What A Difference A Year Can Make

One week ago today, I turned 26. Just a few days before that, I'd found the photo that was taken at my 25th birthday party. I hate the photo. Seeing myself when the server handed it over was truly embarrassing. It was one of those moments when you realize how much weight you've gained. I remember how I felt getting ready for that dinner, not even knowing that all of my friends were planning on surprising me. I'd practically been in tears. I felt like I had nothing nice to wear that fit my body. My confidence was close to an all time low.

Left: January 20, 2013
Right: January 20, 2014

Circle back, 365 days later and I am 100% healthier. I've been CrossFitting for almost 7 months and eat a much more clean and whole diet than any other time in my life. I've repaired friendships that I'd been damaging due to my own insecurity. I'm on the road to being financially free and my relationship with my significant other is built on love, trust, and respect. 

While I'm not looking forward to being another year closer to 30, I am excited for the progress I know I can make between now and my next birthday. 

The Great Purge of 2014

And so it begins, the year in which I will simplify my life, spend time on the things I care about, and stop letting things and characteristics that I don't have bring me down.

I've already said I want to get out of debt. This is HUGE. Being debt free would be so...freeing. Right now, roughly a quarter of my monthly income goes (or should go) towards past experiences like college, shopping, travel, etc. None of these are bad things on their own, but in the interest of living in the moment and being present in my own life, I want to shut the door on all of it. I'd rather have that quarter of my income to spend on things in the present than some shirt or pair of jeans that I wanted years ago. Or, maybe I wouldn't spend it, maybe I would take that quarter of my income in a payout in the form of free time to do what I love. I wouldn't have to make as much money so I wouldn't have to spend as much time in the office. I'd be free to follow a different path, even if that path weren't as financially prosperous as the one I'm currently on.

I'm digressing, getting way to philosophical for what I'm about to cover, so here it goes. It won't shock you, based on my previous talk of shopping and debt, but I can be a bit of a shopaholic. I like fashion and I like the feeling of putting together a totally rocking outfit. Over the past few years, I've accumulated quite a collection of clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewelry. I don't wear a lot of it, if I'm honest. I have a whole drawer of jeans, but really only rotate between 3 or 4 pairs of favorites.

I've decided that the excess must go. I cannot remember where I saw it, but someone recommended switching all of the hangers in your closet the opposite way, so that the hooks are facing out towards the door.

Once an article of clothing has been taken out to wear, the hanger gets flipped back around so its "normal". At the end of every season, you can easily tell which pieces haven't been worn. If they haven't been worn, you get rid of them.

The above photo is part of my closet. Can you tell the bar is bending? Haha. I'm excited for this purge, although I know certain items will be hard to part with. I need this method to force me to come to terms with the fact that I don't need this many clothes because I'm obviously not wearing them. It will point a finger at the excess so that I can clear it out. 

Non-closet items like jeans and tanks will be trickier, since they're kept in drawers, but I'm off to a strong start!