by Cara Lumen
There is nothing like moving to make you rethink your priorities. You get to go through everything you own and decide if it will fit where you are going. Do you still want it? Do you actually need it? It’s a challenge and it is very freeing. But you don’t have to move to lighten up
Where are you heading?
I’m in a serious repositioning stage I’m ending my business as it used to be, and moving into a period in which I am going to do exactly what I want to do. It’s going to be about creativity, exploring new ideas, and finding a unique way to be in service. And I don’t know what it looks like yet. I have glimmers, but I’m still on my inward journey to listen to my guidance and let the matter unfold Physically, I’m headed to a more compact space where my office will take up one corner of my living room rather than the whole room it has enjoyed. So I really, really get to look at what I need and want.
Do you actually need it?
When I moved last year I threw away things that might turn into an art project some day. You know this one, I could make this from that so I’ll keep it. I threw away things that would not fit in my new environment (I didn’t need gardening equipment, for instance) But I was paying by the pound so I got very real about what I thought I would do.
You know the idea of giving away clothes you haven’t used in a year? Try that with the ideas and this-could-be-something reference material you have around. Chances are the idea needs updating if you do work them and you’ll find tons of resources on the internet.
I keep things in binders and I got rid of a lot of binders – classes I took that I do not need the material from any more. I put some of my writing in boxes to be stored – they didn’t need to be right here in my office. I cleaned out file cabinets. I had enough hanging folders to stock a school. I gave them to Good Will. I even went through the drawers that hold pens and paperclips and threw stuff out. Get real about what you really need. Toss the rest.
Do you still want it?
Now wanting something is another thing. My family took a few things but I still had a lot of put-abouts that I would no longer have room for. So what matters to me right now? What do I want around me in my new environment? I made my choices and gave more stuff to Good Will. And once I move I will get real about what else has to be released.
Release it to a new life
If you look at something you don’t use any longer and think about putting it back into service, it’s a good feeling. Who might like that mirror you have no place for? What put-about would someone else enjoy? Objects are meant to be in service and they’re not in service sitting in a box in the floor of a closet. Let them go. Release them to a new life.
Now how do you feel?
You will feel lighter, freer, more resilient and flexible when you let stuff leave your environment. You can move quickly, change directions rapidly, and make decisions easily, all because you got rid of the clutter, the stuff you don’t need where you are going next.
©2010 Cara Lumen
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