Throwing, boxing up, wrapping, donating.

I never thought I could throw away thirty-one items that I cherished in one day, but that is exactly what I did.

On January 1, 2017 I started the Minimalism Challenge.

The challenge is the brainchild of the Minimalists, Josh Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. They constructed a blog to inspire others to become minimalists.

Of course, they inspired me.

At first, my family did not support how I purged my possessions–some of which they paid for. But they warmed up to the idea when I revealed the goal of the challenge: to be happier.

The items I donated needed to be out of my sight by midnight every day. If I needed a chair out of my room or a large painting out of my bathroom, I prioritized moving it to the donation pile in the storage unit above my garage.

I recycled and donated school projects and childhood toys, which became the most difficult task to accomplish throughout the month of January. I learned the biggest, most expensive items were arduous in attempting to sell.

The sentimentality of the object clutters the brain. Letting these items go enabled my mind to clear up and focus on my priorities. I now desired the items in my life that added value–not take up space.

By January 31, I donated and recycled 475 items. I read about adult minimalists and their struggle to let go of miscellaneous possessions. Even though I do not own spatulas and towels, the items I transferred became meaningless to me.

I highly recommend the 30-Day Minimalism Challenge to anyone who obtains ludicrous stuff in their room or household. Many clothes or old electronics can be sold for hard cash, thus the minimalism challenge can help earn some money while the clutter decreases in a room.

I enjoyed the daunting process and I hope you can, too.