On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you worry about not having something when you desperately need it?

Today I want to talk about scarcity and the scarcity cycle because this is a huge barrier when you're

decluttering. And this is something that I see over and over again, but it's also something

I really struggled with. It's this fear that I'm

not going to have enough or something's going to happen and the money won't be there. I won't be

able to provide for myself or my family. And honestly, it's terrifying. How can you let go when you are riddled with anxiety and fear that you're going to

need that again or that you won't be able to buy that again? And this scarcity cycle is so toxic

because it becomes a funnel that, yes, there are things we should worry about, but everything gets sucked into it. So even things

we would never need in the future or wouldn't actually have to buy again, also feel just as

important. And this is why you're paralyzed. And this is why you can't let go of anything.

When I first started my decluttering journey, I didn't know the word scarcity.

I just knew that I couldn't get rid of stuff.

And I knew the feeling that I had.

I couldn't fit all my clothes in my closet.

But as soon as I would pick up that pair of jeans that didn't even fit and had no room,

my immediate thought was, but what if I run out and I can't buy this tomorrow?

And I know where that came from.

That came from years of me being homeless, having no money, losing everything, having no clothes, having to wear

the same outfit over and over again, not even being able to afford a washing machine,

that sticks with you. And it's also something that you don't even necessarily have to go through that level

of extreme scarcity to feel. Maybe your parents went through that and you felt it growing up. And you

owned that as your own kind of trauma. Or maybe you went through a divorce where you had to give away half of your

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