The very first time I considered dressing with fewer items, I thought, “NO WAY. I could never do that.”
Then, when asked myself if I could do it for three months, as a challenge/experiment, I thought, “Maybe.”
I thought I wouldn’t have enough and that I’d miss my other stuff but after a week of dressing with fewer items, I felt something different. I felt light.
When I opened my closet, I didn’t notice the clothes first. I noticed space; physical space, mental space, and simply more space to breathe. After a few more days, I realized I wasn’t rushing around as much in the mornings. I wasn’t frustrated with the daily question, “what am I going to wear today?” There was a new sense of calm I hadn’t noticed before. A few more weeks went by, and I stopped thinking about the clothes.
Once I turned my attention away from the stores and the sales, and from finding the best little black dress, or the perfect pair of boots, I realized the best things are never things. Now that I wasn’t giving all my money, time, and attention to what I was wearing, I could start thinking about what I was really interested in, and how I wanted to spend my time.
You may notice this too when you join the Project 333 Video course.
Heart-shifts
It wasn’t just me who was noticing remarkable changes. People who tried Project 333 noticed less anxiety, more clarity and focus. They reported they had more patience with their children and that they were sleeping better.
The shifts that were happening in my life, and that I was hearing from others had nothing to do with shirts, shoes, or any other things. The changes we noticed were heart-shifts.
5 Ways Less Promised So Much More
1. MORE COURAGE.
When I discovered that my fears about dressing with less were all in my head, I developed more courage to try new things, even things that scared me.
2. MORE CONFIDENCE.
For a long time, I tried to prove who I was by what I was wearing. When I stopped relying on my clothes to speak for me, I found confidence in who I was instead of what I was wearing.
3. MORE CURIOUSITY.
I had no idea what to expect from dressing with 33 items or less, but when the unexpected benefits revealed themselves, I started wondering, “wouldn’t it be crazy if …?” about many other things.
4. MORE ATTENTION FOR WHAT MATTERS
Imagine if we harnessed all the energy and attention we spend on what we wear and instead directed it toward things that really matter to us and to the world?
5. MORE EASE WITH UNCERTAINTY
I used to hate feeling uncertain but I’ve come to realize that since most things are, I have to find ease in it. It doesn’t come naturally to me but the calm and ease I’ve created by simplifying my life helps. Now more than ever with need pockets of ease and respite from the uncertainty we are facing.
Spoiler alert: Minimalist fashion challenge Project 333 isn’t about fashion or clothes, but that’s where it starts. When you realize how much stress you can release, how much space you can create, how much money you can save, and how much joy you will experience simply by reducing the number of items in your closet, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner.