Oh no! It stopped sparking joy!

When I did my tidying festival four years ago, it was a life-changing experience in many ways. I learned firsthand that learning to tune in to what sparks joy with your possessions ripples out in your life in unexpected ways!

One of those ways is that I now love my clothes. And because I love them, when I wear them, I feel better.

As my friend Amy put it, it’s like a shift in the energy emitted when you wear something that sparks joy rather than something that doesn’t. I like that way of putting it because that’s exactly how it feels.

It turns out that what sparks joy can change over time. Human beings are changeable creatures. But sometimes, if you’ve made up your mind that something sparks joy, you may ignore how you really feel about it when it no longer does.

Here’s an experience I had along those lines just yesterday:

I have the shirt that I really loved for years! I felt beautiful in it. I remember buying it and going, Ahhhhhh! YES to this one! There was no question about it for many moons.

When I applied the KonMari Method asking, “does this spark joy?” about each item you own while going through my clothes the first time, this one was a no-brainer.

But then, over time, something crept up on me. My feeling about that shirt changed without my even knowing it was happening.

But how do you know for sure?

The first clue was that I noticed that I wasn’t reaching for that shirt when deciding what to wear. In fact, I don’t think I wore it once in at least two years.

Yesterday, I decided to put it on. Right away, it felt like drinking sparkling water that has gone flat. Or chewing gum that has lost its flavor. I kept it on, though, trying to override that feeling. After all, I loved it, right??? My head thought so.

Then I saw myself in a Zoom meeting. Another jolt. I just didn’t like seeing myself in it!

I walked by a mirror a couple of times during the day. Blah. Or more like a “thud” feeling.

Finally, I accepted the fact I had fallen out of love with this shirt. Something had changed. Maybe it had gotten worn. Perhaps other shirts had come in that sparked more joy, or my ability to choose clothes that spark joy had improved.

Try changing it up.

Regardless, I decided to change into a shirt that currently sparks joy, and immediately I felt different. I felt better. I felt energized on a subtle level that can be easy to miss if I’m not paying close attention.

Believe me when I say that I am not a clothes hound. I don’t give a lot of thought to how I look once I’ve put something on. I have found, though, that since doing the KonMari process with my clothes, I enjoy them more and feel better about how I look because they spark joy in me! I also have fewer clothes, but I have more that I really enjoy wearing.

Wearing stuff I love gives me a little extra boost for doing the things of life.

And who doesn’t need a little extra boost?