3587: Identity Clutter (this type of clutter is preventing your personal growth) by Shawna Scafe of Simple on Purpose

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[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00] Ja, das ist ein Minimalist Monday edition von Optimal Living Daily. Identity Clutter. Das ist die Bezüge, die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist. Das ist die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist. Das ist die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist. Und ich bin Justin Malik, die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist. Ich habe viele Themen, wie Personal Development oder Selbst-Help, Mindfulness, Happiness und Minimalism. Und das ist ein bisschen, wie ein Interessant take auf Minimalism. So mit dem, wir gehen direkt zu es. As wir optimieren, unsere Leben.

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00] Identity Clutter. Das ist die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist, die Bezüge ist. By Sean Escafe, von SimpleOnPurpose.ca Identity Clutter ist ein Konzept ich in ein Simple Saturdays e-mail und hatte such eine great Reaktionung. Ich habe es mir wert, dass es sich auf die Bezüge ist. Ich habe es mir über die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist. Das war in mein Bezüge ist.

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00] Ich habe es mir über die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist. Aber ich habe es nicht, die Bezüge ist. Ich habe es eine Chance, die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist. Oder ich habe das Identität. So ich habe die Bezüge, die Bezüge ist. Denn sie ist das Person. Das ist nicht, dass ich nicht, dass ich das Bezüge ist. Das meine Kinder nicht essen. Ich bin einfach nicht das Person. Minimalism hat mich verändert, dass ich mich nicht in die Bezüge ist.

[00:02:43] [SPEAKER_00] Ich kann nicht mehr Geld und geben, zu etwas, das ich nicht jetzt nicht. Das ist die Ere, von einem ein bisschen. Es ist wir in eine Kultur, wo wir können in die Bezüge sind. Ich denke, es ist großartig, dass meine Kinder, die Kinder, die Sprachen, und Hobbys, und Kuliner, und Spiele. Ich denke, es ist wunderbar, wir als Moms und Womens, können sie versuchen, und sehen, wenn sie sich für uns. Aber für mich, it was a problem when I never took action.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00] If my time, money, and space are precious resources to me, then I want to use them mindfully. I want to use them in a way that empowers me to show up every day as the woman I want to be right now. When we have closets full of clothes we don't wear, old careers, goal weights, all the trends, closets full of hobbies we never do because our moms did, because we feel like we need something, and rooms full of projects we never finish,

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00] then we need to consider the burden that causes. The burden of identity clutter. First, the physical burden of this stuff, taking up your home. When we fill up our space with aspirations, we can't use our space for actual present moment living. Minimalism is about making the space for the life we want, space to create, to cook, to play, to relax, to tinker with everything we're interested in today,

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00] instead of our precious space being storage for all the versions of life we think make up who we are. The mental burden of this stuff is real. Every time we look in a stuffed closet or walk past our unfinished projects, we feel stressed. We feel like we have let ourselves down. Seeing these things adds another line to that story in the back of our minds that we're failing, don't have enough time, are overwhelmed, and unable to live the life we want.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_00] If we let these things go, we can reduce the mental chatter and make mental space for the top priorities. And finally, the emotional burden of identity clutter. When we have all these things in our home, all these options of who we were and who we could be, it is overwhelming. Not only does it cause decision fatigue, but it also muddies up our ability to get to know ourselves. This is why I call it identity clutter. It makes it confusing for me to listen more closely to myself,

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00] who I am, what I want, and what I'm interested in. Minimalism isn't about having less stuff or depriving yourself. It's about going through the process of getting to know yourself and build up your physical space in line with who you want to be and how you want to feel. It's about getting really clear on what is the most important to you right now. This is why minimalism changes our lives. Scarcity versus abundance mindset.

