De-cluttering and Embracing Change

Yesterday a friend came over and helped me ‘de-clutter’ my wardrobe and some paperwork.  I must reveal I am definitely a clothes lover, so the wardrobe de-clutter took almost three times longer.

I am someone who generally embraces change fairly well. Someone even once said to me that they thought I am addicted to change. So I thought I was an expert at it. I enjoy change and can’t stand things staying the same, BUT shockingly today as I stare at the bags of unneeded excess clothes waiting to go to bless some less fortunate people, I find myself feeling slightly displaced and uncomfortable.  So I guess, all of us struggle with change at varying levels and we all have our own personal areas that are difficult. What are your difficult areas? De-cluttering? Changing job? Moving house? Why do we all struggle with change? What is it that makes us cling onto the familiar, even when logically we know it’s a good thing to change and move on?

Is change really a good thing? What’s wrong with clutter anyway!

I remember hearing about this therapy for single people wanting to find a partner. It suggested clearing your life up and literally making room for a new relationship. So that would mean not filling your diary chockablock full and de-cluttering your life of things that you would have to if you was in a relationship. Apparently it works.

I’ve watched as many clients have gone through a process of making decisions about things they must stop doing in order to start doing what they really want.  This takes a while, deciding on what you are willing to give up making room for something new. In fact to get myself and other people unstuck I often ask, what do you need to say ‘no’ to in order to say ‘yes’ to…..whatever it is you want?

So is de-cluttering a necessary step to help us move forward and get unstuck? For sure it is, because, without getting rid of some of the old there is literally no space for the new. So maybe you can’t actually live your dreams without de-cluttering! As the saying goes, ‘out with the old, in with the new!’

So as I look at my de-cluttered bags, I am taking a moment to ponder what I am letting go of.  It’s good to be aware of what you are letting go of. It’s a necessary step, counting the cost of following your dreams.

I have let go of clothes that I used to wear all the time in the office. My new life and my new image are different. Yours will be too. Morphing you into the person you were fully designed to be, living out your fullest potential, will require changes both on the inside and the outside. Visualizing the person you want to be, what you will wear, where you will go, who you will help, what your new lifestyle will be, helps you to start moving towards it. It will also help you let go of the old once you can visualize the new.

Is it possible that clutter plays a part in keeping us stuck? Clutter in our wardrobe, clutter in our schedule, clutter in our relationships. A friend today told me how she boldly, confronted someone and told them she found them aggressive. It totally shifted the person’s perspective and changed their behavior. By letting things be, things that are not good and wholesome and bring us life, are we holding ourselves back?

This is not actually my wardrobe! But I have to say mine is looking pretty organised now – thank you Karyn the de-clutter queen!

 

So why not join me in transitioning into new things and de-clutter something in your life.

Maybe your wardrobe, maybe things that need confronting in a relationship that have been bugging you for a while or  maybe clearing your schedule out a little to allow some space for new things and new growth.

Try it out and let me know what happens!