Are you living with disorganization? Do you have piles of things everywhere, just waiting for your attention? Are you settling for the status quo? What is the status quo? It means, the current state of affairs. When we settle for the status quo, or settle for our current state, it means to settle for things the way they are without making adjustments or improvements. The status quo stifles our creativity.
Marie Kondo’s show, Tidying Up, on Netflix has been a cultural phenomenon. Buy what is it about getting rid of our “junk” and getting organized that facilitates creativity?
When creativity is stifled, change cannot happen. When our stuff piles up, we spend all of our time going round and round in circles as to how we can protect that which is. In other words, we get stuck. If we don’t make room by getting rid of some of those useless items then we cannot move forward with new ways of doing things. Our growth dies. We become shallow, confused, and the clutter is not just what we see around us but it also becomes a part of our soul.
How do we let go and say goodbye to those things that no longer serve us? Why are we afraid of grieving over an extra pair of pants or umbrella or a decorative dish? Why do we allow those meaningless treasures to hold power over us? What is the purpose of collecting numerous items of the same description?
When I was a little girl my mother used to say, “you keep what you remember.” Let’s stop holding on to items we find sentimental and make room for what feels fresh and new. Let’s stop collecting stuff and start throwing away and discarding things that no longer serve us!
When our possessions own us instead of us owning them, then we suffocate emotionally and mentally. We become bound to those things we have collected. When our possessions end up in a heap, we don’t have any idea of what we actually own. We have no idea what we can use from that heap, because we really do not know what is at the bottom of the pile. When we only have things in our possession that bring us joy our lives are open to new ideas and adventures that bring more joy and feelings of well being. When we own things that bring us joy, we want to take pride in those things.
Several years ago, I was stuck at home, during back to back weekend ice storms. It is dangerous to drive in ice, so I do not get out. I was home by myself and 4 dogs. I had outgrown my closet and my “things” had begun to pile up, when I received an email from Ebay saying I could upload as many items as I wanted for the next 3 days for free. Well I set about to pair down my closet. I went through clothes, jewelry and handbags. At the end of a month, do you know how much money I made selling my unused items on Ebay???
$3,300
Unbelieveable right? These were things that either no longer fit or I had not worn or used them in over 5 years. Why was I still holding onto them? Why?
When I got rid of thousands of dollars of “stuff”, I actually felt like I had more. Instead of going through my shirts over and over in the morning looking for the right shirt to wear, with less things, which sparked joy, everyday was thrilling to get dressed! I like everything in my closet! What a novel idea!
Don’t settle for that mess in your closet. Don’t allow things to keep you bound. Get rid of what we you don’t use. Keep what sparks joy. Let go of those things that no longer serve you. Keep what you remember. Put your closet in Rainbow order. Let go of all the rest and watch and see what marvelous new items spring into life. Sometimes less really can be more!
Bringinthesheaves 