Do
you ever go through a box of items or through a closet and find something you
have not used in a while but you swear you will still use it? Even better, do you tell yourself that this
object has an important function? I have
several experiences like that a day when working with a client. Often times this new found treasure displays
some tell tale sign of not being used or handled for a long period of
time. At that moment I often challenge
my clients to think about whether or not they really use this item or if they
simply think they use it.
First
off, if this item is so important and so functional, why has it remained buried
only to be found right at this moment?
If it was so useful why were you not using it? This can be a hint that the item does not
need a home with you anymore. If you
need more convincing look at the state it is in. This will tell you right away whether or not
your perceived need of the object is justified.
I
was working with a client the other day when we came across many empty tall
kitty litter bins. They were her
husband's so we could not just throw them away without asking. I did still inquire as to why they were there
and if they were truly needed. She said
he used them for sports storage and that they were important and should be
kept. I began moving them over to his
pile of stuff to sort through when I pulled over a bin with an awful odor. Two mice had died in it, and one had already
decomposed into just bones! These bins
had been sitting there so long that two mice had been able to die in them. There was the tell tale sign that these bins
had not been used for a long time.
So
I challenge you, do you really use this?
