Your environment says a lot about your state of confidence in life. Clean, open soul nourishing spaces give your body and mind room to breathe, grow, keep perspective and carry us well through life. Your surroundings significantly impact your attitudes, experience of life and happiness and can dictate the base level of stress you may experience each day. When you are in a simple, clean, organised and bright space you tap into your productive, motivated and more energetic self which lifts life to new heights.
The art and mastery of the skill, simplicity, is one of the most valuable and yet most underrated qualities you can strive for and embrace in life. Many live in a world of “stuffocation”. Simplicity represents clarity, presence and freedom from effort. It allows you to clear your mind so you can continue on your journey with confidence and live a life free of drainers. In this state we open the gates of opportunity and great attitude as we have a solid, basic, well-functioning structure and lifestyle that is adaptable to change.
The very idea of living an uncluttered and simplified life with less stuff immediately makes our minds feel less trapped. The benefits of owning far fewer possessions means there is less to worry about, look after, clean, organise, and store and most importantly will assist you with greater economic security and time to foster what you are most passionate about in life. You will find more time, experience some real freedom, grow and be able to focus more on your health and wellbeing and find you create more experiences in your life and live more mindfully.
Clutter is stuck energy and is represented as a gradual build-up of items, new and old, precious and pointless. You also have your body that experiences clutter with stuck and old thoughts, many of which sabotage your days and your goals, old and negative beliefs and habits which all create a low lying level of weight and stress in your mind and body as we strive and grow from year to year.
“A PLACE FOR EVERYTING AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE” Charles augustus goodrich
Or
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” – Confucius
A problem that we see happening in today’s world of consumerism is the level of meaning we give to our stuff. We tend to give too much meaning to our things, often at the price of our health, our relationships, our growth, our authentic experiences, our passions, and our desire to contribute and give to others. This is not the formula for a happy and easy life.
It is exciting to know that when you realise it is an essential skill to keep your life both internally and externally simple, you relish in a sense of freedom and confidence. This results in having less worries, less things to look after and a mind with more open space to create the life you want to live.
Decluttering your life is a great step towards creating a simpler, more streamlined environment which will allow you the space to attract new opportunities that will move you towards optimal wellbeing both personally and professionally. It is about creating a sense of ease in life.
The decluttering journey can be fun, creative and incredibly rewarding when you gain clarity on what you want to create. Simple, easy living will open up a whole new energy and happiness in your life when you just start small and commit to this new essential way of being. Remember you spend many, many years accumulating and collecting more and more things so it may take a little time to make some decisions on what to keep and what to remove. Remember long lasting happiness is not created by accumulating stuff, but through life’s journey itself.
TOP TIPS FOR DECLUTTERING
· Make a list and choose a day each month to clean out a room
· Give yourself some structure and deadlines, one room at a time
· Get some help from family and friends if too overwhelming on your own
· Decide if it needs a small tidy up, a revamp or overhaul
· Examine what is in your room and cupboards, does it have meaning still, and purpose?
· Ask, Is it essential? Does it work? Will I use it? Who am I keeping it for?
· File, throw or donate it
· Enhance each space and make it work for you, is it simple and easy to manage?
· Make the space look great for you, bring in nature, and keep things that make your heart sing
· Does it bring joy?
TOP TIPS FOR SIMPLE LIVING
· Clean as you go, one touch policy – don’t move things, put them away
· Prepare for tomorrow today, get things ready and organised the night before
· Set up systems with reminders in your diary for keeping on top of your spaces and routines
· Create as much natural light as possible
· Use a clean well-structured diary to support you to stay on top of your daily commitments
· Don’t confuse intent with action!
Some areas for you to consider decluttering and simple living are:
· Personal environment
· Finances
· Relationships
· Wellbeing
Regularly attending to the practice of keeping life simple, organised and minimal will leave you with a feeling of space to be creative, spontaneous and free. By making small tweaks in your routine to keep on top of it all, you will clear the drainers and allow opportunity to come in the door. The goal of simple essentialist living is to do more with our lives with less worry. To do what is right for us in an easy and effortless way.