The seasonal wardrobe changeover: some welcome it, some loath it, others have no idea what I'm referring too. This is one of the couple of times each year when you get to handle each article of clothing in your closet, and make that fateful decision: keep or donate.
Of the few questions to consider when making this decision, the most important is likely, "When was the last time I wore this?" The answer will reveal all.
I will share with you, three reasons I've often heard for not wearing something:
1. "I forgot I had that."
This is big. If you forgot about it, the love affair is over. Just admit it: you've got a new favourite. Out with the old, in with the new. B'bye.
2. "It doesn't fit, but I'm trying to lose weight. I want to be able to fit into it again some day."
I've never understood this. Not as an organizer, friend, colleague or stranger sitting within earshot. Now, I've fought the weight loss battle -- more than once. Personally, I found it incredibly demotivating to open the closet door and see small clothes staring back at me. It was a constant reminder of my actual weight and all the work that lay ahead of me. But I did find it exhilarating to reward myself with the purchase something fashionable, in a smaller size, when I did reach a short-term weight loss goal.
3. I don't really have anything that goes with it.
If it mattered to you, finding something to complete an outfit would have been a priority. While you may not be ready to admit it to yourself, you've moved on. That sweater or pair of pants that you held on to is no longer a part of your life. You've gone about your business for three, six, twelve months and not needed those clothes. It only makes sense to donate them; they'll only be taking up space otherwise.
Actions really do speak louder than words. If you happily go about each day of your life, while a pile of unused clothes grows in your closet, you are demonstrating that you don't need those things. Whatever you tell yourself; whatever value you think these things have, your actions tell a different story.
So as you replace light-weight fabrics for warm woolies, ask yourself the question: "When was the last time I wore this?" Answer honestly, and where appropriate, remove the item to your donate pile. You'll thank yourself next summer, when you will clearly see what you have, what you need and what you may be able to do without.
