I love times of renewal. There are two times a year when I feel as though I have the chance to start over. One is New Year's for obvious reasons of physically starting a new year. And the second is the season of Lent. During this somber period of reflection, it's a pivotal time to really take a good look at within and come out a better person. So one of the things I've been "trying" to do for the past couple of months is to minimalize and life a simpler lifestyle.Minimalizing consists of not only minimizing the amount of material objects one possesses, but also on continuing that effort in other aspects of your life. Really thinking about if you need something or if you just want it. It's a more sustainable way to live, it's very cost effective, and it's a lot less stressful than having a lot of "junk."
Over the years I have noticed people and their stuff. The one question I sometimes ask (sometimes silently) is "Where is all your stuff?" And some people just don't have "stuff" laying around. It's a foreign concept for me. But it makes total sense. You know how much money I could save if I got a smaller apartment? Or if I was able to move more easily and not have to have movers and such? How many times have you NOT moved or NOT gone somewhere because of the hassle of carrying so much weight around. I'm not as drastic as some, but if you are really interested check out the Time Article on the 100 Thing Challenge.
Anyhow, I digress. What I want to accomplish this year, and it's getting a true kickstart over the next 40 (minus 7) days is to clear my life, and by life I mean apartment, and by apartment I mean space, and by space I mean head. Physical clutter and just this attitude of having to hold on to "stuff" is a burden. And to be free of it is an awesome feeling (I hear). I think that physically clearing the clutter and getting rid of the junk will allow for emotional clutter to be cleared. How many times have we not done something because "well I need to clean" or "I need to finish this book before I do that(the book that sits under the pile of other books you haven't read because you were busy looking for a thumbtack in a pile) ." I think part of the mystery of why we continue to have clutter is the fear of not having anything to hide behind. Then there are no excuses as to why we are not doing something. There's ample room, ample time, and ample everything else that we could possibly use to delay the one thing that we actually need to do.
I've got a lot planned that I need to take care of, like 30 books before 30, getting published, writing that which can be published, completing Warrior Dash, and some other personal goals. So I don't have time to waste looking for the same papers all over again, and digging through piles to find a business card. The time is now. Life is too short. So, with the aid of books like Throw Out Fifty Things (Blanke, Springboard Press 2010), blogs, and prayers, I hope to start making moves. "You can't move forward into the future when you're constantly sucked back into the past"(Blanke).
The time is now!!
See you on the flip side!
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Image credit: http://emotionalclutter.com/
