Have you had the intention to start the New Year on a lighter, clearer note?
For me there is nothing quite like getting stuck into a particular shelf, cupboard or box that needs sorting and decluttering. The word has become a bit of trend these days and many are making a business out of clearing out other people’s stuff for them. Do you fall into the ‘one day I’ll get round to it excuse?
I myself have dabbled in this arena for many years – you would be surprised how much resistance comes up to throwing away empty unused toothpaste boxes! Crazy right? At the end of the day, it actually comes down to a complex blend of psychological traits, traumas, conditioning and experiences.
It stands to reason then that if we hold onto our possessions so dearly – whether useful or not – how we would also cling to our thoughts and belief systems, outdated as they may be. I find it easier to discard an item of clothing than the thoughts that purchased the item in the first place.
So, this is how it goes – we keep clothes that don’t fit us, in the hopes that we will lose the 5 kilos, we keep the broken table because we just need to find the time to fix it, we keep the box of tools and craft stuff for one day when we need it or have the time to take up the hobby again.
What about the book shelf full of books we will read when we have time, when we are on the beach, before we go to sleep at night? We are somehow programmed to collect, keep and possess whatever we find, this includes people too. We think our partners, children, friends, are somehow ‘ours’ to keep, control and secure.
We live our lives with the ‘one day I’ll’ mentality trap which we seem to be conditioned with from the day we are born. We will reply to the message later, make the appointment tomorrow, start the diet on Monday and deal with the demons eventually.
The families and circumstances we are born into often demonstrate this affliction in various ways. Our mother is going to ‘one day go back to work’, our father is going to ‘one day clean out the basement’, our sister is going to ‘one day lose weight’, we are going to ‘one day write that book’. We hold on to what we have, because one day is just around the corner and we live with the limitations we set for ourselves within the boundaries of our belief systems.
The trap of the ‘one day I’ll’ mentality says we have time, we have tomorrow, we have a future. However, if we get really honest with ourselves, we know that it is a false sense of security and tomorrow is never guaranteed. Full stop, true story for every human being.
As I mentioned it is easier to look at our environment and start there, though without an internal shift it will only be a temporary result at best. Decluttering our homes, environments and minds is a really effective way to start living for TODAY – not some obscure day in an unguaranteed future.
Pick a drawer, a shelf, a purse and look what is necessary for you to keep or collect – does it have a purpose and a use? See the reasons and excuses your good old ego can come up with as to why you can’t possibly throw something out or recycle and donate it. If you decide to keep it, see if you still haven’t used it within 6 months and have the inner dialogue again.
Notice how fixated we become on the myth that we have a future and it is going to be better than the present? Can you also start to see that if you have a cupboard full of stuff how could you have any room for all the wonderful new things that the Universe wants to bring your way, but there is no space in your home, so it hops over to the next home where there is space, room and openness to receive.
Examine some of the old beliefs systems that are taking up space in an already cluttered busy mind. It is not possible to feel clarity and lightness when our minds are so fully loaded with information, outdated beliefs, thoughts, baggage and demons that have been waiting patiently for some attention.
The beauty about new year’s, new beginnings and new days are that they ALWAYS come around again and again. Living lightly and without physical and mental clutter is a process. Yes, we can throw out all the junk, but if we go right back to the shops and buy new junk then we really haven’t gotten the point at all!
Yes, we need stuff, we need our beliefs and thoughts to guide our lives, but if we are still believing that one day it will suddenly get better with no effort on our part, then the trap is surely set and be ready as it painfully snaps shut again and again on your life.
Take my word on this, take a little time to clear out something from your life today. Or open the book you bought 2 years ago, or take that dress out the cupboard and feel the satisfaction of gifting it to somebody who will wear it.
Get clear about why you want things and what purpose they will serve in your life. Get clear that you only have TODAY to do the things that need doing, that need sorting and saying.
Make TODAY your one day, and start to see the results of living lightly every day.
