Last week I removed every item of clothing I owned from its wardrobe or drawer and put it on the bed. Then I sorted every item into three piles. Definitely, definitely not, maybe.

 

Definitely: These were clothes that I love and had worn recently, that suit me and I feel good wearing.

 

Definitely not: These were clothes I hadn’t worn in ages, or they had worn out or were scruffy. Some had better alternatives and some just didn’t suit me and probably never had.

 

The definitely pile went back into the drawers and wardrobe. The definitely not pile was thrown out or donated.

 

Maybe: This pile was the most difficult to sort. It was clothes that were a little scruffy but still lovable. It comprised things that didn’t suit me but I still liked. Dresses that I wore for key events but wouldn’t wear again. Seasonal pieces or items that had nostalgia but nothing else. But mostly it was items that didn’t fit my life now.

 

I hadn’t outgrown them physically; I had outgrown them mentally. My life stage didn’t match them. They represented a former version of me.

 

In order for the new you to emerge, the old you has to go. The old you is found in outdated beliefs, outdated situations, and the physical representation of who you once were. 

 

If it’s not a “definitely” it has to be a “definitely not.” The maybe pile is no more.