Squatters or Residents: Why it can be so difficult to let things go

If you've been around for a while you've noticed that I like a good analogy. I find it easier for people to understand what you are saying if they have a category to put it in. As with any analogy, sometimes you can't carry them over one-to-one but the spirit is what we're going for. When helping people see that they get to choose what stays in their homes and what leaves their homes this might be a good way for you to think about it.

Are the items in your home Squatters or Residents?

A few months ago my family got a notice that there had been squatters on property near ours. No one knew them, they had just set up a temporary home and were living on property that didn't belong to them without having any permission. We wouldn't have even known they were there since they had set up camp in a location that we didn't see. To our knowledge they weren't doing any harm. But it is illegal so they had to go. As residents in the area, those who own property and houses, we belong there. We have a known purpose, are paying to be there, and are active in the community.

Items as Residents

This part is simple. The items in your home that belong there as residents have purpose, are beautiful or functional. You have chosen for them to take up space in your space. You know what they are, where they are, and how you use them.

Items as Squatters

You probably have a lot of stuff in your house that you don't even know is there. It's living in the back of cabinets behind another pile of things. It's living under the bed or in a box that has started to fall apart. It's in the bottom of your purse or sock drawer.

But, it's not doing any harm, right? Well, maybe not that you know of. But what if what you don't know is there is actually something you could use and have been looking for. Harm might be a strong term or it might not be.

A few ways these squatter-items can bring harm.

1. Taking up valuable space that can be used for things you know and find useful or beautiful.

2. Taking up space in your mind or time in your thought process that can be spent on something else.

3. If it is something you could use but you don't know it's there, it is now time, money, and energy being spent looking for it or repurchasing it.

Are the things in your house squatters or residents? Do you know these items? Do they belong there? Do they serve a good purpose for you, your family, and the way you want your household to run?

You are the home owner so you get to decide if something is truly a squatter or resident. But until then, those items you don't see and don't know are there... they are just squatting on your property.

I hope you had fun with this analogy and that these terms helped you make a connection with letting go of things that don't belong in your home.