The thing about a hurricane is that it makes you think about the things that are most important.

If you’re forced to evacuate, you need to consider what to put in your car. Photos? Your Computer? What is irreplaceable in your life?

When you return to your home in the event of a natural disaster there may be another kind of assessment. You’re forced to look at the things you left behind. They may be gone or broken. In the event that they aren’t, you might wonder “what about the next time?”

For me, as my resolve to move has strengthened, I’ve decided to reassess what is important. As a lifelong collector, I have a lot of things. Around 200 comic book hard and soft covers (people inaccurately call them graphic novels). Statues, art books, novels, posters, Disney Infinity figures, Pop Vinyls and a couple of Transformers.

With the exception of most of the books, these are distractions. Empty pleasures to fill up shelf space and fill in the gaps of a life.

I’’ve decided it’s time to declutter my life.

Make no mistake, I love all those things. I’ve loved art my whole life— it is what drives me to be a photographer. But great men don’t stand around collecting figurines their entire life. If I want more for myself, I need to get rid of the things that won’t get me where I want to be.

And frankly, simplifying your world is good for the soul. You would be surprised how much material possessions weigh you down. Attachments make your life heavier. You don’t even notice until you lose those things, either by force (like a hurricane) or by choice.

I didn’t want to sell my comic book collection 5 years ago. I had been collecting them since I was 12 years old. 30 years worth of comic books. The cost of those books- no lie- could have bought me a nice car in today’s market. I did not want to sell them for a price so low that I won’t even repeat it here. And yet when I was forced to due to circumstances… it didn’t really matter. They were just old books. I loved them, but I never really read them. They just sat in their boxes.

It isn’t just about possessions though. Think really hard for a second. How many drawers do you have filled with random things? A broken door knob you never threw away. A bunch of dead batteries. Keys that fill locks that you no longer remember. And what about paper? How many boxes do you have of old files or unanswered bills from 2011… or even just junkmail that you meant to throw away?

It is all weighing you down.

Cleanse your life.

Get rid of distractions.

Get to work.