Minimal living isn't for everyone. Some people find it HARD to release "stuff", memorabilia, habits and both the physical and mental clutter in their orbit. They read some great book, LIKE the visual sense of order they derive from clean surfaces and minimal lines in some inspiring Pinterest image or a Hive blog they read. But 3 months later the clutter, the mess and the visual chaos creep back... they re-manifest.
What I've learned in my personal journey towards Minimalism is that our external world is an expression of our thought life, our beliefs, our values.
I've learned that I constantly need to evaluate, examine and question not only my bad habits, but the underlying beliefs which inform and shape my actions each day.
Photo by Sarah Dorweiler on Unsplash
If you're considering shifting towards a simpler physical existence, a smaller footprint and towards paring down and decluttering, there are some core values that I choose to deliberately engage with regularly, to help trim, shape, release and refine the physical world in which I am learning to thrive.
It is ALWAYS My Choice.
Someone gave it to me so I have to keep it. He'd be upset if I gave it away or passed it on. I can choose to believe it, or not. I can choose to regift it. I can choose to cherish the memory and release the physical gift that came with it. I can choose to believe Life is NOT about "stuff". I can choose to spend less time cleaning, polishing, dusting. I can choose to gift experiences and not just physical stuff. I can choose to redefine my reality.
Thoughts Become Things.
Bad memories can be contained in "stuff", just as much as good memories and feelings can, and so often the objects in our physical world contain energies which are not clear cut. My ambivalence about keeping an item tells me a lot, and will trigger the unclaimed but negative feeling every time I see something, whether I'm prepared to own that, or not. If in doubt, move it out. Seeing an item that reminds me daily of my growth, progress and thriving, also daily reinforces my good feelings about myself.
Failure Is a Measure of Growth.
We live largely in a black & white world. Good choices are a success, poor choices are a failure. Instead of seeing a no-longer-serves-me purchasing choice from 5 years ago as a failure (bad) and therefore needing to JUSTIFY the amount of money I wasted on that, it's FINE to reframe that thought, to pat yourself on the back for knowing why it wasn't to best choice, and to LET IT GO. And in the letting go, to celebrate the growth in yourself. I'm learning more, every day, to honour the "mistakes" which I choose to see as hallmarks of my evolution and growth.
The Tighter I Cling, The Slower Things Flow.
I'm not sure where we learned that the comfort of things always being the same meant that all was well. That changing jobs or partners was a sign of unhappiness or poor choices, of personal failure or a lack of character. I personally never congratulate people anymore on wedding anniversaries or long service in a job, because I choose to not honor nor reward the stuckness of others, nor their fear of change. It is NOT a virtue to keep something or someone for 50 years if it - or they - don't serve you. Staying in bad marriages, jobs, houses or countries that don't reflect our values as we grow often result in poor health. Why? I believe it's cos the FLOW in our lives stops when we grip something too tightly.
Release Always Comes Before Manifestation
Making space. When things feel tight or constrained in my world, when money stops moving or opportunities are slow to realize, I always look for what I can release. Whether it be old images on my computer that I no longer need to keep, unused items in my kitchen or wardrobe, or stale connections in my digital world, I make TIME to consider the energy of the things I cling to, and I make the choice to relax my fingers on my over-tight grip on some parts of my manifested world.
It never fails. Donated clothes or things, a few irritating online connections, a garden path trimmed and swept... it always ushers in something new. A gift, a new customer or opportunity, an invoice finally paid by a customer.
Minimal Living Means Owning & Living Your Values.
If what you see in your physical world doesn't resonate with where you think you'd like to be, then it's time to examine the unconscious beliefs that are holding you back from being your best self and living your best life.
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