Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast - What are Your Core Values with Ronald L. Banks | Clutterbug Podcast # 183

Episode Date: July 24, 2023

Do you know what your core values are?  In today's podcast, I chat with fellow YouTuber Ronald L. Banks about all things minimalism and how having clear core values can help clarify and declutter your life.  Ronald shares how to identify your core values and get clear on what really matters in your home.   Check out Ronald's YouTube page : https://www.youtube.com/@RonaldLBanks Ronald's Guide "The Clutter to Clarity. A Quick Guide" : https://www.ronaldlbanks.com/   You can find more Clutterbug content here: Website: http://www.clutterbug.me YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clutterbug TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clutterbug_me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clutterbug_me/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clutterbug.Me/   #clutterbug #podcast     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're going to talk to a minimalist and I'm going to dig deep into my own perception of what minimalism means and maybe discover some lies that I've been telling myself and maybe you've been telling yourself too. So welcome back clutterbugs. So excited to interview today, Ronald L. Banks. He is a fellow YouTuber. He has an incredible channel. He's also a speaker, writer, and coach. And of course, he's a minimalist. So welcome. Hi, Ronald. Hi. Welcome. Thank you for having me. This is, you know, I'm excited to have conversations with people who are interested in minimalism, interested in the idea of decluttering their life. And really for me, it's more about gaining clarity in life. It is removing things from your life. So I'm really excited to

have this conversation and thanks for having me. Yeah, thanks for being here. I interview a lot of minimalist, like a lot. I am not a minimalist. I declutter all the time. Like I, I, I, I, I've nailed the decluttering. It no longer stresses me out. I see it as a positive. I enjoy letting things go. But why do I have so much stuff? Like, why am I still decluttering?

So I want to talk about that in a minute. But first, I want to just ask you something, your interpretation. I was talking to my husband today and I was like, I got two interviews today, more minimalist. Here's what I notice. All the minimalist that I've ever interviewed, and it's over- 30, with the exception of one, are very relaxed, very zen, very intentional about the way they speak. Just in all aspects, I feel like that this is something I've definitely noticed.

I wouldn't say perfectionism, but very measured. Yes. With the exception of one. And my husband's like, they have to be because you can't be crazy and impulsive and, you know, flighty and irresponsible and be a minimalist. But I'm wondering if that sort of like Zen personality is it what came first, the chicken or the egg? Do you think that this is like in Aitly or like a personality trait of like the slow intentionalism which leads to minimalism? Or do you think letting go and having less kind of slows you down?

You know, that's a great question. I'm going to say both, and here's why. My story is a little bit different than most people. And if you don't mind, I'll quickly share kind of how I got into the channel myself. For me, I've always been a bit of a introspective sort of person. As a kid, I was very quiet. I'm an introvert. I'm still somewhat of an introvert, although my YouTube channel shows otherwise. But as a kid, my parents suggested that I started journaling. And for me, journal, journaling was the floodgates to everything else. Journaling for me, it was daily entries, it was how I was feeling, it was random thoughts, and then that grew into poetry. So if you listen to some of my videos, you may hear a hint of poetry, a hint of certain metaphors, the way I explain things, that's where that comes from. So I've always been a bit of an introspective person, understanding how I felt having my mindset together, being slow and intentional in that aspect of life.

but my physical world was chaotic, to say the least. And by the time I graduated college in 2015, I was in this position where I was like, okay, I'm mentally clear, my emotions are somewhat together. I'm maturing in life. I'm writing poetry. I'm hosting open mics. I'm performing at open mics.

