Sound Familiar - I Documented My Life by Collecting Things

Sound familiar?  “I documented my life by collecting things – letters from friends and lold boyfriends . . . and the mugs, snow globes, and other kitsch picked up on rambling family trips to places like Tijuana and Niagara Falls.”

Realtor and their professional stager partners spend a good bit of time and lots of psychic energy convincing home sellers to clear out, box or reduce the photos, mementos, “and other kitsch” to help the house appeal to the potential buyers.  For many sellers, this request is very emotional because they believe the Realtor and stager are asking them to discard memories, important pieces of their life and symbols of their sense of self. 

The opening quote is from Pamela Weintraub, author of a Psychology Today article entitled “Lighten Up – How I Discovered the Power of Divestment and Living Small”.  This article contains many nuggets and insights useful to regular followers of “to be continued”.

·         “It was University of Chicago economist Richard Thaler who demonstrated the endowment effect – the phenomenon in which just owning something causes you to overestimate its worth.”

·         “The more an object reflects our self-worth, the more its loss hurts, says Rosellina Ferraro, an assistant professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and an expert on unconscious consumer choice.  “Those who value relationships most feel saddest at the loss of a possession that reflects relationships, such as gifts from friends.  The career-driven person values possessions like diplomas and awards; the spiritual person, symbols of faith.”

·         “Our innate tendency to acquire and collect has become especially problematic in the United States” says James Burroughs, an expert in consumer behavior at the University of Virginia.  “There is so much space that we have large dwellings and we put off prioritizing our possessions, sometimes for decades.”

·         Reclaiming my life meant divesting, but it was easier said than done.  “Our survival has shifted from a need for growth to one of sustainability”, says Matthew Knutson, author of The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking.  “But our instincts are rooted in the past.  Parting with things can fill us with fear.”

You can read the full article in the April, 2012 issue of Psychology Today or online at http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201203/lighten

Like the shoemaker’s children, I must confess that our house is chocked full of memories, important pieces of our life and symbols of our sense of self (and not photos, mementos, “and other kitsch”!?!?). 

And, we are always talking about finding time to clean out that closet, organize the garage and simplify our stuff.  But at least at this point, this is the house we live in and not the house we are selling.  We may need professional help (Realtors, therapists, movers, etc.,) when we decide to move and sell our wonderful house.

Imagine the possibilities when that day arrives at the Gasior household!!

Dwell in possibilities

 

Cindy