Are your things holding you down?
Don’t let things get in the way of your dreams.
Now what kind of question is that? It definitely wasn’t one I was asking myself until recently. Up until then things had made me happy. Or well, I’d at the very least heard one side of my brain make that argument whenever I was about to make a new purchase. But I started asking myself this when I went to NYC in January 2017. At the time I had consulted a business in LA for a year, but had decided I wanted back in the startup game. So I was going to NYC to meet the founders of Intelligent Layer who were participating in Techstars NYC at the time. The trip was meant to be a test of whether I was a fit for the company and whether it was a fit for me. And the latter was obviously what occupied my mind.
I’m from a small city called Aarhus in Denmark. I’ve lived there most of my life except for a one year detour to Cambridge in my mid teens. And while that has left a thirst for new adventures in me ever since, I haven’t done anything about it until now. So when I was in NYC, I was for the first time in years, feeling the excitement and fear of change. I was trying to feel it on me. I ended up spending a lot of time with Brendan, one of the co-founder’s close friends. And he had an uncanny ability to ask me all the questions I didn’t ask myself. And the one that struck me the most was:
What are you going to miss the most about Denmark?
My initial response was my girlfriend Nanna. She was without a doubt the biggest reason I’ve been so hesitant about taking the plunge. And besides that my family and my siblings. But Brendan kept insisting. What besides people close to me would I miss? And my response was: “I don’t know”. But after contemplating on it for a few hours I realised I did. I would miss all my comforts. I would miss my couch. I would miss my 55” flat screen. I would miss my sound system, that I love bragging about in front of my music buddy. I would miss letting myself be consumed by video games on my Playstation 4.
And the reason I couldn’t immediately recognise the answer, was glaringly obvious to me. It embarrasses me. I pride myself on being an entrepreneur, that’s willing to do what it takes. That next to nothing will stand in my way of reaching my goals. And yet I had just realised that my simple comforts were part of doing just that. Worst of all, those things are 100% replaceable. They can be enjoyed everywhere.
A New Approach
Ever since that day I’ve started reevaluating my relationship with things. They don’t make me happy. They make me feel comfortable. And while I instinctively like feeling comfortable, I also dislike myself when I do it too much. Because that means I’m not doing enough. That means I’m not taking any risks. And that means I’m not trying to fulfil my goals.
I’m not sure I will ever be a true minimalist. But I will start to reevaluate my relationship to things. I will always enjoy a nice television, a console and a good couch. But it should never hold me back from doing what I love. I probably should sell it. I will. Right after the new season of “House of Cards”. Or wait. After the new season of “Game of Thrones”….
Bounce
This is why we’re building Bounce — to empower people to live more minimalistic lives, to have more freedom in their day to day whether traveling or coming from work, and to never again be held back by their stuff. Bounce is your “locker in the cloud” where you can store your things temporarily while you go about your day. We’re still building the product, but you can join our movement and follow along here
How do you relate to the things you own? Have you ever felt that your comforts hold you back from achieving your true potential? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic. Write it in the comments or on Twitter.
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