We often think of decluttering as just the process of emptying drawers and bookshelves, letting go of what we don’t need, and then organizing what remains. 

That’s a pretty accurate statement of the decluttering process, but what we don’t often realize is how decluttering changes our lives by changing how we feel on the inside. And it’s all those inside changes that lead to the really, really big changes. 

In fact, decluttering has significantly changed my career twice. 

The first time, decluttering led me to let go of my teaching career and pursue entrepreneurship. After I created space in my cupboards and closets, I started desiring more freedom in my schedule, too. Thus I took a leap of faith and left my teaching career to start (coincidentally) a business helping other people declutter their cupboards and closets. This is still the business that I run today, although it looks much different—and more virtual—than it did in those early days. 

The second time decluttering changed my career happened recently. If you read my blog post last month, you learned that I recently decided to enter politics, pursuing a seat in the Ohio State House.  

This was a change I really didn’t see coming. 

And while those same decluttered closets and cupboards certainly led to this, another type of simplicity had a huge impact on it: decluttering my finances. 

I’ve written a bit about how I got out of debt and how minimalism has helped me plan for early retirement but I’ve never talked about how decluttering my finances also played into this second, big career move. 

Until now. 

I recently sat down with Kevin and Zach, fellow Ohioans who run the Financial Feast Podcast up in Cleveland. 

Kevin and Zach are doing a series on different career paths, so we talked about what a State Rep does, how you become one, and what the campaign trail entails. If you’re curious about what I’ve been up to the last couple months, give it a listen!

➡️Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts. 

➡️Click here to listen on Spotify.  

Cheers to decluttered lives and careers that allow us to contribute our best selves to the world!