Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.
~ Kurt Cobain
*(Our hearts go out to all those affected by the Boston tragedy. Today’s article is not about that, but if you’d like to read a post about the power of faith, you can see what I wrote a few months ago here: Bless the Day and Choose Love.)
For the month of April, I’ve been conquering small projects around the house – trying to reduce the amount of clutter in my closets and drawers. And no matter how big or small the project is, I can always see a release of energy when I MAKE SPACE. Whether it’s being able to find my socks, or knowing exactly what food is left in the fridge – cleaning, clearing and organizing just makes me happy.
It doesn’t come without work.
It’s not always easy.
Sometimes it’s easier to run, hide and look the other way.
It definitely takes dedication and time.
But man, it sure feels good when you’ve made it to the other side.
And what I’ve noticed most about making space, is that the less clutter you have – in your mind, in your heart, in your home – the less WASTED time, energy and space you have, too.
When we stop, and really look at our lives, it’s easy to see just how much we waste.
We waste time watching too much TV, checking Facebook all day long and being distracted.
We waste creativity worrying about whether or not we’re good enough.
We waste energy over-committing, stressing out, doing too much and rushing about.
We waste space buying more of what we don’t need.
We get stuck in the past.
We worry about the future.
We complain about our boring jobs.
We wait for the weekends.
We spend too much.
We look the other way.
We numb to cope.
We push our needs to the bottom of the list.
We hide our true feelings.
We don’t finish what we’ve started.
We don’t start what we really want to.
We stop playing.
We stop laughing.
We stop feeling JOY.
We resist change.
We keep our dreams bottled up.
And we’re tired. Confused. Afraid.
What a WASTE.
Decluttering this month led me to signing up for a class taught at our local community center called, “How to Buy Organic on Only a $500 Monthly Budget.” I’ve been buying organic food for a long time now, and dang, it is expensive. So I was all game for ideas on how to cut my monthly grocery spending.
And what I learned that night was truly liberating.
Life-changing, really.
You see, what I was reminded of is that to live an “organic lifestyle” means way more than just eating food that hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals. It’s about truly LIVING – with SPACE, with breath, with abundance, with expansion, with nature, with truth, with creativity, with intuition and with vitality.
This has SO much relationship to reducing clutter and making space for the things that matter most. BREATH is SPACE. The more SPACE and BREATHING ROOM we have – whether it’s in our closets, our drawers, our homes, our budgets, our schedules, our minds, our hearts, or our souls…it’s all related and has a direct effect on our lives.
Living organically, clearing clutter, making space and less waste is about living in harmony with the things that support our health and well being.
It’s about educating yourself.
It’s about reading labels.
It’s about being different and being ok with that.
it’s about staying curious.
It’s about asking questions.
It’s about getting clear.
It’s about doing that thing you’ve been too scared to do.
It’s about not always believing what you’ve been told in the past.
It’s about finding your own path.
It’s about knowing you are whole and complete and wonderful just as you are.
It’s about getting quiet enough to really hear where your heart is trying to guide you.
It’s about finding the courage to follow its lead.
We need to make a commitment to stop wasting time and energy on wishing our lives were different, and instead, actually do the things that will help us CREATE a better life.
Just as you can’t force a flower to bloom before its time, you can’t change your life overnight. But you CAN tend to your hopes and dreams, you CAN take better care of yourself, and you CAN continue growing each and every day.
Your Personal Reflection:
I’m choosing to reduce WASTE in my life so that I can have more time, space and energy to live life how I want to live. How about you?
Happy weekend to you!
Be well…
Make space for the LAST session of Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery e-course this spring.
Class begins April 29th, 2013.
Leah, creator of Skill It, is hosting a give-way for a spot in Inside Out right now. Stop by her blog today for your chance to win!
Visit: Inside Out Giveaway
