Is your life cluttered?

The first week of Spring was beautiful in Cincinnati! Temperatures in the 70s and lovely sunshine every day. Then we were jarred back to normal March and April weather. Oh well, it was great to get that preview of coming attractions! It was just long enough to inspire me to do a little Spring cleaning.

Just as we sometimes get busy and allow clutter to accumulate in our homes, we also can find ourselves with clutter in our lives. I’m talking about those bad habits and things you’re trying to forget. It might be physical weight that you’ve gained or emotional weight. Whether it’s feeling guilty, anger at a friend, relative or boss, things you do only because you think you should, a mess in your house, extra weight you can’t lose or a project you just can’t seem to finish or start - it’s cluttering your mind and draining your energy.


Here are some suggestions for clearing out the clutter in your life:

Acknowledge your life clutter
Until you acknowledge these issues, you’ll spend a lot of energy trying to avoid them. This can be draining and overwhelming – like trying to hold a beach ball under the water. And like that beach ball, it will slip out in other ways. It can exhaust you, frustrate you and cause stress in your relationships, your job or your life.

Create a goal
Decide what you want to do about the clutter. If you’re holding on to anger, can you decide to forgive and let go? It takes a lot of energy to keep than anger alive and it’s only hurting you. If you’re spending time doing things only because you think you should, can you find the strength to stop doing them? You could probably spend the time on something else on your list that you would rather do.

Take the first small step toward that goal
We’ve all heard that riddle asking how you eat an elephant – one bite at a time. The same goes for that goal.

• You don’t have to clear all the clutter at once. Just take half an hour and see what you can get done.
• The same goes for those projects you can’t seem to finish (or start). Try to find the smallest thing you can do to begin your momentum.
• If you want to get off the merry-go-round of activities you’re doing just because you think you should, try saying “Let me think about it” the next time someone asks you to volunteer or help with something you don’t really want to do.
• To start losing weight, ask yourself what is one small thing that I can change?
• If you’re angry with someone, take a break from being angry just for one day and see how it feels. You can go back to being angry tomorrow if you really feel you’re not ready to let go.

Then take the next small step
Once you’ve taken that first small step, ask yourself “when can I take the next small step?” This keeps the goal from appearing to be so overwhelming that it’s paralyzing and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Remember – just one bite at a time!

Just as Spring cleaning can make your house look and feel fresh again, letting go of that sense of overwhelm can give you energy and joy. You will feel better and who knows – you may look a few years younger too!

Let me help you with your life clutter!

Betsy
http://www.betsybaxter.com/
"Get a life you really, really, REALLY want!"