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Hello, my name is Chris Martin, and I have a confession to make: I am a hoarder. But not in the way you might be thinking. I am an aspirational hoarder. I collect all of the labels of who I want to be and what I want to do. From the earliest dreams to the weird, early-morning fantasies of living off the land, I don’t want to eliminate anything that could define who I am. So, I call myself a multi-hyphenate and feel better about the fact that I can’t let go of the past or accept that some dreams have run their course. Fortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one.
Symptoms of Aspirational Hoarderism:
- The belief that you can be something without doing anything.
- Delayed decision-making.
- Fear of failure.
- Need for perfection and certainty.
- Over-emphasis on what others will think or say.
Six Ways to Overcome Aspirational Hoarderism:
- Clear out the past to make way for the future.
- Take the smallest step…in any direction.
- Identify all the ways you are hoarding aspirations: knowledge, desire, identity, content, tools, connections.
- Commit to the process of creation; true identity is earned through action.
- Remember: the path to success is littered with mistakes, duds, failures, missteps, and accidents; and none of this is sexy enough for social media.
- Find your own way that makes sense for the life you want to live, the goals you want to achieve, your values, and the vision for your future.
