I have a confession to make; you know they say confession is good for the soul. Well, here goes: I’m a born pack-rat, coming from a long line of pack-rats. If you don’t know what a pack-rat is, it’s a furry mammal that lives in the dessert and makes its nest with twigs and all manner of rubbish so that it appears these creatures are living in a small dump. It’s easy for me to buy stuff (esp. books) and very hard to part with things. I have a friend who is a minimalist, so you can see a potential source of conflict right there. I am not always grateful to her efforts to keep my collections in check either!
For the last several months I have decided to downsize (with a little encouragement from her LOL). I have given away over 75% of my stuff. This has been a big goal for me and it is sufficiently motivating me to do more clearing out. I have not only cleared my physical space, but I have been cleaning up my finances, my emotions, my relationships, and every area of my life.
Many people take this time of year to spring clean their homes. What about our lives? From negative emotions and moods to procrastination and personal tasks not completed, make time to insert a little positive energy into your life. You’ll enjoy the person you can be. I know I am enjoying the person I’m becoming as a result of cleaning up my life.
Why not try spring cleaning your life? Our minds are much like our homes; as a matter of fact your environment is a reflection of your mind. They both get cluttered with old ideas, old attitudes, old conversations and old hurts. They need a routine cleaning out of stuff we collected for one reason and are holding onto out of habit, neglect or just sheer willfulness.
Pursuing a simple, sustainable, flexible lifestyle means that you have to choose it. It means choosing to lose some other things. It means getting rid of things that no longer work for you, it means updating the way you do things, it means freeing up some space within & without for new and exciting opportunities and challenges (even through the grief and tears as I did many nights).
Like cleaning your home – a mental spring cleaning takes a dedicated effort. A conscious choice to make changes in your mind the same way you make changes in your decor. This process is ongoing – I am still cleaning out, even after 75% downsizing. I am becoming more and more energized and most importantly I am seeing opportunities and possibilities before me that I once couldn’t see. Could it be possible that I was truly sabotaging myself under all the collections? Was I really standing in my own way, my own success?
I implore you to take the necessary steps in cleaning up your life and your space. It is imperative if you are to move your life forward into your vision/ purpose. Be gently with yourself and take baby steps if needs be but start right where you are TODAY.
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