I self-published two poetry books at the time. So I had that aspect of life together. But I was like, okay, I'm graduated. I'm getting my first, you know, grown. person job, how do I navigate life now? And at the time, like I said, my life was chaotic. And there were a few people that really spearheaded my interest in minimalism. And it had nothing to do with YouTube. I didn't watch any YouTube videos. I didn't stumble across anybody on YouTube. It was people in my personal life that spark that interest. And there was a man that I, who was a

coworker of mine at the first corporate job that I had, and he is the definition of a minimalist. He has the seven t-shirts. His home is empty, you know, quote-unquote empty. His home is even to the point where he uses minimal materials in his home. So his dining table, the light fixtures, the cabinets in his kitchen, everything is the same material. So he's very intentional across the board. And then when I met my wife in 2016, she was very intentional with her space. So she invited me over for dinner one time and I walked in. I was like, wait a minute, you have nothing on your walls. Your living room is clean. What is this? And when I look at my younger brother, who was three years younger than me, he has always been very intentional with his relationships. He is the only person I know who has

the same circle of friends since grade school. So when I took a step back and looked at my own life, okay, I'm writing poetry, I'm journaling, that part's okay. But what can I learn from my brother? What can I learn from my girlfriend? And what can I learn from this guy that I was working with at time. And having those conversations, for me, that's how minimalism fell in my lap. And then I grew curious, and then I started exploring. And still, to be honest, I didn't watch too many YouTube videos. I didn't watch many other YouTubers. I didn't really learn from them. I kind of just spearheaded my own journey, my own failures, my own learnings, and figured out what works for me. So if you had asked me, okay, what does minimalism mean to me?

Minimalism for me is choosing to live with less of what doesn't matter by choosing to want less of what does. So minimalism is living with more of what matters by choosing to want less or what doesn't. There we go. So that for me is more than just your clothes in your closet. That's living with, that's choosing to want less of the toxic relationships.

That's choosing to want less of the mental chaos that we deal with, the insecurities, the, you know, the doubts, the fear-based mindsets that we have. And then that's also choosing to want less of the clothes, you know, the gadgets, the gizmos, all of the extra stuff. And, you know, it's ironic because you see my space here. It's very black and white. It's very neutral. I don't promote this. I don't promote this at all. I promote people to stay true to themselves. The aesthetics of minimalism can become very toxic in my mind. Because if we're chasing this, then you lose the meaning of what minimalism is. You lose the personal journey. You lose the fingerprint of your journey. So this for me is what works for my family. My wife and I, we love the neutral colors. We like the clean look.

Like I said, when I met her, her walls were empty. I grew to like empty walls. That's how we are. But I don't want people to mimic me or try to do what I'm doing. Because if you do that, then you're going to get very, you're going to get flustered. And your journey is going to start to become toxic. And now you're chasing what I'm doing versus what minimalism can be for you. If that makes sense.

Yeah. It totally does. And I think there is like a perception that. So I tell myself, I like stuff. I can never be a minimalist because I have a lot of stuff and I like stuff. And I think that's one of the lies that comes with minimalism, that you can only have seven T-shirts or a number. You can't have, you have to have white walls and nothing anywhere. And that maybe scares some people off.

I'm really, I'm going to be totally just brutally honest here. I am a very impulsive person. So I declutter all the time. I'm nailing it. But if I'm at the store and I see a candle and I sniff the candle, I like, I like cinnamon. Ooh, this smells good. Do you know what? I'm going to bake cinnamon banana bread.

And I run over there. And I'm like, you know what? Maybe I need some new baking pants because mine are looking little. I'm over in the baking pan section. Look at that frying pan. That's amazing. And next thing you know, my cart's filled with useless crap. because my brain isn't intentional.

It isn't. It's very like sea like squirrel, something shiny and what just happened. Right. What just happened. And so I don't want to say it's easier for people who are just naturally, but I think it is. It's easier. It's harder for us who are chaotic souls to begin with to slow down. So let's, if anyone's listening and there can relate to the chaos in my brain, do you have advice?

Because I was watching your videos. I'm like, Ronald is Zen. You are Zen, friend. Spread some Zen on me because you can't have less if you're continually buying more. And if you aren't slowing down and being intentional while at the store or at home while on Amazon, you'll be like me, constantly decluttering, but never getting to the top of the mountain. Yeah.

