Reducing Clutter

I donated my Total Gym equipment to Goodwill after failing to sell it in the Facebook marketplace. I had a few queries but failed to close. I donated also my ergonomic desk for the same reason. My garage is looking much better now but a lot of work is still needed. I still need to get rid of my Ironman inversion table and inflatable sea kayak. I never used this equipment more than a few times and wonder why I bought them in the first place. I think it was the fear of missing out (FOMO) and the desire to start s new life by buying stuff.

The other day I entered all the online courses I purchased in a spreadsheet and recorded about 98. There are still a few that are not on the list. Buying these courses is an attempt to improve myself though I have completed a handful, not including the courses I took in Coursera that I paid for: on writing and on investment. I also took several online courses on writing at the Gotham Writer school based in New York and Writer's lab based in Canada. The courses listed range from writing, investment, literature, history travel, and internet entrepreneurship based on Amazon and Google.

The plan is to be organized learning by using a calendar to create a curriculum of regular study. I had envisioned attending these courses at some future date, but time is running out as I approach my retirement and realize the time is now. Daily meditation helps me focus on the moment and not dwell on the past or daydream about the future. Looking at all the stuff that I have accumulated is a lack of mindfulness as the object was to achieve a future state of well-being instead of working on it now.

It is like the character in 'The Mercy' where one dreams about achieving an ambitious goal (sailing solo around the world) and when he is in the ocean alone realizes that he has overreached which leads to his mental breakdown and suicide. I have more modest goals of being a novelist and intranet entrepreneur as a way to keep busy in my retirement and earn income. This goal is not farfetched looking at the highly successful youtube creators.