You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space. -Johnny Cash
Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep. -Le Corbusier
Your personal space says a lot about you. How you live, how you handle life. It’s a testament to how you treat your body and what you think about yourself. Your personal space says a lot.
I’ll be honest. My personal space is cluttered. I exhibit pack rat tendencies. Physically and emotionally, this is how I’ve been known to roll. I keep things. Things that don’t mean anything. Things that no longer serve a purpose in my life. Things that I think that I need, but don’t use and things that I think may come in handy later. Emotionally, it is the same thing. I keep things, defense mechanisms that I don’t need, fears that do me no good, guilt for things that have long since been paid for, unwarranted shame, and built up anger. In both cases, I can say that I am not a candidate for Hoarders on Bravo. My “house” is neat, it’s all organized confusion, an oxymoron if there ever was one. I buy plastic containers, pretty boxes, and tall shelves to provide additional storage options, but let’s face it. No matter how or where things are stored, it is still clutter and it isn’t good to keep. Clutter of any kind blocks energy flow, creativity, focus, and blessings. I’ve started on the good foot so many times.
I’ve made changes. I’ve lost weight. I’ve cleaned up, but as my house reflects, I have not truly released things. Therefore, the changes that I’ve made revert back to my default. The weight that was lost finds its way back. The creative flow and productivity comes to a halt and things return to a disorganized state. How am I back here? It’s like a boomerang. You can throw it far, but it always comes back. Forward progress is good. Actually, it’s great. Who in their “right mind” wants to go back? Notice that “right mind” is in bold. In order to keep moving forward, your mind has to be right.
How many cases have you seen where someone has lost weight in some dramatic way, (pills, a fad diet, surgery), and after losing tens to hundreds of pounds, they eventually gain back the weight? What about all of those people who’ve won millions from the lottery only to end up totally broke in a matter of years? Their minds weren’t right. Their houses weren’t in order. It was filled with the clutter of their negative beliefs that got them to where they were to begin with: overweight, broke, lonely, unhappy, or depressed or all of the above. They weren’t prepared and neither was I. So, how could any of us expect lasting change? I’m curious to know your thoughts.
To be continued…
