Condense The Nonsense

less is more

Let’s face it. The vast majority of us have too much stuff. Whether it’s household possessions, equipment in the garage, or the gear in our pack, we probably have too much of it. I often find myself opening a closet or box and find I haven’t used half the items that it contains in over a year. Why do we keep the stuff around? Are we hoarders that acquire items simply for the sake of ‘having’ them? possible, but unlikely. More probable is that we see a use for the item down the road – “Well, I don’t need it now, but if ___ happens, I’ll have the right tool for it”. I love being prepared for any situation, but where do we draw the line? 

This past year my wife and I have moved twice, and the reality that I have too much stuff has become very apparent. At the start, I prided myself on how little I did have, and that we fit our entire house into a 17ft moving van, but you really begin to question the actual value of your belonging as you pack it into a box for the second time in 2 months and carry it up and down a flight of stairs. Dreading to move all those boxes again, I began to go through my things and see if I could thin anything out. I was soon faced with another reality – I am far from proficient with all the tools and equipment I own, and I can never hope to maintain all the stuff I have. I was reminded of the verse in the Bible (I had to look it up) Luke 16:10 NLT "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.” I didn’t consider myself to own a lot of stuff, but I realized what little I did have, I couldn’t even properly care for it all. Rifles to be cleaned and oiled, optics to be cared for, delicate equipment to be properly stored, vehicles to maintain…the list went on and on. How could I ever take care of all this ‘stuff’, have a job, spend time with my wife and family, and pursue my interests at the same time? I had all this nice ‘stuff’ but either for lack of time or interest it had collected in boxes and was going to waste. Not to mention all the money I had wrapped up in ‘stuff’ I rarely even used. 

What had happened was I fell into a trap many, many people are caught in today. We acquire items with an idea in mind of how it will improve an experience and in the end we are swamped with so many items we lose sight of the original goal. We need to wake up and see that a new truck, rifle, 4-wheeler, house, etc. will not bring you any joy when you have to work overtime every day to afford it, you’re exhausted by weeks end to even use it, you don’t even have the time to maintain it, or the space to store it. Why do you see so many RV’s and boats sitting in backyards? Because the owners had lofty visions of how they’d use it, but didn’t take into account the financial and time costs of owning it.

So what are we to do in light of all this? We need to consolidate. Easier said than done, but here are some ideas to get started.

•  Get rid of your stuff: If you haven’t used it in a year, sell it, donate it, or throw it out. If you’re feeling hardcore see if you can live on 100 items or less. I’m sure a lot of us could benefit if we just reduced our ‘hobby’ equipment to 100 items or less...
• Become proficient with what you already have: If you’re a poor shot with your .22 rifle, a .338LM is not going to make you a better marksman…use what you have, become an expert with it, and then you can start to think about the next big thing.
• Do more with less: That new .22-250 is looking at you seductively from the other side of the gun counter and you can envision all the varmints you could dispatch with it. Snap out of it…your .308 that you already own can do the exact same job. Owning less and doing more with what you already have can be very freeing and enjoyable. 
• Get rid of the junk: You know all those $5 pocketknives you have scattered about your house and car? Get rid of them and buy yourself one quality knife. When you buy quality, you only cry once.
• Change your thinking: Continually remind yourself that you don’t need ‘new’ stuff. Today’s society is full of consumers and our economy and pocketbooks show the grim tale of it. Use your money wisely and don’t lose it all trying to keep up with newest trends in gear and equipment.

Not only does thinning out our possession reduce the physical space in our lives, but it also clears out mental baggage and instills peace in our lives. I for one cannot focus very well on a task at hand if I’m surrounded by a mess. Even though all our ‘stuff’ may be out of sight, it can still create an attitude in us that breaks our mental focus and attitude. 

Now I’m not encouraging anyone to get rid of everything  they own and live like a hermit. Each person will have to find and set their limits and goals as to how much ‘stuff’ they can afford to live with. If that’s 50 items, or 50 boxes, that alright, just do your best to live with less and see how your life can benefit from it. Give the minimalist lifestyle a try…you have nothing to lose.