Could all the extra "stuff" I've accumulated over the years be weighing on my Spirit? That's the premise of Barry Dennis' new book: "The Chotchky Challenge: Clear the Clutter from your Home, Heart, and Mind ... and Discover the True Treasure of your Soul".
Chotchky is a Yiddish word that Dennis has a difficult time defining in the first pages of his book. "No one really knows," a friend tells Dennis when asked what Chotchky is, "and yet we all know." Eventually Dennis comes up with a working definition: "Something that has no use whatsoever. No intrinsic or even artistic value. Something that simply takes up space. And yet, because it exists, because it is, we justify a place for it in our lives."
Chotchky, as Dennis tells us, is more than just extra material goods. "Everything has the potential to be or become Chotchky: anything that crowds, intrudes, clutters, or in any way distracts from our soul's higher purpose," he says. "An incredible amount of what we actually buy, accept, and allow into our lives is Chotchky already." As we read on Dennis defines different types of Chotchky, such as "e-mailotchky" and "facebookotchky". Do you spend too much time reading email or checking out Facebook? Those habits are Chotchky, too.
Dennis delivers his message in an easy to read conversational style. I found many of his stories to be humorous, like one where he tells of his 10 year old son tossing his iPhone overboard on a cruise while pretending it was a light saber. Dennis mourns the loss of his precious iPhone until his son reminds him, "Dad, maybe I threw your iPhone overboard because you had become too attached to it." Dennis gets us laughing, and then drives home another point about Chotchky in chapter after chapter.
While I felt Dennis' entertaining stories of different types of Chotchky were illuminating, after awhile I started to think "OK, I get it." The book could have been a chapter or two shorter and not lose any of its effectiveness.
This is a minor criticism, though. Sometimes when I read a self help book like "Chotchky" I think "that was really good!" yet one week later I have mostly forgotten the message of the author. Not with the Chotchky challenge. After finishing the book I ventured into my bedroom closet and started sorting out all the excess clothes I had accumulated over the years. Goodwill will be receiving a generous donation.
I feel reading the Chotchky Challenge will cause you to look at the excess baggage you are carrying around, too, as it did for me. "It's all Chotchky - all of it," a friend dying of cancer tells Dennis when reflecting on her life. "With two very important exceptions: the ones you love, and your soul's purpose. Those two things are all that matters," she adds. Words to ponder as I continue to weed out the Chotchky in my life.
This is another book review in my partnership with Hay House. I was not financially compensated for this post. I received the book from Hay House for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
