Clearing Out the Clutter

Saturday 10 January 2015

Clearing Out the Clutter

So, another year is well and truly on its way, and many of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere are already counting the days to Spring!

While I love the winter, here in Canada, the warmth of Springtime is always welcome. After all, 4 months of cold weather is rather a long time - even when we can appreciate the white wonderland of the environment around us.

Many people have already found that the New Year's resolution that they made is no longer intact, though a few may be holding on and persevering - good for them!

What does it mean to resolve to do something? