Live More, With Less

You know that sweater you bought a year ago that you never wore, still has the tag on it and sits in your closet judging you every time you look it? "Why did you spend so much on me?"
Why don't you ever wear me?" Judgy bitch. 

Or all of those DVD's and CD's you have accumulated over the years that are spilling out of your entertainment center?

Or the trunk of your car that is constantly filled with useless shit that you don't want to look at?

Yep. We all suffer from this. It's called CLUTTER.

The thing about clutter is that not only does it take up physical space in your life but it actually takes up emotional and mental space in your brain.

Every time you open your closet and stare at that sweater/dress/scarf/hat that you bought and have never worn, it sucks a little bit of energy out of you. You feel guilty for having bought it and never worn it. You think that you should wear it but don't really want to. You feel wasteful if you take it to Goodwill never having worn it.

That is A LOT of energy and head space being take up by just one sweater! 

Let's not even talk about the trunk of your car...

So here is my challenge for you today...pick ONE area of your life and DECLUTTER it. Throw old stuff away, donate a box to charity, get rid of old sentimental crap that you never look at anymore.

I can already hear the excuses..."But my Dad bought me that hideous picture frame that I never use!"
Get. Rid. of. It.

It is hard to do at first but then it gets easier. Trust me, once it's gone, you won't think of it again and the guilt will be gone. It will clear up your life physically and emotionally. Start the new year with less stuff and more clarity.

Here are some suggestions to help you get started...

:: Closets :: 

- Throw out any clothes that you haven't worn in 6 months (even the ones that still have tags on them)

- Get rid of any shoes that you haven't worn in the last 6 months or any that make you feel gross

- Throw out old undies, socks with out matching pairs and old stretched out bras

:: Car :: 

- Clean out your trunk!

- Throw away any trash, old wrappers, soda cans, etc.

- Clean out your glove box. Get rid of those 10,000 Starbucks napkins you have stuffed in there.

- Get a car wash

:: Computer ::

- Clean out your email inbox

- Unsubscribe from emails you no longer want to get

- Organize your desktop in to folders

- Clean your keyboard. Gross. 

:: Kitchen ::

- Throw away old food in the pantry

- Clean out your junk drawer

- Organize your cabinet under the sink...I know, scary.

:: Personal :: 

- Donate or sell old jewelry

- Throw away those old love letters. Just do it.

- Get rid of that box under your bed that holds your graduation tassel and old notes from high school

- Donate books you have already read

- Donate old CD's & DVD's you will never listen to or watch again

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start small. Focus on one area at a time. Be brutal. If you haven't looked at in 6 months, it goes. Get out two bags, one for trash and one for donations.

The funny thing is that if you start doing this, I will bet money that other things will start to declutter themselves as well. That relationship or friendship that isn't going well will figure itself out. Work will get less complicated. Things that you really want or need will start appearing in your life as you get rid of the old stuff.

Trust me on this one...it feels GOOD.

Live Beautifully,

The Space In Between

Liminal Space.

Defined as the place of transition or not knowing. Derived from the Latin word limens, literally meaning "threshold."

Richard Rohr writes that "it is when you have left the tried and true, but have not yet been able to replace it with anything else. It is when you are between your old comfort zone and any possible new answer."

We have all been there. When you're unemployed, just coming out of a breakup, have moved to a new place, etc. You have that feeling of being unsure and you find yourself asking, "What's next?"

I am there now, in this space of not knowing. Asking my self what I am supposed to do next.

But what I have come to realize is that there is no one clear answer. There is no particular destination that I am going to reach and then have all of the answers. Not knowing is part of the journey. And it can be a pretty great thing if you learn to just live in that space of unknowing. It can be very liberating to just let yourself be content with not having all of the answers.

I think the first step is to embrace each day as a new opportunity...a new beginning.

There is something magical about beginnings, don't you think?

As hard or as sad as it may be to have to leave that last chapter of your life behind, looking forward to a new beginning can be exciting...and it can be anything you want it to be.

Live Beautifully,