The Simple Life: Two Paths, One Goal

Rip the Band-Aid Off vs. Peel Slowly (Closet Purging)

Right now in my life, I am the “rip the Band-Aid off” type of person. I prefer to tackle difficult tasks quickly rather than prolong the discomfort. There may have been times in my past when I took things more slowly, but I realize now that was often just an excuse—a way to delay the inevitable. The phrase “put your big girl pants on and just do it” has proven to be 1,000 times more effective for me.

One reason I embrace this approach is that I’ve come to understand how short life really is. I would rather get the hard part over with than spend unnecessary time peeling away the Band-Aid bit by bit, dragging out the pain.

No matter how you approach it, life is going to hurt sometimes. No one gets through life without discomfort, bad days, or challenges. In fact, life is about 50/50—half good, half tough. But that balance is what makes the good times feel amazing. Without failure, there’s no real sense of accomplishment. Without a rough Monday, you wouldn’t appreciate an amazing Tuesday as much.

Letting Go—The Hard Way, But the Right Way

So now, I choose the pain of ripping the Band-Aid off. Yes, it might be tough to part with something sentimental, like an old jacket from a loved one. But if I know deep down it’s the right choice, I just take a deep breath and do it.

This realization hit me hard when I faced my arch-nemesis: my closet. I had attempted to purge my clothes so many times before, but I kept falling into the same trap—sorting and re-sorting without making real progress. One day, as I was at it yet again, I stopped and asked myself: What am I actually trying to accomplish?

I wrote down my ideal outcome: a closet with fewer than 50 pieces of clothing, each one something I loved, that fit perfectly, and that could mix and match effortlessly.

With this clarity, I looked at my summer clothes.

• This one was stretched out.
• This one didn’t fit.
• These shorts were too short.
• This shirt had a missing button.
• This top needed a tank underneath to wear properly.

I had an excuse for keeping every piece, but none of them actually made me happy. In the end, I found one pair of shorts and one shirt that I truly loved. They fit well, were high quality, and worked together as an outfit.

So, I did it. I ripped the Band-Aid off and threw everything else away.

Did I regret it? Not for a second. My worst-case scenario was wearing that one outfit all summer. And honestly? I would have been okay with that—because I loved it.

Buying with Intention

This shift in mindset also changed the way I shop. No more buying just because something is on sale or because I “need” another option. The truth is, we don’t need a second shirt—we want one.

The first time I went shopping after my purge, I found a pair of shorts I loved but couldn’t find a matching top. The saleswoman tried to convince me to buy a shirt that was “good enough.” When I told her this was basically my entire summer wardrobe, she looked at me like I had three heads. She assumed my house had burned down or that I had suffered some kind of tragedy.

“No,” I explained, “I just didn’t love my other clothes, so I got rid of them. I won’t buy anything I don’t love and that doesn’t work with what I already have.”

The look on her face was priceless. But I walked out of that store feeling sane. That was the most logical, freeing thing I had ever done.

The Takeaway: Just Do It

Yes, ripping the Band-Aid off stings for a second—but then it’s done. No more drawn-out stress, no more back-and-forth, no more delaying the inevitable.

If you dig deep, you already know what you want your life to look like. You may not believe you can be “Pinterest perfect,” and that’s okay. But why take tiny baby steps toward your goal when you could take big, decisive leaps and just get there?

Take a deep breath. Rip the Band-Aid off. Your future self will thank you.