From RI To RV: Downsizing Tips For Living Big

After more than 20 years in lil’ Rhody, a place I forever love, I moved; first from a spacious, high-ceiling, two-bedroom, double-parlor home with a big front porch and backyard…to a 600 square foot 1-bedroom apartment just outside of Washington DC…and then, two and a half years later, into a 20-foot RV for a bold nomadic living experiment.

Moving is always daunting. What to keep? What to get rid of? What to sell, store, donate? Packing and unpacking... 

To my initial surprise, moving from the two-bedroom home in Rhode Island to the one-bedroom apartment in DC activated a deep desire within me to continue to simplify, pare down, and have even less stuff.

Whether moving to a new home or making big shifts in some other area of your life, there's wisdom in being super selective about what you hold on to.

While I’ve come to believe that less truly is more,a pathway to simplicity, my affection for minimalism and pursuit of simplicity developed in stages. 

One thing my move to DC required was that I part with my cherished dining room table. It was large, wooden, with a leaf that I could insert allowing me to host up to twelve people. The central focus for one of my double parlors, I was thrilled when it arrived and did a gleeful victory dance around it. 

Its magnificence was deeply symbolic for me. It represented both a degree of success to have been able to purchase it and was a symbol of my phoenix-like rise from the ashes of divorce; from a weeping heap on the kitchen floor to the triumphant matriarch standing proudly at the head of my very own dining room table. Cherished memories of meals with friends and family gathered, only added to its sentimental value.

Had you told me then that I would part with that table a few years later, I would have laughed at you. 

I did NOT want to let it go, and yet, bringing it with me to DC was not an option. There simply wasn't space for it. Two stools and a 'breakfast bar' would be its replacement.

When making a conscious decision for a lifestyle change of any kind, there will be things you need to leave behind — physically and metaphorically.

Releasing "stuff" can be difficult. But it can also be a powerful way to set the stage for what's next, for new experiences, for new levels of freedom, for new possibilities. 

Parting with it helped me see that the memories of gathering around my dining room table with friends and family didn’t live in the table, they live in me. As does the success, strength and resilienceit had come to represent. I take those qualities with me - whether perched awkwardly on a stool at a kitchen counter in an overpriced DC apartment, or sitting at the dinette of an RV.

Travel is a way of life for me now. Along with my partner, Carl, and our dog, Cosmo, we live full-time in an Airstream, traveling and working from the road while exploring at our own pace. That dining room table is just one of many things I let go of in order to realize this boundless lifestyle. 

In the same way that my dining room table challenged me, I invite you to consider for yourself: What do YOU have that you don’t want to leave or let go of, that tempts you to want to hold on or stay put — be it literally or figuratively?

 What's YOUR "dining room table"?

Both my personal experience and my work with coaching clients has shown the gradual but inevitable emergence of what I refer to as “the paradox of less”. Having less can result in having so much more, a golden key in creating wealth on your own terms. 

Where having more can mean more to take care of, more to manage, more to insure, more to clean, more to fix, more to finance, and more to make space for…having less can create gains like more freedom, more flexibility, more mental space, more clarity, improved health, and more clear thinking. 

It is from this space that I’m now writing a book and embarking on other creative projects that I simply didn’t have the bandwidth for before. The value and paradox of less has proven truly priceless. Put this alongside a dining room table, for example, and there's no contest.

Are you ready for more? More freedom? More timeless memories? More adventure? More fulfillment? More time with the people who mean the most to you? More space for creativity? More ease? New possibilities? Expanding horizons? A deeper connection to yourself, others, and the world?

Are you game for having less "stuff" in lieu of more "stuff of life"? If so, perhaps we should talk? 

What has you holding on, staying put, or feeling weighed down?

Priorities can change over time. Your priorities ten years ago may not be your priorities now. But if the stuff of ten years ago is still in your milieu, it may be time for a purge. 

Make room, even if you’re not sure yet what you are making room for. Create space and trust that a new kind of clarity and inspiration will emerge.  

Here’s a downsizing life hack strategy to get you rolling:

Start with one drawer, and two questions. Open a drawer and take everything out. Sort through each thing, one item at a time and ask yourself:  Do I NEED it? Do I LOVE it?

Be diligent. If you cannot answer with a resounding “Yes” to at least one of these two questions, out it goes – either to the trash, recycling, donation, gift, or something you sell. 

Repeat. One drawer at a time, until you’re done with drawers. Then open a cabinet, one shelf at a time. Bit by bit, you’ll make progress and get more and more practiced at it.

 So as not to undermine your efforts, it is also super important to tune in and consider: Are there things you are currently striving for that you don’t really want? Be a conscious acquirer of things. Before bringing any more stuff into your world, dig deep and ask:

 •  Why do you want the things you want? 

•  What is the experience you are truly seeking?

The answers may be enlightening. 

I highly recommend spending some quality time with these important questions. Make choices that will truly improve the quality of your life, and watch your life transform.

Copyright © 2020 Tara Sage, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tara Sage is a life and business coach who helps people create a no vacation needed life. Want to learn more about how to get started with Nomadic Living and make your transition easy? Visit  www.tarasagecoaching.com/3-strategies/ to grab her FREE Video Training for 3 powerful strategies that will make the transition easy and get you road-ready for the journey of a lifetime!