Marie Kondo has a philosophy that not only helped her sell over one million copies of her books but continues to inspire people all over the world. I was recently introduced to her philosophy by a co-worker, who gushed about how much she adores it and how much Marie Kondo helped her in her own life.

I have found myself in a place where I feel stagnant.

My personal growth is being hindered by the situations in my life. I feel stuck and unable to move in any direction, despite the options being available to me.

This feeling is foreign to me. I have decided that the most important areas of my life are suffering. To solve my current dilemma, I will be following Kondo's lead by eliminating the things in my life that do not spark joy.

The first thing to go is the thing I have been considering to leave for some time now. The time has come to leave my job. I am resigning from my current position as a manager at the bookstore I work at. The reasons have no end.

There are bigger things in my life that take priority over the job which I have neglected to be the best manager I can be.

I have come to the realization that I have sacrificed a lot for a company that does not value me for my strengths as a young person joining the workforce.

I struggle with time management, but I have been unable to balance work and school. Being in graduate school requires more focus and effort which has been divided unequally between my classes and work.

My first semester was not my best and left me disappointed in myself because I know who I am and that I can be better than who I was when I submitted all my work for my courses.

I was not myself. Moving forward, I plan to dedicate the majority of my time to school. Other than school, I will be seeking employment for a position with less stress and less responsibility with the exception of the internship I need to graduate.

In the following semester, I will be beginning work on my master's thesis. I have some ideas that I am researching currently that will lead me to where I will be going with it. I will let the thesis write itself and the process happen spontaneously.

The other major thing I want to drop is the anxiety I bring onto myself by worrying about every little thing, My anxiety and unrealistic expectations I set for myself are often mistaken for having a negative attitude about things and life in general.

The absolute one thing I want to get out of using this philosophy is to reclaim my sense of self.

That includes my well-being, my physical health, and having a social life. I refuse to feel dead inside.

I am freeing myself by removing the things in my life that kill my joy.

I recommend trying Kondo's philosophy.

Go renew the spark that ignites your joy!