Why this, why now?
Hello! If you’ve found your way to this newsletter in the hope of picking up some useful tips on downsizing, let me apologise up front. I have no idea what I’m doing. Of course, something useful might crop up in the course of my adventures in downsizing, in fact I hope so, but I can’t guarantee anything. I’m about to begin this adventure, and with any luck it will go well. Or not. We’ll see.
If you have any tips to share along the way, or your own salutary story of downsizing, I hope you’ll comment. I could use all the help I can get.
I live on Sydney’s north shore. I’ve lived here for absolutely ages, although I was born and grew up in a small town in Tasmania. But back in the LAST CENTURY I moved to Lindfield, and I’ve been here ever since. For a number of excellent reasons—I suppose they’re excellent, people have told me so— I have been convinced that it’s time to sell the house I bought in the year 2000 and downsize to something smaller. More practical. Cheaper. More environmentally friendly.
And so to my favourite inspirational quote:
“Until one has committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.
All sort of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of incidents and meetings and material assistance which no-one would have believed would have come their way.” [W.H. Murray]
Supplemented by a similar sentiment from Goethe:
“Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace, and power in it.”