"Moving On Up by Moving On Down" with Rita Wilkins the "Downsizing Designer," Part 1 of 2

Somewhere along the long road to the present moment, probably during the vain efforts to save my first marriage, I was told “the issue is never the issue.” Now, being both a male and a former engineer, that caused a bit of a mind cramp for me. I mean, how can the issue not be the issue? But it’s true. Often the truth of a matter is hidden behind clutter, both the physical and the metaphysical kind.

And so it is with the stuff you own. I mean all that crap you’ve got stuffed away in your house, garage, car trunk and rented storage space. Yeah. That stuff. This show is kind about that, but then...it’s not. What it’s really about is your your freedom, your money, and your life. What is the passion you have that is deep inside you, the “why that makes you cry?” What is the dream you have that no one knows but you? That’s what we’re really going to talk about.

My guest is Rita Wilkins, also known as the “Downsizing Designer”, a moniker she embraced after downsizing from her 5,000 sq. ft. home in the country to her 867 sq. ft. home in downtown Philly. Rita's downsizing journey was inspired by a trip to Africa, where people had little but were amazingly happy. Rita returned to the US with a new set of eyes, and a new lifestyle paradigm. She gave away 95% of her “stuff” to people who needed or wanted it, and is now living on 5% of what she once owned. And you know? She's never been happier.

I know. I did the same thing, box by box, book by precious book, so that today, I own almost nothing except my guitars. And I’ve never been happier.

But this kind of radical change comes at a cost, one I know about personally, and it's the cost of possibly losing a beloved partner, wife, or husband who is on a different path to bliss, one where stuff plays an important role.

So what to do? The issue is never the issue, as it’s been said, so listen in as Rita and I unravel the mysteries of love, marriage, stuff, and how to find your unique path to bliss, the one that is calling you from the depths of your soul. My time with Rita was so rich and fulfilling that I split it into two parts, and you are going to want to listen to both.

So please join me in part one of my two part interview with Rita S. Wilkins, the “downsizing designer" and author of the book “Downsize Your Life, Upgrade Your Lifestyle: Secrets to More Time, Money, and Freedom.”