One of the best ways I know of to allow in all the good things we have coming to us is simple!
Make room for it!
Do you hear a lot about decluttering these days? It seems like it is a new cool thing to do. Personally , I find Marie Kondo annoying as f*&k.
And, I LIKE MY STUFF! I worked hard to get it. I am a collector of book, swords, memorabilia, antique theatrical props and costume, etc.
So, no. Decluttering wasn’t on my radar.
A few years ago ( what a decade this has been, ouch, Yikes) I went through a very painful break through. I fell apart, was humiliated and very lost & alone. I had to rebuild. The GOOD thing about the humiliation was the humility I gained. I became very teachable.
A principal I learned was the letting go of what is not serving me any more to clear out that past.
I didn’t realize it, but I was holding on to old pain.
And THAT, my dear friend, was blocking the NEW to come in. I wasn’t letting go of what was, I couldn’t close that door. You remember the adage , ‘When you close a door, a new one opens”.
That new door couldn’t open if I was holding it shut by clinging to old ways, old hopes and dreams, old outlooks….
Hummmm.
How do you see what you are holding onto? How do you know what isn’t serving you? I suggest you try this simple exercise.
Letting Go, 10 easy steps
It can be a challenge to let go of the old stuff. Let’s break it into easy little steps to build momentum and confidence.
1) Choose one small space to clear out. A shelf, drawer or counter. Keep it small.
2) Put on some great music. I love Epic Film Scores. Makes me feel all BADASS!
3) Take everything off the shelf, counter or out of the drawer. Put all the stuff in one spot you can easily look through like a tray or box or cleared area with a towel on it.
Now comes the fun part!
4) Clean the shelf, counter or drawer. Make it shine and smell nice. Whatever that means to you. Take your time to do this right! You might get some good drawer liner paper, for example.
5) be as objective as possible and find the necessary items that go back on the shelf or drawer. For example, a counter might need it’s coffeemaker. A drawer, those new undies. A shelf, your Harry Potter series.
6) Now add the things you absolutely love. The no-brainers. If you have to think about it at all, keep it aside for now.
7) Just to keep up momentum I like to throw out all the broken things now. The things I thought I’d fix or I’d find the mate to. I let these go. Let’s get real.
8) Next to go- What you can donate. These things should be good enough to give to a friend (even if it’s going to the homeless. They have dignity too.) Put these things into a donation bag.
9) What’s left? Items that are useful. Things you have used or worn this past year. Of these you can subdivide into “Needs Replacing” and “Keep Using”. It’s best if you toss out or donate the Needs Replacing stuff now. Make a list now of what needs replacing. You’ll be shopping for these at the sales this next month. YAY!
10) Whatever is still on that towel or in that box is not for you any more. Notice how you feel about it. You don’t love it, it’s not that useful so why are you holding on to it?
A few helpful tips:
* Sometimes we are holding onto things because it MIGHT be useful someday. That is true, it might. But how long have you been holding onto it? If you donate it, would it be useful to someone NOW? Isn’t it better that you make room for awesome to come into your life?
* I have a box of my son’s baby stuff. I take pictures of some things I want to remember and give them away.
* I found I was holding onto some of my clothes simply because they were nice, maybe even expensive. But I wasn’t wearing them because the dress reminded me of an ex, or they were work clothes, part of a life I wanted to leave behind. I needed a better life and a new love. Time for those clothes to go. I consigned the expensive things and made a few bucks. The rest I donated to a women’s shelter.
* Does anything have a negative feeling to it? Let it go.
Congratulations! You made room for a New You!
Keep going. Make time every week to do a different area. You don’t have to do a whole room. Just one spot! I have been doing this for a few years now and I find things come out in layers. And I’m getting better and better at it! I now have a new business and a great love, Glenn, my soulmate.
Make the room.
Happy New You!
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