Have you ever thought about the number of possessions you have? If you begin counting them, how long would it take for you to account for every little item? Most women would swear that their shoes alone could make for 30 possessions at the very least. Add clothes, kitchenware, household items, electronics, personal products and other knickknacks to the list, and you could be counting in thousands.
Our humongous stock of possessions bears testimony to American consumerism. According to author Dave Bruno, creator of the 100 Thing Challenge, we keeping buying stuff and hoarding it up, cluttering all the free space around us. When he got overwhelmed with all of his material possessions, Dave started analyzing the things that truly mattered in his life. “I was a slave to my belongings”, he quotes. Downsizing on the material belongings and living more simply helps create a more valuable life. Needless to say, it also saves a lot of time and money. To apply this thought to his own life, he created the 100 Thing Challenge (100TC) and started urging people to join in.
The goal of the challenge is to break-free from the bounding habit of excessive consumerism. You need to cut your personal possessions down to 100 items. It may sound absolutely impossible at first, but actually isn’t. People around the world have taken it up and can’t stop raving about the positive change it has brought to their lives.
- You must downsize your belongings to 100 items, but the number is arbitrary. You can choose 150 or 50 too; find your own number.
- These would only include your personal items, and not the shared household items like plates, tables or chairs.
- A single t-shirt will count as one item. The same rule applies to pants, a pair of socks, a dress, and so on.
- You could always modify the rules, as long as minimalism is your ultimate goal.
- Leading the minimalist life will de-clutter your home straightaway.
- It will help you realize what you need and what you don’t, and thereby help you save up.
- It will free you from the vicious circle of consumerism.
- Without all those extra possessions, you will learn to survive on less.
This may take a lot of prep before you actually get on with it. You will have to make an inventory of the things you consider personal, and then begin to downsize accordingly. Living with these few belongings is the next step. Soon enough, you will realize that these are all the things you really need to live happily. Dave assures, “If you take up this challenge, you will never go back. You’ll try to create a more valuable life, and go after more meaningful pursuits.”
Start your New Year with this challenge. Who knows, it might probably change your life.
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