Downsizing your home is letting go of the past so you can move into the future. Your future. Your next phase of life – your 3rd act. But the question is…will you decide your own future or will you continue to procrastinate, letting your future slip away and into the hands of someone else (like your kids) who will make your decisions and care NOTHING about where you live or your possessions?
There are 2 types of baby boomers who will downsize:
- Those that want to live life on their terms and with the things they love and
- Those that will procrastinate so long to downsize that they will have to live life on someone else’s terms because they didn’t do it while they still could
Living Your Life with Your Favorite Things
It’s a proven fact most baby boomers only use 40% of the things they have. By the time you downsize your home, you’ve had things for years and no longer even know you have them.
But it’s also true that your very favorite things give you pleasure as you get older and you should choose what you love – not let someone else make those decisions. Don’t ever allow anyone else determine what you truly love and the meaning that something holds for you.
However, until you make the decision to downsize on your own, you may not be surrounded by the things you love. Your kids or other family members will come in and decide what you need and want and will throw the rest out. Your lifetime of memories will be tossed aside because you didn’t feel like doing the work yourself when it was time. It’s your life’s story, your possessions, and your responsibility.
This is what I see happening when the kids get involved in the downsizing process.
Now you’ve become the burden you never wanted to be. And to make things even worse, you’ll be living your next chapter on someone else’s terms.
Decluttering Your Life and Downsizing Your Home
You know you need to do this. When will you start? The Home Declutter and Downsize System is a step-by-step game plan that will take you from where you are today to officially decluttering your life and downsizing your home.
We will show you how to know what to keep and what to get rid of, how to get through your stuff faster and more efficiently, and will hold you accountable so when it’s time to sell your home, you’ll be ready. And once you get through it, you will wish you had done it sooner.
Some people put off facing the music so long that they can no longer hear it playing.
But You’re Not Ready to Sell Your Home Yet
I already knew that was coming. Selling your home is not the issue here. Selling your home is Phase 3 of the Home Selling Process. The real issue is the time it’s going to take you to get through Phase 1 (going through your stuff) and Phase 2 (getting your home ready for the market). You should allow at least 90 days prior to selling to get through Phases 1 and 2. Most boomers take 5 years to do this only to discover that they’ve spent their best years sifting through stuff that meant nothing to them. That’s not the best use of the years you have left.
Just because you’re not ready to sell doesn’t give you the green light to sit back and wait. And what are you waiting for anyway? If you don’t feel like doing it now, you’re certainly not going to feel like doing it in a year or 5 years from now.
Most baby boomers I talk to are busy babysitting their stuff and watching their best years pass them by while they stay in a home that’s too big, no longer serves them and they are procrastinating because it’s just easier.
Dream Big – It’s Your Future
What is downsizing to you and someone else are two different things. And yet the baby boomers who take the plunge and do the hard work it requires to declutter their lives and downsize their homes are so thrilled with their newfound lives.
They are fulfilling all of their dreams, embracing new adventures, and are finally living their 3rd Act large and creating long-lasting memories. Their only regret is that they didn’t do it sooner.
When you discover that you’re living in a home that no longer serves you, is costing you more money than you should be spending to heat, cool, and maintain, maybe you’ll come around and make the decision to start living your best years.
None of us know how long we have left, but if you still have some things left on your bucket list, want to create a legacy while you still can, or merely want an easier and simpler life as you age, I can help.
The Home Declutter and Downsize System is scheduled to launch in 2022. For more information and to receive updates about any of the programs or courses, please contact us here.
