With each new year, many people feel it’s a time for fresh starts, a time to throw out the old and bring in the new. Whether it be a person’s surroundings such as the home and workplace or a person’s mindset, there may be a need for some decluttering so that the flow, energy and quality of life can be improved. From some simple organization, can come a sense of renewal and understanding that things don’t have to be how they have always been. Taking a life assessment and then committing to making positive change can be just the right way to start the new year.
Get Organized in the Home and Workplace
Home organizing is the first place where a person can actually feel better emotionally, mentally and physically. International lecturer, healer, and author Denise Linn in her book Feng Shui for the Soul says, “Clutter affects the flow of life-force energy throughout your home and it can bring the entire home energy down. It’s easy to feel bogged down and tired in an environment that is bogged down with stuff.” She cites some examples of clutter to include: any object that is not loved or used, half-finished and never-started projects, anything that has been broken for a long time or has parts missing, unwanted gifts that are kept “in case the person visits,” partially used old make-up, clothes that don’t fit or are not liked, and piles of magazines and newspapers that will never get read. She says, in the book, that a useful phrase when deciding whether or not something is clutter is: “Use it, love it or get rid of it!”
To declutter the workplace is also important. Are there stacks of paper on the desk? Are old e-mails still hanging around in the in-box? Apply the same de-cluttering principles to the workplace as well and see how much better it feels to go to work.
Stop Worrying About Things that Can’t Be Controlled
Lessening worries is another way to declutter life. When people needlessly worry about things that they have no control over it affects their time and energy. For example, a mother may worry about her seventeen-year-old son, a new driver, when he takes friends out to the movies. Although it’s normal and healthy for her to worry, when it becomes all consuming, and she can’t wait until he gets home to be at ease, then it’s interfering with her life. Worrying can immobilize people to the point where it hinders their daily functioning. Remember that worrying is imagining the worse possible scenarios and that a person can change their thoughts to the best possible scenarios.
To help lessen worries a person can make a list of the things or situations that they are worried about, especially those not in his or her control. This will help channel the fear and help identify the real focus of the anxiety. Then the person can work at solving the problems objectively and, if these problems are not within control, release them so that life can be enjoyed more.
Get Rid of Old Belief Systems
Making a conscious effort to shift old beliefs to new beliefs, or simply old thoughts to new thoughts, is one of the most important keys to happiness. Internationally renowned author and speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer has quoted, “What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds.” People can learn to stretch their minds in a more positive direction and understand that how they have been thinking about themselves doesn’t have to stay the same. New more productive and empowering thoughts can be created to help in having a successful life.
One way to help change disempowering thoughts is by creating a list of them. Take a sheet of paper and make two columns. In the left column, write down negative thoughts and beliefs that you have about yourself. For example, one could be, “I’m not good enough.” Then, in the right column, write a more positive statement that counteracts with the negative one, which could be, “I am perfect just the way I am.” Now each time that negative thought comes up, replace it with the positive one. Eventually the mind will be retrained.
End Relationships that Don’t Serve
People often have other people in their life who are simply not serving them. In other words, they tolerate behavior from friends and even family that is either abusive or toxic. If someone in a person’s life is hurting his or her well-being either by causing emotional or physical harm, then there is no reason or obligation to endure the relationship. Although ending the relationship can be difficult to do, especially if it’s a family member, it becomes most important for people to take care of themselves. Taking care of oneself can mean the difference between being healthy emotionally, mentally, and physically, or not.
Set Priorities for the New Year
So many people spend years never taking any action in following their dreams. People often get pulled in so many directions between work and family obligations that they lose sight of what is important to them. Make this year a year of putting what matters most at the top of the priority list. Then commit to staying on track this year towards dreams and desires and live with less regret.
Commit to Creating an Extraordinary Life in the New Year
The New Year is a time for renewal, a time to reflect on the past, assess what’s important and then commit to making dreams and desires come true. Let this year be the most productive, happy, and fulfilling one yet. Whatever it is that a person desires, there is no better time than now. Decluttering life can be the first step to creating an extraordinary year.
Stacey Porto - Stacey Porto, CC is a certified life, career and business coach, graduating from the Life Purpose Institute of San Diego, CA. She has a ...
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