I Lived Out Of A Suitcase For Over A Year

I always believed that the secret to a beautiful life was partially embedded in having more stuff.

You've heard it as well. Get a well-paying job and career. Buy the white picket fence and slide a couple, or three, nice cars right in. Preferably the kind made in Germany and that warm your butt on cold days.

Accumulation of things, they said, was the righteous path to having a life worth living.

I bought into it.

Look, I'm not gonna make a judgment call either way. You see, along that path to white picket fences and German cars, we also did some incredible things. We built a company that hired 600 people, helped numerous folks through non-profit donations, and gave lots of time back to startups and other entrepreneurs just beginning their journey.

So it's not as simple as black and white.

But the truth is that I always believed that the secret to a beautiful life was partially embedded in having more stuff, until the day I didn't.

It wasn't until just a few years ago that the whole minimalism movement really began to take root in me.

I'm not sure why to tell you the truth. It could be that it's simply the season in life I'm in. Maybe 'cause the kids grew up and moved away.

Or it could be because after getting all the stuff, one realizes it doesn't fill in the natural nooks and crannies of life.

But back to the minimalist thing.

The minimalist lifestyle has become popular in recent years. A person who practices a minimalist lifestyle usually owns only the things they need to enjoy life and avoid being constantly distracted by material possessions. Generally speaking of course.

Or if I broke it down into two words: less stuff.

I've seen and read a lotta posts about living a minimal lifestyle.

You know, where we purge our lives in the name of having "less stuff" to focus on things that really matter.

I have to say I'm guilty of it. Done some purging over the last few years, no doubt.

And then there's this picture. The one here on this post. It's me.

You see, my life is in this suitcase.

Like literally.

I've been living abroad for the last 16 months, and it's about time for me to return to the U.S., so of course, I packed everything I own.

And holy guacamole, it's all in this suitcase.

It's not an oversize case either. It doesn't have a secret compartment that doubles its size. And no, there isn't a 2nd and 3rd piece of luggage off camera.

My life for 16 months is in this ONE suitcase.

And you know something?

This past season of my life has arguably been one of the most profound, heartwarming, lesson learning, memory-making time of my entire 54 years of living.

And while I'll put all my "stuff" in this red case (it's already packed, BTW), the best parts of this season will live on forever in my heart, my soul, and of course, in the hundreds of stories, articles, people, pics and posts I've made.

But let me be really honest with you.

This was not my intent.

I didn't plan on purging most of what I own and living out of a suitcase. I wouldn't even know where to start. Heck, if you'd told me to whittle down to what I can carry, I probably would have still had two or three massive suitcases.

Yet here I am, packing up all that I own to head back to the U.S., and I was shocked to find it all fit in one suitcase.

While I learned a lot from this experience and might be able to fill 50 pages worth, I'd have to say that these were the top realizations for me. Please steal these and apply them to your own life.

Minimalism truly starts within

When I first shared this suitcase moment with folks and friends, they were all like, "there's no way I could ever do that."

In other words, they were, to a person, immediately thinking of all the things on the shelves, in drawers, around the house, which meant a lot. They were thinking outside themself and about the things that they thought were meaningful. Again, no judgment, but once we turn inward and consider what truly matters, it all changes.

Letting go begins first inside you and goes from the inside out.

The best things in life are not replaceable

Have you ever played that game where someone asks the group the following: "If your house caught on fire and you could only grab three things, not including pets and family, what would you save?"

After thinking a bit, many folks choose things like a photo album, some heartfelt memento, perhaps a shoebox of letters. In other words, they choose memories. Irreplaceable items. Everything else, they'd let go.

Think about it. The things you'd choose I mean. I bet, they would fit in one suitcase.

Mine did.

"Less is more" is, in fact, true

Upon gaining more space in your life and freeing up your heart, mind, and soul, you will soon find it made all the struggles of purging worthwhile.

The "stuff" eventually fades away.

Fewer things fight for your attention or try to exert some imaginary control over you. There are fewer burdens, complications, and pushing and pulling. And the impact of this gives you an incredible amount of freedom that was there all along.

Yeah…it was there all along!

For me, less is more was a 200% certainty.

The final word

Less stuff.

More life.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.