By letting go of the old, I've been able to get hold of the new.

This line comes from a book called Goodbye Things on Minimalist Living by Fumio Sasaki that I have recently read.

During the process of reading the book, it reminds me of the old dusty junk and bulk of objects I have been accumulating my whole life ever since I was in middle school. Starting from the collection of knick-knacks to miscellaneous toys, crayons, stationery items, storybooks, and bags, they end up cluttering my study desk. It never occurred to me to get rid of them because my mind was fixated on the day that they would come in handy except that day never actually comes. Next, I give in to the mindset of attaching the money value to these objects—I paid for them. The old me wanted them so badly that I would go into a sulk if I didn't get them but now they are stuffed into somewhere I don't even remember. As soon as these thoughts enter my mind, they keep me from throwing them away or donating them to the needy ones in the least.

After devouring the book that I mentioned for a week, I decided to change my mind. From time to time, I have a love-hate relationship with self-help books. The problem might not be the book itself but rather, it has a whole lot to do with me taking most practical tips and methods with a grain of salt. I used to be under the impression that after I had read one of the New York Times bestsellers, I would come across as the so-called intellect or guru overnight. That was the teenage me thinking about how self-help books work. In this way, self-help books weren't much of a help in my life but just for the sake of piling up on my shabby bookshelf now. This time, when I read Goodbye Things, I dive into it in an effort in to find some value and real experiences that don't merely exist on the pages of the book.

Two days ago, I got down to cleaning up my entire study space, which had grown bigger and messier each year. To someone who walks past my study area, It gives the impression of a burnt-out office worker whose job is to get overloaded with stocks of papers and documents in a cramped space. There is no pleasure in clinging to this rathole of clutters my entire life. Yet, I find myself getting used to it without noticing that they are sucking out my energy every day. So, I made up my mind to tidy up the whole place. First, I sorted the books into three categories: the new books that I have recently purchased or that I would often revisit, the old books that I have not got around to even halfway or the ones I have already read but almost forgot, and finally the books from my high school days that are no longer relevant to me. Since I narrowed down the mountains of books to three distinct groups, I was able to get a clear view of which books are currently of high priority for me. Minimalism doesn't teach us to dispose of things in a reckless way or throw everything away in a trash can so you will become more of a minimalist within a short amount of time. The way I see it, minimalism is just living a simple life and enjoying the moment without taking unnecessary stuff into your life. With that said, things that don't carry value for us might be the great use for someone else. In that sense, I couldn't stand the idea of discarding my books or other objects in a garbage can that is bound to be in a landfill within the next few days.

Instead, I reached out to a book fundraising event on Facebook and found out that my books would be on sale and the money would be contributed to an animal shelter. As a pet lover, I can't think of anything better than this win-win situation. Before packaging my books in two cardboard boxes, I soaked up the nostalgia for one last time and then said goodbye to them. It is really tough to part with something that you once treasured but now you are growing up and it remains nothing but a hazy memory. However, not only would the books be in good hands but also the childhood memories I had with them would not fade away. This is simply my thought process behind minimizing the number of books I own. I am determined to apply the same method for my other possessions since this very first step leads to a bigger objective. For the time being, I don't consider myself to become a full-blown minimalist but wish that maybe someday. After putting away the mess around my study desk, at least I am rewarded with a sense of accomplishment. Just like when you have a change of scenery, it boosts your productivity. Minimalism is the key to liberation from all sorts of distractions around us.