Why you should get rid of your books

Each year leading up to Christmas when we ask ourselves what we want for Christmas, I find is an inspiring time to actually look at what I have.  We know that if you are looking to increase the happiness in your life that putting time and energy into experiences rather than things is the way to go. 
 
However, things have a way of accumulating.  Whether you have bought them with good intentions or whether they have come to you as gifts or through other means.  And before you know it even things you love can just become part of ‘stuff everywhere’! 
 
Sitting back and looking at your stuff can be a great way of reconnecting with what is important to you.  By curating your stuff you can creating an environment that supports your current stage of life, your current interests and is uplifting.  
 
Let’s start by looking at books.  
 
Growing up we had a set of World Book encyclopedias.  I loved them.  You could open up at any page and learn something new about the world.  Looking at them gave me a sense of wonder and thirst for knowledge.  I probably loved my fantasy books (Enid Blyton anyone?) where I went into worlds where anything and everything was possible.  
 
It’s the promise contained in books that I love.
 
As I grew older my relationship with books became a bit more complicated.  Books I had to read – school novels, reference books.  Books I thought I should read – parenting books, self-help books.  And instead of being always about pleasure books also became a mirror reminding me of things I didn’t understand, couldn’t learn or highlighted my inadequacies. 
 
Do you love all your books?  Do you smile when you see them, refer to them regularly and rejoice in their wisdom?
 
OR
 
Are their books on your bookshelf that taunt you with reminders about your failures?  Cookbooks full of recipes you haven’t tried.  Self-help books with exercises you haven’t completed.  Novels you haven’t read.  Parenting books that seem to mock you.  Reference books you don’t use (or are way out of date). 
 
Why are you holding on to them?
 
Marie Kondo speaks of holding things to see if they spark joy.  And it’s an exercise I do every so often.  
 
You take the books down from the shelves and hold each one.  How does it feel?  Do you feel inspired when you hold it?  Or do you notice creeping thoughts such as I ‘should’ read that, followed by a sigh or accompanied by a self chastising ‘well that was a waste of money’. 
 
(If you have electronic books that you’ve downloaded, although you can’t hold them you can look at the titles and notice what thoughts and feelings arise.)
 
From here you have two choices. 
 
If you feel inspired, warm, joyful when you pick up the book - make the recipes, do the exercises, read the novels.  Reconnect with the reason why that book is on your shelf in the first place.   
 
OR
 
If you feel nothing, or the weight of the ‘shoulds’, move the book on.  Acknowledge your intentions when you bought the book.  Thank the book for the hope it inspired, acknowledge and release any guilt or disappointment in yourself.  Depending on the book you could donate them, give them to friends etc.  Notice how you feel when you do this.  
 
As you remove the stuff (and fluff) from your life that no longer matters, you make space for reconnecting to what is really important to you.  
 
If you do this I would love to know what you discover.  You can email me at kimdunn@positiveyoungminds.com.au.