The McMansion era has peaked and fallen to ashes. People are realizing that living for ego displays does not bring them as much satisfaction as they had hoped. It's a difficult thing to be constantly scattering our energy and our mental space throughout a home that holds too much stuff that we care nothing about only to maintain appearances. Let's take those jeans that are two inches too long and give them a good tailoring to fit you perfectly: In other words, let's celebrate this moment where you quit living your life for other people and outdated egocentric ideas about what they think of you and let's start living your life for you. Let's start with a home that's just the right size where you can fill it with only things you love and have true reverence for. It should have just enough space for you to take care of without being overwhelming.

Changing perspective

There are a lot of reasons why downsizing the home is a dream come true just as getting the big home with all the amenities once was. Sometimes we want to not have to walk a mile to find that thing on the other side of the house. Sometimes we want to call out to our loved ones with our voices instead of calling them on the intercom or texting them while they're under the same roof out of necessity. Our kids grow up and move out and we no longer need the huge yard with all of its maintenance needs and all the multiple bedrooms and playrooms and game rooms, etc. Whereas our lives were once spread out and scattered, many of us reach a point in our lives where we want to go inward and be intimate with not only the people in our lives but the things in our lives.

Deciding the Important Things

That often means deciding what we need and what we don't. The rule is, if you haven't worn it in a year, give it away or donate it. If there are things that you weren't even aware that you still own, it's probably time to find it a new home. If it's a leftover thing from a hobby you tried and gave up for good, it's time for that equipment to also move on to people who are looking for their next phase in life. If you've got the updated version, why are you still keeping all the earlier versions? It's one thing to have a spare phone or tablet or set of golf clubs on hand if your main one is lost, but to have handfuls of them just lying around the house collecting dust, donate them. There are a lot of people on a tight budget and little luxuries that could really make use of the things that you don't use anymore.

"But I paid for that stuff with my hard-earned money," you say. Are you having trouble detaching from the need for material proof of your success? Sometimes holding onto things that are outdated or that represent bad memories actually negatively affects your ability to move forward and approach new experiences with a clear head space and a positive attitude. Your If you're holding onto tons of clutter like its nesting material or your security blanket, think about it this way. You want your space to represent who you are NOW in this moment, not who you tried to be 10 years ago but low-key discovered that your idea of who you could have been wasn't who you actually are at all. Let that stuff go. It has to be released in order to continue the steady journey forward into personal growth.

Space Your Time Out

It's important to remember that you also don't have to do all of the above immediately. Don't overwhelm yourself in either direction. Consider a storage unit! Look up "boat storage near me" and put that boat that's been sitting in your yard rusting there for a while until you can figure out what to do with it that will serve everyone's highest good. For example, you can get the best price selling it used in the warmer months and you'd best wait until then. Maybe your cousin can really use it and will be available to pick it up later on. Getting the things that you don't need in your smaller, more efficient new abode out of sight out of mind until you can figure out its new home and send it on its way to its new owner with gratitude for its past relevance to your life is part of a life of conscious awareness.

So downsize today to declutter your mind. Downsize mindfully. The landfills are not the places for your old things with life still in them. Do your best to find someone who will appreciate them as if they were new! You might make new friends in the process. This is how to nourish the soul.