Let's Marie Kondo our lives: Give Up What You Must
By now I’m sure you heard the buzz around Marie Kondo. “Who is this woman and what in the world does she do?” you may have thought to yourself. Let me break it down for you: Marie Kondo is an author and professional organizer who now has a Netflix show dedicated to organizing people’s homes.
I’ve seen it, I loved it, and I’m not going to lie- I cried during the first episode. Marie, because in my mind we are on a first name basis, motivates all of her clients to organize their homes by “sparking joy”.
Can giving things up really spark joy?
YES. The answer is yes. I used Marie’s methods on my dresser drawers to give up clothes, my closet to give up shoes, our kitchen to give up old dishes, pans, etc. I even found my husband using her methods on his (tiny) side of the closet.
Giving up all of these things that no longer served a purpose in my life was like lifting a weight off my shoulders.
All off these physical items: clothes, books, papers, “Komono” misc. Items served purpose as one point in our lives but no longer sparked joy or served purpose. And that got me thinking.
Why not give up ALL the things in my life that no longer spark joy?
I went straight to my phone and on my social media accounts. I unfollowed and deleted all the accounts that didn’t bring positivity into my thoughts when I looked at them. This was huge. Think of how many pictures you see on Instagram or posts of Facebook that bring negativity to your day….
Now get rid of them. Give them up.
Next, I tackled my daily routine. I looked at my daily habits and tendencies that don’t serve me and my greatness. I changed them and gave them up.
Now, I’m practicing giving up bigger things: people in my life that no longer serve me and my personal negative thoughts.
These two are big.
And sometimes hard to part with, especially because we usually have long, emotional relationships with them.
However, the good thing is: it is a practice.
The practice is lifelong. I am grateful for Marie Kondo reminding us to give up the physical items that no longer serve us. And from there we can go deeper. Let's spark joy through every facet of our lives.
What can you give up to clear space for your joy?
Written by Kasey Robson
Kasey Robson is a leader, teacher, and student of her community. She has been leading and teaching yoga, meditation and mindfulness for over 5 years. Kasey brings a fierce, fun and unique style of teaching here at Y1 along with her music-to-asana workshops.
Photo by Khai Sze Ong on Unsplash
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