The process of releasing...

Greetings!

To be chosen to receive this blessing is both exciting and humbling, in many ways, on many levels.

Over the years, friends and family have contributed time and energy to helping me dig out from my stuff. They can attest to the amount of stuff that I have. I would hazard a guess that they would also attest to the truth that I must let go of much more in order to be free.

Isn't that interesting? Even as I wrote that last line the truth of it impacted me. Just as I have physical clutter; I also have emotional and mental clutter that I am wading through, clutter that blocks my ability to move through life creatively and productively. There are more lives at stake than just mine. I fully intend to inspire and touch the lives of thousands of people during my life time. And right now, I'm starting with my own.

If a man would move the world, he must first move himself. ~Socrates

I'm fully committed to making this experience as successful as it can be. I very aware of the huge investment being made into my life by the professional organizers and all the other people involved. I'm so grateful. I'm so grateful. It is time for big change. I'm ready.

Sometimes the best helping hand you can get is a good, firm push. ~Joann Thomas

My contribution, my investment into myself and in the process, is to prepare myself as best as possible to willingly and fully release my hold on this stuff…and to break its hold on me.

In making preparations (mental and emotional) it came to my mind that I had bought some hypnosis CDs years ago. And I remembered that one of them had something to do with clutter. Well, knowing me, I was sure that I still had the CDs around. Duh, I save everything. I knew they were around here somewhere. How funny is that?!? I had to dig through my clutter to find my anti-clutter CD.

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." ~Dave Barry, "Things That It Took Me 50 Years to Learn"

But wait....it gets even better! The anti-clutter CD was part of a set entitled...are you ready for this? "Do it Now! The ACTION Plan to End Procrastination!"

Even I find this hilarious, though ruefully so. I obviously procrastinated listening to the procrastination CDs. Oh, Lord, help me!

God give me the strength to face a fact though it slay me. ~Thomas Huxley, The Great Quotations, George Seldes, p.344

And this proves, once again, that affirmations (and/or prayers, teachings, advice, coaching) are effective only when actually listened to, spoken and written; only when mindfully incorporated into daily life. The effectiveness is directly proportional to the action taken.

Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your words;
Be careful of your words, for your words become your deeds;
Be careful of your deeds, for your deeds become your habits;
Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character;
Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.
Author Unknown

This seems like a good time to share an application question and my answer.

Q: What do you consider your biggest challenge in becoming organized?
A: I am easily distracted and I find life fascinating. I’m very visual, the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” applies well to me. I feel that I need visual cues, but I end up having so much stuff lying around that it is defeating. I have a constant internal feeling that I’m missing something.

On the application the answer box had only so much room in it; plus, I needed to get the application submitted right away. So, I kept my answers very short. Since then, I’ve taken time to consider the question and my “gut level” answer.

For one thing, I have become convinced that I have too many “visual cues” rather than too few. I keep so much out because I’m afraid that I’ll forget it that I end up losing it in the piles of clutter. (Anything paper is especially challenging for me.)

It has been suggested that part of holding on to clutter is an inability to let go of the past. This rings true, at least on some level, for me.

Considering the internal message of “out of sight, out of mind” I have a degree of anxiety about losing people and experiences if I don’t have the stuff attached to those memories. I can release those items and still carry the person or the experience close in my heart and my mind. I am not throwing away the person or the experience when I let go of the items/stuff attached to that person/experience.

Many persons wonder why they don't amount to more than they do, have good stuff in them, energetic, persevering, and have ample opportunities. It is all a case of trimming the useless branches and throwing the whole force of power into the development of something that counts. ~Walter J. Johnston

When my energy is not being drained by the piles and boxes and rooms of stuff I will have energy available – mental, emotional and physical energy – to recognize, cultivate and celebrate what is truly important in relationships and experiences.

Plus, there are some past experiences and relationships that are just that: past. Releasing the stuff is a key for my freedom; it is necessary for me to get passed them andto move beyond them in order to fully experience now and to make room for what’s next.

There are times when forgetting can be just as important as remembering - and even more difficult. ~Harry and Joan Mier, Happiness Begins Before Breakfast

Thanks for sharing my journey.
Until next time, gentle readers,

Kelly