Marie Kondo enters the room and everyone applauds enthusiastically and turns toward her. The KonMari seminar is held in the design hotel Bloomsbury in central London. Marie slowly walks to the stage and prepares to begin her opening speech for the upcoming consultants. She is wearing a short dress covered in sequins, so her main motto, “Spark joy,” is embodied not only in her presence but also outwardly.
She definitely doesn’t have celebrity manners — she smiles very sincerely and greets everyone with respect, her hands joined in front of her heart. She briefly looks into the eyes of the people she passes. She says “Good morning” with a Japanese accent, and everything else continues in Japanese. Kondo truly shines on stage — her blissful, radiant aura of a content being who genuinely enjoys life fills the room. Many of the seminar participants are immediately moved by her presence.
Opening the seminar with a ritual
Marie begins the KonMari seminar with a ritual. She asks us if she may greet the lecture hall with us and ask it to support us in our new mission. She offers us the option to join her without kneeling — simply to connect through the heart and support our intention. My eyes had been dry until then, but the moment I kneel, tears start flowing. I am moved. I feel with my whole heart that I am in the right place and that a new direction in my life is beginning. That coming to London wasn’t a crazy idea. And as I write these lines on the plane back home, I’m again deeply moved — because if it weren’t for the encouragement of my wonderful husband, I wouldn’t have taken this opportunity. For simple reasons — it all seemed too expensive.
The most important thing is to have an open heart and spread joy
Marie Kondo talks about how the most important quality of a good consultant is to have an open heart and spread joy. And in that moment, I again feel certain that I am in the right place. Kondo shares part of her journey that I had never heard before. What struck me most was that tidying had once become an absolute obsession for her. She couldn’t figure out how to feel satisfied in her home. She kept tidying obsessively — it didn’t bring her joy, it exhausted her. She focused negatively on things — what to throw away, what to get rid of — and she stopped liking her belongings altogether. It went so far that Marie Kondo fainted while tidying and lost consciousness for two whole hours. When she woke up and looked around, she felt that some objects were glowing. In that moment came a strong realization: focus on what brings you joy, respect your things. From that moment on, she completely changed her approach — and suddenly it began to work.
I personally perceive Marie Kondo as a kind of non-material guru who speaks the language of things — a language that, in today’s era of overwhelm and materialism, is very understandable and relatable to people around the world. Through the things that bring us joy, we learn to increase joy in our lives. Through respect for our belongings, we learn to respect ourselves more, to respect our individuality and the individuality of others. Thanks to a well-organized home, greater simplicity and clarity enter our lives, allowing us to focus on what truly matters.
