I’m getting ready to head off for 3 months – to connect with nature and loved ones, to focus on serving my coaching clients, and to write a book.
Lately, I’ve been doing some spring cleaning: going through pretty much everything I own, and asking myself 2 questions:
- Does this (having this, looking at this, wearing this, using this) bring me joy?
- Have I used this in the past 12 months?
If the answer to both questions is “no”, then I have given it away or sold it. I haven’t given in to the thoughts of “Well, someday I might want this.” or “But that was really expensive when I bought it.” or even “My parents loved that, how can I possibly give it away?” (my father passed away nearly 7 years ago, and my mom is now living in a 24/7 care facility).
It has been a freeing experience. I feel lighter. As the clutter has diminished, I have gained a sense of greater inner calm. When I look around my home or in my closets, I feel more relaxed than I did before. I’m not a packrat my anybody’s standards. Never have been. And yet there’s something about letting go of things that I no longer need or love, things that are no longer serving me, that is incredibly freeing.
As you look around your home and through your life, do you see things you no longer use or want or love or need? Clothes, books, knick knacks, things gathering dust in your garage?
What if the physical stuff is simply outward manifestation of your inner world?
What if what happens externally is just a symbol, a signal, a signpost for what is going on internally?
Are there things that you are holding on to that no longer serve you?
Are there things you can do to clear your clutter too?
