Nature Abhors a Vacuum or The Art of Decluttering!
Spring is springing and nature's lifeblood is rapidly returning. Days are longer and it's that wonderful time of year again! Time to think about and act upon everyone's favourite subject - decluttering! The grey days of winter are over, the sap and temperature are rising - an opportunity to look forward positively with anticipation, hope and many thoughts of endless possibilities. So why not make the most of the longer days by creating space in your life - both physically and mentally, for one undoubtedly leads to the other.
Is your wardrobe full of clothes you haven't worn in the last two years and from which your local charity shop could benefit?
Do the piles of paper get higher whatever you do? Have you forgotten what the surface of your desk looks like?
Are your bookshelves groaning under the weight of books you will probably never read again and CDs you don't have time to listen to?
Do you need more space in your home, office or life? And even more to the point, do you want balance, space and clarity in your mind, a place from which you can move forward with renewed focus and determination?
Do you want to attract new meaning into your life - that old but oh so true adage: ‘Out with the old and in with the new'?
Undoubtedly one of the easiest and most effective ways to attract something new into your life and to change your outlook is to create the space for it. After a long winter you may be feeling stuck, trapped, perhaps life seems a little lacklustre, energy levels low?
Tackle a pile of clutter in your house, office or garage - even the garden needs attention after the winter! Decluttering your space will help declutter your mind, allowing all those negative, unwanted and unneeded thoughts to disappear to be replaced by new, exciting, positive ones, giving you more time, more space, more energy.
So try throwing something out, or better still, lots of things which you know you no longer need or that no longer apply to your life and amazingly you will start attracting all sorts of new and energising events and things into your life.
Doing this can so improve your quality of life, it will allow you to think clearly, concentrate on the things that matter and utilise your time better.
Be very careful to say ‘no' to the things you don't want - be ruthless but realistic! If you want a new relationship, let go of an old one first. If you want a new client, clear out the files in your office. I took two hours to do this last week and have since then taken on three new clients!
If you want some new clothes, clean out your wardrobe, drawers, hanging spaces, anywhere that unwanted, unneeded and unworn clothes, shoes, jewellery lurk! Ask a friend to be honest with you - does this suit you, is it outdated? Declutter and let someone else benefit from your mistakes, be it the charity shop, ebay or local sales e.g. NCT.
It really doesn't matter where you start decluttering, just start and you will immediately activate the law of physics to your advantage, because clutter represents trapped energy, and trapped energy does not allow us to move forward.
This is not mumbo jumbo, it really is based on the law of physics: nature abhors a vacuum. Once you create the space, the universe will try to fill it. You all know this from personal experience when you've cleaned out a drawer in the kitchen only to find it gets filled up with junk almost before you know it. Nature cannot resist an empty space.
And don't forget work, work too needs physical and mental space. How often have we filled the working day up, only to get to the end to find that the really essential jobs haven't been done (again) and the feeling of disappointment and frustration is all-pervading? Lack of self esteem can creep in and thoughts such as ‘I can't cope, it's too much for me...' So if you want more time, don't book the whole day up, as then there is no room for something new to come in. You are not allowing yourself breathing space to reassess what's really important that day and priorities can change as the day progresses, so allow yourself time to acknowledge this and be spontaneous.
I have a client, a very busy and successful executive who really wanted to attract a partner into their life. Given that they rarely allowed sufficient time for their life coaching session with me, I gently pointed out that they surely wouldn't have any time or space at all for a new relationship! After some thought they agreed and scheduled in space to their evenings and weekends...the rest is history.
And talking of time, it's so easy to think it will take FOREVER to declutter. Don't procrastinate any longer. It will undoubtedly take far less time than you imagined and you may well have a lot of fun (and laughter) along the way. Get the children to help - that will really bring it all down to earth!
Decluttering is probably the fastest and easiest way to attract something new into your life -and if you really do find it difficult to even start to declutter, ask yourself this? Have I used, looked at, worn or even thought of this item in the last six months? Do I really want this person in my life any more? If not, ask yourself why you are letting it/them clog up your life thereby blocking new things and people from coming in. It works, believe me it works!
Enjoy the process and I hope you'll be amazed at the ensuing feel-good factor!
Article written for Spring 2008 issue by
Annie Watsham
Forward Life Coaching
Farthings
High Street
Cranbrook
Kent TN17 3DT
Tel: 01580 720559
Mob: 07970 413492
E-mail: lifecoaching@anniewatsham.com
