let go now, and intentionally create a better lifestyle, benefit others, and ultimately leave the world a better place?

We’d like to help you get started. Smartrealtysolution.com to request your copy of “The Decluttering Battle Plan” and we’ll send you the checklist as our bonus.