You know, for me, I always fall back on core values. So whenever I have conversations with others, it's always to re-align with your core values and allow your values to be the filter for your decisions. So for me, it's not about whether or not I'm making an impulsive decision or the wrong decision or if this is a minimalist decision, is this decision in alignment with my core values? Is this going to pull me closer to what I value in life or is it going to pull me away from that? And that answer is very different for everyone. So if you value, as an example, if you value family time, having a family over for the holidays,

cooking on the weekends, Sunday dinner, every Sunday, if that's what you value, then having one pot and three spatulas is not going to work for you. It will work for somebody else, but it's not going to work for you. You value cooking. You value having family over. So your kitchen is going to look very different than mine or someone else's. And that's for every aspect of life. So I always ask people, okay, what are your values? If you don't know what your values are, figure out what your values are.

And allow them to be the filter for your decision making. Don't just say I value creativity and family, but your life doesn't reflect that. That there's a disconnection there. So if you say you value something, then allow your life to reflect that and allow your decisions to be filtered through those values. then you start to think differently when you're in the stores like, okay, I like this cinnamon candle to go along with your example. Well, maybe, yeah, you like a cinnamon candle, but are you a person who loves scents and aromas in your home?

Is that something you value? You want your home to feel, you know, and smell like a certain environment. Well, then you're going to love candles. I don't love candles. That doesn't make you not a minimalist, but that's intentional for you in your life. If you think about it from that perspective and through that lens, I think it changes the way we approach minimalism, the way we think about minimalism. the way we think about the decisions that we make because it becomes more of a like I said a fingerprint.

The journey is your journey and it's not trying to fit within a template that you see on YouTube or on Instagram or on Pinterest. It's your journey. It's your fingerprint. So it's going to be unique to you. Yeah. Okay. I'm hearing you. So it's like catching yourself in that moment and having a conversation, not just a split second impulse and putting it in the cart. Because if I was taking a second to think about the candle, I do love my home smelling. And I think if I would slow down and think about that, I probably wouldn't have ran to the baking section. And right, I would have just, right, I would have stopped myself. So I'm assuming this is a habit that has to be slowly built, the stopping and thinking and that intentionality that comes in.

And I know you coach people and I coach people too. And I always find that there's kind of a why that's deeper than just I like candles. And so when I look at my own life and the things that I buy impulsively and I tend to like over buy, if I really unpack that, it comes to like I buy a lot of home stuff. I pride myself on decorating my home. I have Ronald, I have too many throw pillows. It's gross. It's disgusting. build a fort to house my entire family out of throw pillows. But there was a big part of my life where I didn't

have a home. I was homeless for a number of years. And growing up as a child, that's something my mom really prided herself on was like the home decor. So I think it's part of my identity, which also, I know a lot of other people who over buy or have a hard time letting go can relate to is identity clutter. So I have no problem getting rid of 50 shirts, but a throw pillow I don't even like, I struggle because it's part of that core. It's so much more than just the stuff. And do you see this too when you're coaching people that it goes deeper than the stuff? Absolutely. Absolutely. It's usually one of a handful of things. It's the identity clutter like you mentioned. And for me, that was a big part of it for me. My items were tied to my eyes.

identity is how I identified myself, is how I wanted other people to identify me, ironically. And, you know, to give you a glimpse to my story a little bit more, I had a nickname growing up in high school that carry over to college, and a nickname was Mr. Smooth. And I got that nickname based on how I dressed, how I spoke, how I carried myself. So naturally, I was like, okay, I like, it comes with a bit of popularity. You know, as a kid, you want to be known for something. So I'm like, okay, how can I continue to present myself as Mr. Smooth? And what ended up happening, is I had 60 plus pairs of jeans. Many of them were tagged still on them. I had 100 plus t-shirts. I had shoes that I didn't wear. I bought them just to say I owned them. And then that spilled over into other

aspects of my life. I had gadgets and this and that and things that I weren't using that I didn't need. And in hindsight, you know, to say hindsight is 2020, they didn't align with my values either. But they aligned with who Mr. Smooth was. So for me, the biggest hurdle that I had to overcome was decluttering that identity, letting go of that fantasy self, that person that I was pretending to be that came with so many things and in so many expectations, but it wasn't me. Letting go of that then allowed me just to say, okay, well, now once I'm clear and understand that I'm not Mr. smooth, then who am I? And the way I kind of, you know, stepped into this, this, you know, aha moment is I asked myself a question. I said, if all I had was myself in a mirror,

in front of me, who would I be? And when I tell you that I could not answer that question, that is what really kind of sent me down this rabbit hole. Okay, well, what do I value? Who is Ronald L. Banks? Because at the time, you know, before I transitioned my YouTube channel into what it was now, it was primarily my poetry, and the name of the channel was sincerely smooth.

So everything on social media was under that persona. And then I said, okay, you know what? But first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to change my public perception, perception, the way people see me and get to know me and find me, to my actual name, Ronald El Banks. So that's the part of me decluttering that persona. It's okay, well, if I'm Ronald L. Banks to everyone else, and who is that to me? What do I value? How do I identify myself? And when I got clarity on that, it became so much easier to declutter other aspects of my life. It became so much easier to disconnect from relationships that I had. It became so much easier to then invest in

certain relationships, to invest in certain things that I did find valuable, to invest in the things that I had an interest in. You know, if you live by the rules of, you know, what people think minimalism should be, you should only own one of this or a few of that, then technically my filming gear doesn't make me a minimalist if you live by that definition. But for me, I value creating. I value making content. So, of course, I have cameras.

I have lenses. I have a big light. I have microphones. I have all of these things that from the outside may not look like a minimalist. But to me, it aligns with what I value because I have less of everything else, but more what actually matters. I have to thank today's podcast sponsor, Cozy Earth. It was a few years ago that I really treated myself to some beautiful luxury sheets,

and I'm telling you there's no going back. I am a budget shopper, but I deserve to, at the end of a hard day, slip into a bed that feels like luxury. It feels like a hotel, and you guys, these are affordable beddings. They were named one of Oprah's favorite things. Their best-selling bamboo sheet set. so soft. It's temperature regulating, so you never feel like you're going to overheat. And Cozy Earth has everything from luxury pillows to sheets to blankets and more, and they're

all backed by a lengthy warranty. Right now, my listeners get an exclusive offer for 35% off sitewide when you use the code clutterbug. So go to CozyEarth.com and use that exclusive code clutterbug to get up to 35% off the entire site. Every single item isn't just physically weighing on us, but it's mentally weighing on us too. And there is a freedom that comes from less, but it's hard, especially when it comes to the things that are tied to our identity. I'm thinking of a client I'm working with right now who has all of her baby items and all of her baby clothes and all of the toddler things and she's like but being a mother to little ones was the best part of my life and it feels like letting go of the stuff sometimes feels like just like people who have a lot of books they're like

like I pride myself on being well read and educated and I know I have too many but letting them go feels like it's letting go of that part of me yeah it's tough it is it's very tough and I completely understand that, you know, my wife and I just had our first son nine months ago, and, you know, we're kind of crossing that bridge for the first time, okay, how do we navigate minimalism in our intentional lives and how we, we want to live and blend that with a growing family? And we're finding a balance, you know, it's, it has some bumps in the road, but we're figuring it out for us because we're trying to define that for us rather than fitting in the template of what others may think minimalism as a family should look like. So for us, it's really about separating ourselves from,

you know, the noise on social media, ironically, because, you know, I create noise on social media. Yeah. But it's separating from that and really figuring out, okay, what does this journey look like for us and the values that we have as a family? Again, it falls back on this core values. My individual core values and our family's core values. How do we fit minimalism, intentionality, into what we value and how we want our lives to look as a family? You know, and it, it, It's tough. Like you said, it's very tough. I love that. I do love that. So I wonder if, like, we can, even if we're not minimalist, and I'm not a minimalist, what if we start identifying as a minimalist even when we're not?

Like, what if we start asking ourselves, like, what would a minimalist do? How would a minimalist live? How, right? Not that we want to aspire to this, like, aesthetic, but the intention. intentionality that comes with it because that's what I'm really craving that's what I really want I want to slow my brain I want to be more thoughtful at the store at home when I'm with my kids when I'm with my friends I want to slow the chaos that's in my brain and I think that takes practice and it takes mindfulness and it takes from constantly reminding myself to do these things so if someone's listening and they're like listen I I have rooms that are stacked to the ceiling and my basement's crazy. And what do you think are some small baby micro habits that might help someone? Because I know I note and you know, when it shifts up here, we'll see a shift everywhere.

Is there something we can do? I know I'm putting, I'm just like, you're like, I'm not a therapist, lady. Stop with the big questions. No, no, no, no, no. They're great questions. And again, the way I'm going to answer this starting off is, again, follow. back on your values. I've found that a lot of people do not understand or do not know what their core values are. And for me, it's getting extremely clear on what you value, not what you want

other people to think you value, not what you think other people think you should value. It's what do you value? Because when we're extremely clear, for example, my core values are integrity, faith, family, and creativity. I know that. So every decision I'm making life is filter through those core values, integrity, faith, family, and creativity. If it's pulling me away from those things, I don't want any part of it. There's some, you know, there's going to be some exceptions to that, but I don't want anything to do with it. But if it's going to pull me closer to that, if it's going to help me live out my core values, be in alignment with my core values at all times, then that's something that's going to help me be and build an intentional life

for me. So if you don't know what your values are, I think it's getting very, very clear on that, and then making sure you're living in alignment with that, your actions aren't in alignment with that, and then filtering your decisions through that. But then when you talk about small habits, it's the implementing side of the core values. I think that's where the habits begin. It's saying, okay, if you're in the story, if you're looking at your clutter saying, okay, well, if this is my basement and my basement is stacked high with boxes, as an example, and when I look at my basement, a great question you can ask yourself is, how do I want my basement to function in my life? Do you want your basement?

basement to be the storage area, great, let it be storage. But if you want your basement to be that place for your kids to run around and not being, you know, something's going to fall on them, or if you want that to be the place where family can come over and hang out, if you like hosting the Super Bowl party and you want your basement to be that space with the Super Bowl party, now you have an understanding of how you want your space to function. Then say, okay, well, that means that I value X. I value my kids having a place to play. I value having a place to have family come over. Now, how can I make this place? fit those values. How can I have this environment aligned with the values that I have and what I want to present in my life?

Now you have a better gauge of how to attack that clutter, rather than looking at all of the boxes and saying, okay, I'm overwhelmed. What do I start? Oh, my God, you know, these are my kids' clothes. That's overwhelming me. What's okay? Well, it's okay about the clothes, but we're talking about the space right now. How do you want that space to function? Now we can attack each box. Okay, the clothes don't belong in that space. The clothes belong in the closet. So get them out of that space. We'll declutter the closet later. We're talking about this one space. Get that space to function how you want it to function. Then we can move on to another space.

This is good, Ronald. You know what? When you're talking about core values, I'm again thinking of all these clients that I have, people who are like, I love crafting. I'm a crafter, but they don't have a dedicated craft space. They haven't gifted themselves that because they're so worried about all the other things. And when you say this, what are your core values? My first thought is, of course, I know what my core values are.

And then when I took a second to think, I have no idea what those core values are. I have never been intentional to think about what's most important to me, nor have I written them down. And I think that act of actually thinking and writing them down is important. Man, this is about self-awareness. Look at you. So true. Because for me, I think my core value is that the first thing is like I want to help others. I want to be good. I want to do good. But I also value my home. And I want it to be cozy. And I want it to smell good. And I want it to feel like a nest for me and my family. And I'm going to give more thought to this. But I hope you listening or watching if you're watching this, grab a piece of paper right now and think about. your core values. And everybody says family and friends, but what is yours? What really, yeah, who are you? And what is important to you? And I'll add to that cast, if you value family, you know, that's a very common core value for a lot of people, then a secondary question is, okay, well, how am I

living in alignment with that value every single day? It's one thing to say that you value something, but if your actions don't follow that, then do you really value it? It doesn't mean it's not a value, but are you prioritizing that value in your life? And if you're not, then that's what the pivot needs to happen. How can I start prioritizing my values? Not what value, not the values that others think I should have, not the values that I think I should have so that way I fit in with others. It's what do I value? Because when you're clear on that, then the decisions, the navigation, you know, getting over the hurdle of feeling overwhelmed when you look at your clutter, that starts to become easier. It's not easy, but it becomes easier when you can filter everything

through those values. How do I want this space to function in alignment with my values? That makes a decision so much more easier than how do I get this space to look like Ronald on YouTube? His space is all white. How do I make my space look all white? You're never going to get there. But this is what we, we have a big TV because we value watching movies as a family. We sit here every night. We watch movies. Now, other people may say, oh, you're a minimalist. You shouldn't have a TV. Why do you have a TV? My family values watching movies. That's why we have a TV. That's where my decision comes from. So if you make your decisions through your values, it becomes so much and more easier, so much more easier. Oh, this is so good.

I mean, so good. And I know there's people listening who are overthinkers and they're like, how many core values should I have? What if I have 50 core values? So let's really talk to the people because I'm even thinking, I'm like, immediately my brain goes, I really value board game time. I have a lot of board games. I love playing board games. Do you know what? It's been six months since I've played a board game with my family. Why? Why? Why am I not making that a priority? Why do I not have a designated space for this? Why is this not? Why are they not on display? Like, why am I not is my home and my time not reflecting something that genuinely is incredibly important to me? Absolutely. Absolutely. So when you talk about, you know, if someone's listening and I wonder how many,

values, my go-to is three to five. And that doesn't mean you don't value more than that. You know, I have other values outside of integrity, faith, family, and creativity. I have more values than that. But those are the core pillars in my life if we were looking at it from a different perspective. And then within those pillars, obviously there's other things. Okay, I value family. So what does that mean? I like traveling with my family. We took my son hiking out in Colorado at the end of May. I value, you know, going to farmers markets with my family. I value watching movies with my family, hence why I made the decision to have a bigger TV. So there's other things that I value, but those core values is where everything else falls under. You think about umbrellas, you know,

in business class or in marketing, you know, your umbrella, those core pillars in your life, and then everything else kind of falls underneath that. So what are those three to five things that you absolutely value beyond anything else? That doesn't mean other things aren't important, but beyond anything else, what are those three to five? And then from there, you can start to build and create your life rather than strip your life of, your life. Oh man, this is so good. I literally want to hang up with you right now and go find my three to five core values. Like I do a ton of I'm such a junkie when it comes to self-help and improving and just absorbing. And this feels like a huge hole that I've missed. Something that I

should have been focusing on from day one is really identifying this and not and I thought I knew, but I don't. I haven't actually taken the time to be mindful, to slow my brain, to grab a piece of paper, to write them down, to put them somewhere, we'll all be reminded so that this is next time I'm at the store or next, you know, I'm reminding myself of what really matters so I can be more intentional. I think you've found it, Ronald. When we talk about that secret of how do you be a more intentional person,

And how do you slow your brain? How do you train yourself to create a habit of being mindful? I think you've nailed it with the core value. So thank you. No, absolutely. Absolutely. And like I said, I want people to really grasp the idea that minimalism is not a template that you should be fitting in. It's not black and white.

It's not the blank walls. It's not the black t-shirt. It's not any of those things. You know, and I say that because I'm sitting here ironically in the black t-shirt with the black and white home. but that's not the point. And I think that's the creativity in my message because I look a certain way, but my message isn't. I want you to hear what I'm saying, not look at what I'm presenting. Because if you only look at what I'm presenting, then you start to feel that minimalism is a template.

You start to feel that you have to look like this. You have to dress like that, that advertisements are toxic and negative and that shopping is something you shouldn't do. I disagree. I think it's our relationship with those things. So again, it goes back to your values. If you value your style, if you express yourself through your style, then your relationship with shopping for clothes is going to be very different than mine. Very different than someone who doesn't. But that doesn't mean you should have an excessive amount of clothes.

It just means that your perception and the way you approach shopping, the advertisements you see on social media. You're going to approach that very differently than someone who doesn't care about how they dress, the brand of their t-shirt. And that spills over to everything else, the brand of your couch, the way your home looks. It's not the template. it's the values, how you want that home, your space to function. What role do you want your wardrobe to play in your life? I want to have less mental and decision fatigue. I'm an overthinker. I'm a certified overthinker. I've given myself that title. And if I have too many decisions to make getting dressed, then that's going to throw me off the entire day. So I'm simple. Black t-shirt, great t-shirt,

throwing a pair of jeans, and that makes things easier for me. Not because I see other minimalists doing the same thing, I want to have less decision fatigue. I don't want to be standing in my closet for hours because I did that all through high school. I did that all through college. It would take me three, four hours a night before to figure out what I wanted to wear and have the time. Especially when your identity was tied to like smooth and what you look like and how you presented. Yeah, exhausting. That would be exhausting. And it wasn't even one of your core values. Not at all. Not at all. Yeah. Oh, God. This is so good. I see what you mean now about clarity. Really, that's the step one is getting really clear in your life about what's important

because when everything's important, nothing's important. It's all just clutter. Absolutely. Okay, Ronald, this is so good. Please let my listeners know how they can learn more from you, where they can go, how they can follow you, and what you have to offer them. Yeah. So you can find me everywhere at Ronald L. Banks. That's my at name on Instagram, Twitter. I'm on Pinterest, but I'm not really posting there, but if you want to follow me on Pinterest, cool. And then Ronald L. Banks on YouTube as well. And then I know Instagram just came out with threads. So you can find me on threads as well. If you want to have more relaxed conversations, more personal conversations, we can do that over on threads. In terms of projects, my core project

right now is my declutter starter kits. This is essentially a starter kit that I put together to help someone bridge the gap between clutter and clarity, but it really fits within, uh, between phases two and three, let me back up. I believe that there are five phases to minimalism. And my declutter starter kit fits between phase three, two and three. And really quick, the five phases is clarity, declutter, build systems, work focused, and then wealth building. And the wealth building part has way more to do with finances. It's not just the finances. It's wealth in life. So, but my declutter starter kit fits between phases. two and three, the declutter and the system building between those two phases.

So that's what my declutter starter kit fits. And then if you want some more personal help for me, I am doing a series on my YouTube channel called Conquer My Clutter. If you go to RhinoLBanks.com slash Conquer My Clutter. There's a form on there that you can fill out, submit a photo or video of one space in your home, and I will give you some advice through a YouTube video to help you declutter your home. I have a few case studies on my YouTube channel already.

A quick example is a. a lady named by the name of Pamela. She had tons of books. She was the avid reader, and I gave her some advice. And then we came back and did a kind of a celebration episode where we showed the progress that she made, and she blew my mind with how many books she got rid of. So if you're interested in that, all for it. But I do understand.

I'm going to check that out right now. I love that. I love transformations. Absolutely. But if you don't want to show your space on YouTube, I get it. You know, you're putting your home out in the public. understand that. We can go ahead and shoot an email. We can set up a coaching call for that as well. I love that. Thank you. And you know what? You listening or watching right now, you can start with

phase one, which is clarity, grab a piece of paper, write down all, just brain dump. All the things you think are core values and circle those three to five that really, really matter. That was brilliant advice. I'm going to do that right now. Thank you so much. And thank you everyone listening. I'll see you guys next time.