Throwing something away does not erase who you are. We often cling to objects — old notebooks, broken gadgets, clothes we no longer wear — because they feel like pieces of our identity. “If I get rid of this, am I losing part of myself?” You are not your possessions. They may remind you of something, but they are not that moment in themselves.
Letting go does not mean forgetting. You can cherish a memory without keeping the ticket stub, the faded T-shirt, or the dried-up pen.
Sometimes we keep things out of guilt: a gift we never liked, a project we abandoned. But throwing something away is not betrayal — it’s recognition that you being you doesn’t depend on holding onto every last item.
In fact, releasing what no longer serves you makes space for what does. The courage to discard is also the courage to live life the way you want to. You’re still the same person — just a little lighter, a little freer, with room for new experiences to settle in. You and your life aren’t in a drawer or a box; they’re in your mind, your heart, and how you live today.
So go on, take the plunge, let go of those things that are in boxes that you never look at, or the plant pot that great aunt Dot gave you that you never liked!