Gratitude

"I am extremely grateful to be surrounded by what I love, by things and people that are special, precious, and exceedingly dear to me." - Marie Kondo

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for many things in my life. However, the first things that come into mind are actually not things... they are people.

I am thankful for my boyfriend, my two lovely roommates, my friends, my boss, my parents, my siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and for the people in my life I remember at this time of year who are no longer here.

Then, after I think of all the people I am thankful for, I start to think of big things like my health, where I live, my job, my warm apartment, and my car that I can go places in. After that, is when I finally start to think of items in my house... the "things." They are at the bottom of the list. And I bet they are for most of you as well.

There are some "things" I own that I am grateful for. Like I am very thankful for warm & fuzzy blankets, my bullet journal that keeps my brain on straight, Christmas lights (yes mine have been going up this week), good smelling candles and soaps, healthy & yummy food to eat, and my computer and phone that allow me to work and connect with the outside world. But most everything else I own doesn't even make the list. There are things I need and use, things I have to make my space more cozy or pretty, and things I use to clean... but it is all just stuff. However, if I really take a moment to look at any item I own, I can probably come up with a reason I am grateful for it because either I use it, or I enjoy it.

What are you thankful for this year? I recommend you either think of or write down your own list. Maybe post it on your social media or text it to a friend. Then take a second to think about what that list means for the clutter you have been holding onto.

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There are four lessons for decluttering I believe we can all learn from thinking about gratitude:

1. If "things" are never at the top of our gratitude list, then why do we so often put them at the top of our importance list? We should only keep what we need to live healthy lives and help us enjoy the things that actually are at the top of our gratitude list.

2. Gratitude can be a tool we use to figure out what to keep and not keep. If you can't find a reason to be thankful for an item, then you don't love it or need it. So let it go.

3. We can also use gratitude to better use and care for the items we already have. Thanking an item before we declutter it is something Marie Kondo teaches. (If this feels too weird for you, you can just think of why you are thankful for it rather than talking to it.) This is a powerful tool because it forces us to realize what the item added to our lives. And if we are grateful for items that we use each day, (like thanking your toothbrush for saving you so much money at the dentist) you are more likely to use it well and not loose it because it matters to you. So try thanking your items. Either as you use them or before you disgard them. Then watch how your mindset shifts about spending, keeping things, organizing things, and how you spend your time.

4. When we give thanks for the most important things in our lives, like people and opportunities, we can more easily declutter and simplify our clutter because we see what is most important.

Which of these lessons on gratitude resonates most for you? How are you going to implement that this holiday season?