Declutter Your Life

There’s one massive lie in the world: having things will make you happy. Whilst I think that’s totally true in the short-term, I don’t in the long-term.

When I order a new toy (such as a drone), I get all giddy. It’s all I can think about, because it’s super exciting. But after a few days, it kinda gets old. It’s not longer a shiny toy that I can’t wait to get my hands on. It’s just, well, there.

Since traveling around Canada with a backpack and living month-to-month and then coming back to the UK, I’ve noticed something eye-opening. Things don’t make you happy, but experiences do.

Sure, you can have a swanky apartment and the latest iPhone, but these things only give you a wave of happiness. After a while, you stop noticing altogether. The things that I tend to remember are memories of good times.

A road trip to Niagara Falls. Amazing sushi in Vancouver. Traveling through a blizzard in Montréal to get shopping.

These are memories that I’ll cherish forever, and while they required a plane ticket, a rented car, and accommodation, they don’t involve the latest gadget. I didn’t feel the need to buy anything, until I actually needed them. Life is simple when you declutter yourself.

So save up your money and start living instead. Buy that plane ticket to Oz instead of that new fridge. Buy that ticket to the F1 instead of the swanky sofa you don’t need. Take your family out for an adventure instead of buying the next Range Rover.

Save up memories, instead of things.

I’m writing about something that interests me every day for a year. This is day 35 of 365. ✌️