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Become What You Might Be

The time of year is approaching when many of us start thinking about cleaning house.

As the weather becomes a little warmer, and days a little longer, we may feel more energized.

The clutter that has accumulated around us, usually as a result of the excesses of the holiday season, begins to feel stifling.

SEE ALSO: 3 Quotes That Link Science And Spirituality

The Nostalgia of Letting Go

In late March, I usually become more motivated to organize. There’s something deeply cathartic about a big purge, though sometimes it’s difficult to let go.

What is all this stuff all over the house, anyway?  You have to wonder how it increases so rapidly. When the time comes to get rid of excess, it’s interesting to notice how hesitant the mind can become, revealing how attached we are to objects. Your thoughts may become your worst enemy during clean-up.

Intellectually, we know we want to make space and organize. But with many items, it’s a bit of an inner-battle. It is human nature is to cling to objects and get wrapped up in nostalgia, or thoughts of the past.

Like the pair of jeans at the bottom of your drawer that you haven’t worn in eight years but remind you of one amazing, yet long-gone night.  Or those old pots and pans you hung onto ‘just in case,’ after you bought a new set.

Did you ever really use them?

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Will you ever really wear those jeans again? It’s important to notice the difficulty we face in tossing certain things because it’s emblematic of how we’re also holding onto bad habits, personality traits, and relationships that are no longer serving us.  

The act of throwing things away presses buttons within us that are fear-based. As each item hovers above the black garbage bag marked Salvation Army, we ask ourselves ‘what if?’  

What if one day I don’t have enough? What if one day I need these jeans?

Let Go of Fear

Are you outside of your comfort zone because you’re throwing stuff away? Great! Outside the comfort zone is where spiritual growth occurs. Yes, it’s scary to discard and let go, but it’s necessary if we want to take action that will bring forth an increase of peace and well-being. To put it simply, either let go, or be dragged.

With each item, see if you can change the inner-monologue. ‘Without this item I am lighter and more free’ or ‘I donate this item with love and hope it can bring someone joy.’

Then toss is in the donation bag and congratulate yourself for doing a hard thing.

Making space is important so we can grow. Organizing the house is a great first step. Clearing out the clutter of the mind, is even more powerful. As Lao Tzu says “when I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”