3 Unconventional Lessons for Gaining Confidence and Discovering Your Purpose

Lessons Learned from Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”.

“Does it spark joy?”

If you’ve ever heard of Marie Kondo, chances are you’ve been exposed to this phrase. But upon reading her book, I realized how much more knowledge and insight this incredible woman has to offer.

I was recommended this book by a friend, who told me that it was “life-changing” and “the best book he’s ever read.”

Now, I admit that I was hesitant at first. After all, how can a book about decluttering and organizing be so inspirational?

Turns out, the book is about far more than decluttering your physical space. It’s about overcoming indecisiveness, gaining confidence, and discovering what is truly meaningful to you.

1. With each item, ask yourself if it sparks joy. If you hesitate, ask yourself if the hesitation is a result of attachment to the past or anxiety about the future.

Attachment to the past is most often seen in childhood clothes, special trinkets, or photographs.

However, how often do we actually pick up a child-sized shirt and reminisce over our childhood? The memories will not cease to exist if you choose to part with a tiny t-shirt tucked into the corner of your closet.

While sentimental items can be difficult to part with, I found that I struggled more with anxiety about the future.

But what if I need this later? What if I regret it?

I grew up in an Asian household, basically meaning that we were only one step removed from being hoarders. Nothing was allowed to leave my house if it still had any potential use to it (even if it was no longer useful to us).

As I got older, I realized that this hoarder mindset stems from feelings of fear and lack. Turns out, discarding things that don’t spark joy have no adverse effect. More often than not, you’ll soon forget about what you discarded.

If you ever need something similar to that item, you will have cleared up the space to purchase something that speaks to you and sparks joy.

In discarding, we train our brains to make decisions based on our values, becoming more decisive and confident in our decisions as we continue in the…