In today’s society we are conditioned that more is better. That we need a lot of stuff. Think back 15 years ago – life was a bit different. We only had one family car, one television in the house, a couple of favourite things be it jewelry, toys or electronic devices. We spent more time enjoying the beautiful outdoors, we shared the television spending time together as a family and quality meant more than quantity.

By subtracting we can add so much more value. Pairing down to one email address vs. three we spend less time on the computer  and more time with our loved ones. Getting rid of one car in the driveway reduces the carbon footprint we are leaving on the environment and reducing the amount of stuff we own helps the planet become more sustainable. I too was a little skeptical that little things such as this would make much of a difference, checkout  The Story of Stuff, a 20 minute video that will completely change your outlook of our impact on this planet.

You may be asking do we really gain through loss? Can we actually add value by subtracting? Best-selling business author Jim Collins starts each year by choosing what not to do and each of his to-do lists always includes “stop doing” items. Collins advocates that developing a strong discipline around first giving careful thought to prioritizing goals and objectives, then eliminating the bottom 20% of the list…forever.

Jim Collins made the “stop doing” argument in an eloquent essay, which appeared in USA Today:

“A great piece of art is composed not just of what is the final piece, but equally what is not. It is the discipline to discard what does not fit – to cut out what might have already cost days or even years of effort – that distinguishes the truly exceptional artist and marks the ideal piece of work, be it a symphony, a novel, a painting, a company, or most important of all, a life.”

I’m learning that simplicity is a huge part of elegance and in my pursuit of just that I’m making more of an attempt to pair down and make things easier in my life, to be more productive and more importantlyto make room for what’s truly important. What has been a great deal of help is Leo Babauta’s website Zen Habits and The Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life.

This idea of simplicity is also true of Style & Fashion. Less is far more powerful. De-cluttering your wardrobe to only the clothing you absolutely love and feel amazing in or removing one element from an outfit that changes it from great to stunning. This form of subtraction allows you to project confidence, adds an element of interest and intrigue and most importantly we see you before we see your clothes.

What are you going to subtract from your wardrobe or life this week?