Four Mindsets That Lead to Clutter: Part III: The Memento Collector
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Today’s topic is continued from the Four Mindsets that cause clutter--- The Memento Collector
Mementos are tokens from a former version of yourself or from memories:
· Needles and yarn from an old knitting hobby
· Skis from a trip 20 years ago
· A concert t-shirt from that show 10 years ago
· A sweater your mother always wore
Everyone has trinkets that they hold on to as keepsakes to remind them of a certain event or time in their lives. Nothing is wrong with keeping mementos—we all do it—but problems begin to arise when these trinkets are so numerous, and so scattered around the house that they begin to take up a significant amount of space, creating clutter and disorganization that impacts the look, feel, and organizational flow of your home. Remember, an organized house is an organized mind.
What Are All These Mementos Really About?
The first question to ask is, what is the real purpose of keeping these items? Will you forget you were a cheerleader in high school if you parted with your old pom-poms? Will you forget you ever went skiing in the Swiss Alps on that fabulous family vacation? Of course not.
But maybe deep down you hope that by keeping it around people will ask about it and you can reminisce about it then?
If that is true, then that won’t likely happen especially if the pom-poms are buried in a box from your last move in 1992 or in a dusty forgotten corner of your coat closet.
The memory is not within the skis or the concert t-shirt. You do not need to hold onto an item to remember what you did, who you once were, or that you were once there. Your mind does that. You don’t have to prove it to anyone. Your pictures can do that, and so can your stories.
The richness of your life is in the experiences you accumulate, not in the stuff you hang onto.
How to Handle Your Memorabilia
-Ask yourself if you really need to keep it, or if just the memory of the event or person is enough. Would you really need this item to remind you of the event? How important to you is the memory?
-Display it: Try to find a way to display it if it is something you are truly proud of—frame it, if possible.
- Start a Memory Chest: Some memorabilia can fit into a memory box or chest. This way you will have all of your precious memories in one beautiful box. Also, if all of your wonderful treasures are in one special place, and your house catches on fire—you only have one box to grab in order to save it all from ruin!
-Repurpose it: T-shirts, old baby clothes, old blankets, etc. can be made into a blanket, pillows, or artwork. Even shirts of loved ones who have passed away can be made into huggable throw pillows. Check out Etsy.com where there are tons of stores that provide this service between for $20-40.
Mementos and Memorabilia can be some of the hardest belongings to part with because they represent so much of ourselves. But parsing them down is not throwing away your past. Your past is what made you who you are today. However, too much of the past can weigh you down and hold you back from being the ideal you of your future. Decide which of them are truly representative of who you are and are worth keeping around, then find a way to honor them in an orderly way.
And if you are finding yourself stuck and wanting to give up, give me a call first. One easy baby step like that is the first step to getting it together! I’ll take care of the rest!