Monday, June 9, 2008

Letting Go and The Satisfaction of Plenty

The reason we hold on to clothes that I will discuss today encompasses all the of the aforementioned reasons that we hang on to clothing that we do not need...and yet it has a feeling all to itself.

The reason I refer to is the satisfaction of plenty. Just like enjoying a full belly is different from eating because you fear hunger, receiving satisfaction and comfort from a full closet is related to, but different from, hanging on to clothes because you fear the outcome of letting them go.

There are plenty of us who are comforted by the knowledge that we have a lot of stuff. You might know that it's really more than you need, but it pleases you that you have it at your disposal. It's not a love for a certain item of clothing. It's not sentimentality or nostalgia for this piece or that. It's the general warm and fuzzy feeling that you hold for quantity.

If you were to really dissect and examine this feeling, you might find at the heart of it a fear of lack. And you'd be partially right. But it's really more about the pleasure of acquisition and the belief that more is better, than anything else.

What do you do if this is you?

It comes down to making the decision that you would rather experience pleasure from quality over quantity. Quality meaning not only in form but in function: it looks great on you, you love it, and you wear it often. Would you rather have a very small closet that contains only the clothes that are guaranteed to make you look and feel fabulous every day? Or would you be happier just knowing that you have a lot of clothes?

In your mind, practice replacing one pleasure with another. Project yourself mentally into the future and imagine yourself feeling incredibly happy with your fantastic, streamlined wardrobe. Imagine how much easier it will be to get dressed each day, and how consistently stylish and put-together you will look. See yourself content and satisfied by the quality of your small wardrobe.

Then...choose to let go.

Not everyone would choose a very small closet. But you can tell which choice I would make....

See you next time...same blog time...same blog channel....

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent post Jenn ... and so true. Until I was about 30, I had definitely linked the amount of 'stuff' I owned to my 'success' level. Then life threw a curve ball and all the 'stuff' had to be parted with. That's how I learned of my attachment and, in so doing, learned to detach from it. My closet is full because, basically, I'm too lazy to find the time to cull through it.
www.SueCrutcher.com

Dr Peter Helton said...

You are right again. Quantity seems to displace quality.

Dr Helton, making your skin beautiful without surgery, nationally renowned Cosmetic Dermatologist

Yann Vernier said...

Excellent post Jenn. This 'more is better' belief is something we don't like to admit but probably affects most of us to some degree.

All the best
Yann
Yann Vernier - Personal Coach

gr8skot said...

Great post. Quality vs Quantity


Scott A Bell

http://www.scottalexanderbell.com/

Lisa M. McLellan said...

jenn you are so right. I have a big problem with this. My mom was the same way. She had 6 kids so she never went for quality on anything. I would have a terrible time choosing between one $79.00 sweater that I absolutely loved, great quality, and looked great, and 3 sweaters that totaled $70-$80 that looked good but not great quality. I actually know in my head that I'd go quantity. Maybe I need David Power to rearrange my thinking.

Unknown said...

More is better. Closet full? Buy a bigger house. Then fill your new closet.

Sheridan