Does clutter magically appear in your home? Do you wake up wondering where all the stuff came from when you just gave 20 bags to charity?
Let’s look first at what clutter is. Clutter is ANYTHING that we do not use, love, or want. It can include broken items, unfinished projects, duplicates, or borrowed items. It can include the parrot figurine that a wedding guest gave you that you think is hideous. How many outfits do you have in your closets that are too big, or too small? Just as keeping clothes that no longer fit do not honor who we are today, keeping objects that do not fit our lives do not honor ourselves!
So, how do we decide what stays and what must go? Here’s where the self-reflection comes in. Think about how you see yourself today. Imagine where you see yourself in two, five, or ten years from now. Will the objects that you surround yourself with fit in the life of the “YOU of tomorrow?” Once you think about where you would like to be, and what you’d like to accomplish over the next few years, imagine what emotions will accompany those achievements. Do you want a new job that will bring you freedom? Do you want a new relationship that will bring you love? How do you want to feel on a daily basis? Make a list of these emotions, and feel into them, or make them real for you now.
Once you target the emotions you want to bring into your life, take a tour of your home, starting with a single room. Do the objects in this room bring you the emotions you want in your life? Do they make you feel joyful and uplifted, or stressed and deflated? The objects in your life carry energy and represent emotion. They hold your emotions. They can keep you tied to the past and limit your possibilities.
Because our identity is so often wrapped up in our stuff, letting go of the physical can bring fear and uncertainty. Our stuff sometimes makes us feel safe and protected. Do we want to peel back the layers and expose ourselves to the world, or hide behind the false sense of identity and being?
Are you ready to begin your clutter-clearing journey and open your life up to new and exciting opportunities? Before you begin, take a look at your intentions and goals for clutter clearing. How do you want your space to look and feel? What new opportunities would you like to open yourself up to? Once you have a goal or intention, create an affirmation around it. For example, if you desire to feel more love in your life, a possible affirmation could be: I clear my clutter to create more opportunities for love in my life.
Now that you’ve settled on your affirmation, clear a little bit of clutter everyday. Use a timer. Set a goal. Begin to shed the layers of your life that no longer fit, just as a butterfly emerges from its cocoon. Notice how your life begins to change as you shed the physical clutter.
What do you want to bring into your life? What are you going to let go of to make that happen?
