People with a lot of stuff tend to be extraordinarily organized. They have to be in order to find things. What an onlooker might view as chaos and confusion is lived in as a place of comfort and convenience. The goal is to never be without, and having is better than not having. Identical items are placed throughout for ease of access, but more importantly, to create safety and security.
They are the only ones who know where certain things are.
A minimalist, on the other hand, offers space. They own very little, and because of it, are very particular to what they house and let enter. Details matter a great deal to those who are sensitive to their environment. Anything kept or owned must meet an exceptional standard of quality and function. Priding themselves on the assessment and recognition of need, they are soothed in the acknowledgment that they require very little.
They are protected through the practice of essentialism.
The environments we provide ourselves with reflect the needs of our internal state. Stimulation is drawn from the energy of busy chaos. Calm is composed from our ability to forge order. We place our bodies in situations that help regulate us, and challenge our perceptions of our boundaries.
How you cultivate order and/or chaos depends on whether you seek instant or existential gratification.
Are moments to exist in or work toward? Is creating order an enjoyed habit or forced point of overwhelming frustration? A hoarder is never sure they have enough. A principled person is never sure they are enough.
Problem solvers and problems seekers revolve around an identified problem. There is an agreement of ‘wrong’. But what about a pact of ‘right’? Can that, too, incite necessary action?
Where doubt and confidence coexist can be a place of wonderful communication. It can steady the extreme undulation. It shares the allure and benefits of each, while also pointing out their misgivings. The exchange stimulates growth toward a larger middle, and greater understanding of all. Our curated worlds, once seen and invited into, can help restore balance to the larger one.
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