Why You Love Marie Kondo

The new Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo has become a popular entry into modern culture. People are talking about it. The personality of the host and the practices of her principles have caught our attention.

Kylie and I watched just one episode of the show. Not really our thing. But what we did see was just why it is becoming immensely popular, especially among millennials.

Spark Joy

Marie Kondo isn’t just teaching people how to clean. That’s not very exciting. Or motivating. She is connecting our desire to clean and organize with deeper values. And that is the true magic of the show. The real thing people are connecting to.

For those who may not have seen the show, Kondo’s strategy is to have clients hold each thing (article of clothing, book, etc.) and ask themselves “does this spark joy?” If it does, they keep it. If not, they toss it.

We noticed really quickly the magic of what was happening. Marie Kondo, consciously or not, is tapping into the framework of life. We connect with her approach because it is familiar to us and speaks to us at a deep level. It is how life works.

Sparking Joy is Kondo’s mission in life. She isn’t just tidying up. She is tidying up for a reason. For a purpose. For meaning. And she imparts this to her clients and viewers.

Marie-like Vision

This is the power of a concentrated vision. It connects with the deepest part of our souls, the truest manifestation of our values.

We don’t really want to clean. We don’t love to organize. But we love joy. We will organize if it frees us up to enjoy life. If it moves us.

So often, we get bogged down in the monotony of life, and look to complacency to find a cure for itself. We ask ourselves how we can force ourselves to exercise or wake up early or eat healthy. We make it a constant battle by casting it as an enemy.

Vision gets to the why behind what we do and what we want to do. Our society is missing the whys too often. We do things for superficial or unspecified reasons. We don’t know our self, our values, and, therefore, our motivations.

All of those inspired by Marie Kondo are simply being introduced to a very simple manifestation of the structure of life. The power of vision. It has the power to lead us into much more than tidying it. It can transform our character and careers. Our family and relationships. Vision is the driver behind all we are and all we do. If we borrow vision or chase shadowed versions of our deepest values, we will continue to live mundane lives. But if we can awaken the true why, a healthy and accurate vision, all that we do can be transformed by simply adopting a new perspective.