CLUTTER IS MIND CONTROL
“Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little.” – Edna Ferber
I was recently talking to a friend who’s helping someone de-clutter their home. Actually, this person is buried beneath rooms and rooms of stuff. So what they’re trying to accomplish is much more complicated than cleaning out unused or unwanted possessions. I started thinking about the real impact clutter has on a person’s life. People often think laziness or sloppiness creates clutter, but I just haven’t witnessed either of those behaviors as being the cause. Clutter is a coping mechanism that creates the illusion of safety. At the root of this behavior is an attempt to keep others away by creating a barrier of stuff, a barrier to love and success. I believe this comes from a belief of not feeling we are enough, that we need something to protect us in order to handle our lives.
Clients of mine who clutter will always mention the clutter – how they’re going to stop collecting things, the steps they’ll begin taking to de-clutter, what they’ll do with the space when it’s uncluttered. And as soon as all the clutter is gone, they can begin to do all the things in their life they’ve put off until they de-cluttered their space. To change our behavior we must first become aware of why we clutter. Once we have this awareness, we must accept where we are right now, clutter and all. Only then will we be prepared to take positive action. We won’t get rid of the clutter overnight, so the best action to begin taking is that in pursuit of a dream you’ve been deferring. The courage created from taking action in pursuit of a dream will create the courage to step out from behind the barrier created by clutter.
Use this short exercise to begin the de-cluttering process. Start small in a three foot by three foot area with a timer set for 20 to 30 minutes. If you haven’t used something in six months accept the fact that you’re never going to use it. Put the item in a plastic garbage bag or box. Just this exercise may clear out quite a bit, and this may be as far as you get in your first session. Understand that in clearing out the old, you’re making room for the new. That could be a relationship, a career, money, or happiness. Continue with your new healthy action by taking your discarded items to the nearest charitable donation center. Being of service to others by providing these items creates space in your life for something you really want. And being of service is our ultimate purpose for being!
I was recently talking to a friend who’s helping someone de-clutter their home. Actually, this person is buried beneath rooms and rooms of stuff. So what they’re trying to accomplish is much more complicated than cleaning out unused or unwanted possessions. I started thinking about the real impact clutter has on a person’s life. People often think laziness or sloppiness creates clutter, but I just haven’t witnessed either of those behaviors as being the cause. Clutter is a coping mechanism that creates the illusion of safety. At the root of this behavior is an attempt to keep others away by creating a barrier of stuff, a barrier to love and success. I believe this comes from a belief of not feeling we are enough, that we need something to protect us in order to handle our lives.
Clients of mine who clutter will always mention the clutter – how they’re going to stop collecting things, the steps they’ll begin taking to de-clutter, what they’ll do with the space when it’s uncluttered. And as soon as all the clutter is gone, they can begin to do all the things in their life they’ve put off until they de-cluttered their space. To change our behavior we must first become aware of why we clutter. Once we have this awareness, we must accept where we are right now, clutter and all. Only then will we be prepared to take positive action. We won’t get rid of the clutter overnight, so the best action to begin taking is that in pursuit of a dream you’ve been deferring. The courage created from taking action in pursuit of a dream will create the courage to step out from behind the barrier created by clutter.
Use this short exercise to begin the de-cluttering process. Start small in a three foot by three foot area with a timer set for 20 to 30 minutes. If you haven’t used something in six months accept the fact that you’re never going to use it. Put the item in a plastic garbage bag or box. Just this exercise may clear out quite a bit, and this may be as far as you get in your first session. Understand that in clearing out the old, you’re making room for the new. That could be a relationship, a career, money, or happiness. Continue with your new healthy action by taking your discarded items to the nearest charitable donation center. Being of service to others by providing these items creates space in your life for something you really want. And being of service is our ultimate purpose for being!