I own 176 things.
Over the weekend, I began the process of documenting everything I own. One by one, I took photos of each item I have.
I own 176 things. It takes one standard suitcase, one carry-on suitcase and one backpack to pack up them all.
As I transitioned from my early twenties to mid twenties, I started to accumulate more and more things — things that didn’t necessarily serve me well. I realized in 2013 that for years, materialism and unmindful consumerism dominated many aspects of my life.
I realized I needed to change.
In the beginning of 2014, an opportunity led me to move down to San Francisco. This event was the impetus I needed. I took the opportunity to re-consider, reduce and re-organize the things that I own / own me. The result was that I only packed the things that served a distinct purpose in my life, and sold or gave away the rest.
Clothing: 63
SF is a relatively warm city (though the summers are quite cool), therefore there wasn’t a need for heavy winter clothing. Three pairs of pants and jeans, a dozen shirts, a dozen t-shirts, seven pairs of socks and a dozen other miscellaneous items such as hoodies, a belt, a pair of gloves and a hat were all I needed. In total I have 63 pieces of clothing. This is more than one third of my entire possession count.
Shoes: 4
I used to be someone who would buy shoes for the sake of buying them. I had perfectly fine shoes, but had always felt I needed more pairs. I had gotten into the habit of excess consumption. Energized by the move, I managed to reduce my shoe collection down to four pairs. They perfectly serve all functions and activities: a pair of runners, a pair of dress shoes, a pair of everyday shoes and a pair of slippers.
Kitchen Items: 24
My kitchen items include several spice shakers, a few bowls, two knives, two pairs of chopsticks, a few spoons, one frying pan and one small pot. Other things include a pair of latex gloves, a few rugs to clean things and two packs of ramen noodles just in case I get hungry at night.
Grooming Items: 19
Grooming items tend to come in pairs. For example, I have two towels, two bottles of hair gel, two razors, two lip balms, two sticks of deodorant and two cases of dental floss. The reason for this is that I keep one set at the office and the other set at home to cover my bases, as I bike to work everyday and often work out near the office.
Travel Items: 11
They include: one backpack, one messenger bag, two suitcases, one carry-on suitcase, one travel mug, one two-litre water bottle, one 1980s road bike, a helmet, a bicycle pump and a lock. These things serve me well.
Craft Tools: 11
I draw and sketch often. Another hobby I have is photography. These items below enrich my life. They include: two Canon lenses, a set of grey to black markers, two sets of markers, a few pens and a set of pencils, among other things. Judging by the lengths of the pencils, I realized that I’ve been using 4B and 5B more often than others.
Miscellaneous: 24
I’ve collected a bunch of miscellaneous household items that serve one purpose or another, aside from two old smartphones, which I will be selling soon. Other miscellaneous items include a pair of sunglasses, two pairs of headphones, a deck of playing cards, a small lock, a few household tools and medicine.
Books: 13
Paring down my book collection was by far the hardest thing to do. In the end, I opted to keep the books that I would read again. There were many books that I had obtained digital versions and then got rid of the physical copy, but these titles below were the ones I kept for the sake of being able to easily flip through and reference them. Along with the books, there were a few notebooks and sketchbooks that I kept, most of them were filled with notes, ideas and sketches.
Most Important Items: 6
These items below are the most important things I own. They don’t define me, but my usage of them shapes me and in the end defines me. I use my MacBook to write, to design, and to build. It is by far the most important item in my life. This post was written using it, and the photos were edited using it. My phone and glasses allow me to experience life in a rich and fantastic way. They allow me to see, hear, feel the world and stay connected to it. Even though the computer is almost an all encompassing notebook of my life, there are still many moments when I need to write things down, to sketch out ideas on paper. For those moments, a computer does not suffice — I rely on my physical notebook. The camera is a treasured item that has allowed me to collect beautiful moments; it has led me to create in ways that I had never imagined possible. Lastly, my water canteen, it has quenched my thirst everyday, for six years. I intend to keep it for many more years.
63 + 4 + 24 + 19 + 11 + 11 + 24 + 13 + 6 =
Asking the right questions.
In the end, I realized that it doesn’t matter how many items I own. Completing this exercise has forced me to examine a few questions:
- What is adding value to my life?
- Am I living deliberately?
- Am I living a life of purpose?
Attitude: 1
If there is one item that has been covered, that is a piece of knowledge that I hold dear to me. It is this: regardless of what objects we have or don’t have, regardless of what circumstances what we are in, we are always free to choose what we make out of it.
We can choose to make the best out of life.
That, my friend, is an attitude that I look forward to practicing and applying everyday.