So, one of the first rules of “Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” is, “take each item in one’s hand, and ask, “Does this spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it.
…and while I love Marie Kondo’s rule, I think you should take this one step further.
Don’t just apply it to the items in your life…
Apply it to the people in your life, too.
Right now.
Scroll through your contact list and ask yourself, “Does this person create joy in my life?”
If the answer is no, just delete their contact information.
Or, better yet, block them.
You can skip the whole part where Marie encourages you to thank the item (or person) in your life because it will create more headache for you.
Some may think this is cold-hearted. And maybe it is. But life is too short and it’s filled with many obstacles… real obstacles you can’t avoid… the last thing you need is a human being who makes you feel bad about yourself.
I’ve long shared “bits and pieces” of my story.
I grew up poor. My mom was on welfare. My dad was in jail. And I was surrounded by family members who were supposed to “support” me… but instead they only harmed me.
They’d steal money from my mom. One person lost a game of Monopoly, and responded by throwing me down a flight of stairs… at around 10 years old. And it was so much worse.
As I got older I realized I didn’t need to keep these people in my life. And, in my mid 20s, I cut them all out of my life.
I deleted all their contact information. I never responded to their phone calls or messages. And any time they were at a family event or gathering… I would opt out.
And I couldn’t be happier.
Now look at me. I’m a successful entrepreneur who has made millions of dollars on the internet…from home.
And while a lot went into my success, the fact that I cut these toxic people from my life is part of the reason why it was all possible.
Because when you start from nothing… you have insurmountable issues that prevent you from succeeding. You don’t have access to resources. You don’t have access to connections.
But what no one talks about is this:
if you finally beat those odds, the people who will be there to DRAG YOU BACK DOWN are those toxic people in your life.
It wasn’t easy, though. We are taught to believe “friends and family” matters. And it’s partially true. But when you are confronted with people who do not bring joy to your life… it’s 100% okay to toss them out of it.
Like an old shirt.
Share this with someone who needs to read this.