[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_00] If we let go of things, it doesn't mean they're gone from our lives forever. I gave away my cross-country skis to a girlfriend. I donated the beeswax candles I never made, but had the supplies to for five years. I passed on nice work clothes for a career I retired from. It doesn't mean I can never have or do or wear these things again. It means I'm letting the physical, emotional, and mental burden of them go for right now. I've gotten rid of truckloads of our items,

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00] let go of things I might need one day, and passed on things I could save for my kids because it makes space for living life today. And maybe one day these things will come back into our lives. I can't live with a scarcity mindset that there's only so much to go around and I have to hoard it. In my experience, when I live with an abundance mindset that there will always be more and enough for everyone, that I can let go of the extra, the distractions,

[00:06:33] [SPEAKER_00] and be present and show up with all my current life values and visions. I can show up with my current interests and ideas and know that as I get to the next steps of learning who I am and what I want, that the supplies, the clothes, the appliances, the tools, the people, and the opportunities will come into my life. Abundance over scarcity. Letting go who we are not to be who we are.

[00:07:01] [SPEAKER_00] I used to believe that all these things we brought into our home have to stay in our home. We think they hold value and cling to them. Maybe there's some monetary value, but considering the physical and emotional and mental cost of this clutter, it seems more beneficial to let them go. When we let them go, we give them a higher value, the value of passing them on and the value of teaching us something and giving us more awareness and certainty around who we are, who we aren't, what we want,

[00:07:31] [SPEAKER_00] and what we don't want. If I think of what I was into at 16, isn't the same as what I was into at 26, and now it's different at 36. If I can warrant decluttering my 16-year-old life, then I can warrant decluttering the unused and little loved items I let accumulate over the past 10 years. Decluttering the excess allows us to change and grow. I also can't write all this telling you to get rid of things that you aren't using and wearing and doing

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER_00] without appreciating how it feels to let go of that identity and aspiration. This is the hard heart work of doing what we know, and rationally, this makes sense, but it is hard because we're separating ourselves from that false identity we have built up to reveal our true selves underneath. I've gone through this work and still am. I know it's a big hurdle, but I also know it is rewarding. I feel ownership over my space.

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER_00] I feel like I'm in control of my stuff rather than the other way around. I feel like a very authentic and present version of me is represented in my whole house. I feel like I'm creating space for the vision of the life I have. It's empowering to create a space that truly reflects the life you want for you and your family and let go of the burden of identity clutter. You just listened to the post titled,

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_00] Identity Clutter? This type of clutter is preventing your personal growth by Sean Escafe of simpleonpurpose.ca. I'll be right back with my commentary. This show is sponsored by Liquid IV. Hydration isn't just chugging water, it's about absorbing it effectively. That's where Liquid IV shines. Their formula combines allulose and amino acids for efficient absorption, keeping electrolytes in your system for up to four hours. It's clinically studied, hydrating better than water alone.

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[00:11:25] [SPEAKER_00] Thank you, Deshauna. I can definitely relate to that story of fancy flowers sitting in the pantry for months. For me, it could be video equipment, actually some old audio stuff too, certain workout equipment. I'm sure there are a bunch of categories and that's okay, but like she said, it's also okay to let go of these ideas of who we think we are. I used to play guitar in bands. That's very unlikely to happen anytime soon. But the speakers have been sitting here

[00:11:54] [SPEAKER_00] for about 20 years. So it's really good stuff to think about. Holding onto these kinds of things feels like I'm trying to cling to a version of me that's not here. And I agree, I think there's a mental weight to that. Letting go of that type of stuff could be a way to mute that noise. The stuff taunting us saying we're not good enough. Before starting this podcast, I definitely stressed more about giving things away, thinking, ah, what if I need it later? But the more I've donated, the better I feel.

[00:12:24] [SPEAKER_00] It can be scary for sure, but to me, the freeing feeling is worth it. So a good question to think about today, what's one piece of identity clutter we can let go of? I might put that into this week's weekly newsletter as the question. I always have one in there, and I really like this one. And by the way, you can join the free weekly newsletter at oldpodcast.com. Thank you for doing that. And thank you for being here and listening every day. It really means a lot.

[00:12:52] [SPEAKER_00] I'll be back curating articles for you here tomorrow. So have a great rest of your day and start to your week. And I'll see you tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits. It's...

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