or: Yes, I still have things I don’t need

As has become my custom upon returning from a trip, I am again going through my cupboard to donate some clothes and who knows anything else that no longer fits with my life.

I’d begun thinking about this while I was still in Mauritius so I had a mental head start. I had already decided my thicker winter coats would no longer be required and I would keep my longer one for European travel.

There is always travel in my future.

I had also decided I would take a serious look at my corporate wardrobe. It was time to be honest with myself. I acknowledged I hadn’t worked in an office environment for over two years now, I was unlikely to be in the near future and the only suit I have been wearing over this time is a wetsuit. And sometimes a few of them. At the same time. The water can be a little fresh for those of us who do multiple dives in a day over successive days. I’m not complaining. That’s just the reality.

Anyway, wetsuit wearing over corporate wearing is likely to continue indefinitely with some possible smatterings of corporate suit here and there. Not enough though to justify th current abundance of these items in my wardrobe relative to diving ones or general smart casual wear. 

My challenge in getting rid of any of these particularly clothes is two-fold:

1) I have identified as a corporate person for most of my adult life. I have worked my way up the corporate ladder in some amazing organisations. I’ve enjoyed all my roles though some have certainly been more challenging than others.  My suits have been my uniform over this period and as I’ve progressed, I’ve been able to afford better quality pieces so I’ve had a lot of items for a very long time (lucky I tend to go for the classics). 

Through donating these items, I’m acknowledging I’m no longer fully corporate. This is a pretty big deal for me. 

I remember when I was at university of having the goal to be wearing suits, in Los Angeles in a large office with a bookshelf behind me and an amazing view. I would be working as a psychologist. 

I had the profession and the location not quite right however most of the rest was fairly accurate. The office idea was ditched as most went open-plan however I did have some awesome desk arrangements over the years. Human Resources is a great deal of psychology too so I would say that while I wasn’t in that profession, I did use the skills I learnt at uni and interestingly, I’m still using them now as a Scuba Instructor. 

2) I can easily remember buying all of these suits whether they were off the rack and needed tailoring to fit me properly or if I had them made form me and gone into the tailor for fittings. Pieces bought while I was on holidays, pieces that came from Australia when I moved to HK in 20017 and have since been to Japan too, and pieces I bought in Japan.

I can also easily remember which I was wearing when anything major happened at work and sometimes also if I was wearing a suit and something happened in my personal life. I’ve had some big nights out in a suit celebrating various occasions too.

So I don’t waiver on my mission, since my wardrobe is already at the stage where every item ‘sparks joy’ I figure I’d it would be best to take a very pragmatic approach. I decided to allow myself only two suits and a few matching shirts which had to complement both suits.

This worked.

I just picked my two favourites.

I do admit though that when I buy a suit, it is the jacket and then either the pants and skir or pants and dress so I technically have four suits left.

I’ve taken it all to the donation place .

Next steps, corporate shoes and corporate books.

It’s refreshing – I’m shedding an old identity for a new one. 

Still challenging though. 

That’s the nature of change.

And with all the training, reading and practical application of it I have done over the years, I could even tell you the various phases I’ll go through while doing all of this. 

Understanding all of that is what makes the whole process a lot easier for me since I know what to expect.

 

* Thanks to Muse for the title to this post.