Clearing the Clutter
There is something about a solitary road trip that I find powerfully meditative and peaceful. Especially when it’s a route you’ve driven many times and you aren’t having to heavily focus on directions or on which exits to take. The road welcomes you like a friend, and you settle in to the journey.
In December of 2016, with New Year’s right around the corner, I wasn’t looking for anything huge or crazy to commit to as far a resolution. The past few years had already brought considerable change. This year I was searching for simplicity.
I knew I didn’t want to focus on an imperfection to conquer, or to have to give up something I love (like donuts, wine, or chocolate), rather, I wanted to concentrate on incorporating something positive that would contribute to a contented heart and peace of mind.
After many miles and much self reflection, I came up with an idea.
I’d already been investigating mediation and its overall benefits, it was something I had considered for some time. So during this particular drive, I decided that this was the year to commit and begin. But, if I was going to meditate, I was going to need to create a space that was dedicated to this purpose.
By the time I arrived home, I had a vision for what that space might look like and was excited about creating it.
I decided to build a teepee in my bedroom…
Teepee. Established 2016. Motivated by Serenity.
… and I love it. It has become so much more than I had hoped for. It is a home to my journals, a few very special books, a plethora of pillows, a cozy blanket, and a sacred space for my most personal thoughts and private feelings.
Three years later this teepee is still a magical space in my life. It is in this space I reflect and center myself, focus on what I am grateful for, set goals, journal, engage in meditation, and connect with Spirit. It has witnessed my challenges, brought me comfort, and allowed me the space I’ve needed to outline my purpose and the direction I want to live my life.
When you organize your thoughts, you’ve taken the first step towards organizing your life.
That is simply where you must begin.
It can be challenging to manifest change if you have not defined your reasons for wanting to make change.
Identify what your motivation is and then create a plan.
The year I built the teepee, I was motivated by serenity and simplicity. But it was more than that. My mind had been cluttered for some time. I was needing space to organize my thoughts. I was hopeful that with an increased sense of peace, there would be a trickle effect throughout my life. I didn’t just want to feel it on the inside, I also wanted it to project on the outside. I was motivated to be a good role model for my sons. I was motivated to be a dependable friend and to be more present when I was with others. I was motivated to be a more attentive daughter and to make certain I had time to spend connecting with my parents. I was ready to let my light shine.
When our lives are cluttered, whether it be our homes, our inboxes, our piles, our finances, our minds, or our direction, it is because we have unmade decisions, or we have not identified our priorities or our motivation behind organizing it. Once we define our motivation behind wanting to be rid of the clutter, we then need to use that motivation as fuel to ignite and launch our decisions into action.
According to Merriam-Webster the definition of clutter is: To fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness.
Clutter is indecision. We don’t know what to do with the Stuff. And we don’t know what to do with the Stuff because we haven’t taken the time to identify what our motivation is to finally get rid of it.
“Clutter is the physical manifestation of unmade decisions fueled by procrastination.”
— Christina Scalise
Clutter can be anything from unpaid bills to an expired friendship to a favorite old pair of jeans you swear you’re going to fit into again. It could be a box of grandma’s china, a memento you picked up during your sixth-grade field trip, or last week’s leftovers sitting in the fridge.
We have clutter because we haven’t made a decision about what to do with it.
Our Stuff is often accompanied by emotional attachments to certain people, places, and events in our lives. Oftentimes we procrastinate in dealing with this Stuff because we think it’s going to be uncomfortable. So we ignore it and hope it will just go away magically on its own. The longer we ignore it, the bigger it gets.
Sometimes we are afraid to just make a decision. Keeping things the same means we know what to expect. Change can be scary. We are afraid to let the jeans go because somehow we use those to motivate us to get in shape someday. So we keep the jeans. Now, not only are they taking up physical space, but they are also occupying mental space every time we look at them because… They. Still. Don’t. Fit. Or the thought of letting go of grandma’s china fills us with such guilt that instead we leave the box in the garage for 20 years, to never even pull it out for holidays, but yet the car we waited for and work so hard for sits in the driveway because the garage is full of Stuff.
When our lives and our environments are cluttered and in general disarray, it consumes emotional and mental energy that would be better served elsewhere. We look at the Stuff every day. We think it does not affect us, but it does. It goes with us, and we carry it. Sometimes it keeps us up at night. Sometimes it prevents us from living the lives we’ve been wanting to live. Sometimes it affects our relationships. Sometimes it prevents us from growing into something more.
Imagine you are able to clear the clutter so you have more time, more energy, and more space to recognize your true self and experience your full potential.
I invite you to begin 2020 by having a very candid and intimate conversation with yourself. Think about a specific space in your life that is causing you anxiety, stress, or is a source of unmade decisions or unexpressed motivation. Once you identify that space, answer these questions:
What is the function of this space?
What is working in this space? What is not working in this space?
What is my vision for this space?
What is my “why” for wanting to transform this space?
What improvements do I hope to gain in my life after I transform this space?
Once you’ve identified the space and your motivation to get it organized, make a decision to conquer it. Write down your motivation and post it where you can see it. Use your motivation as a reminder of why you want the clutter gone from this space once and for all. It may mean making some challenging decisions. It may mean enlisting someone to assist you in tackling it. You don’t have to do it all at once, and you don’t have to do it alone. It can be broken down into manageable steps. Stay committed to your motivation, and you will stay committed to the process.
As you get ready to welcome a new year, you deserve to incorporate something into your life that will help provide you with a contented heart and peace of mind. With all sorts of new and real possibilities around the next corner on your road of life, I encourage you to create the space you’ve been looking for.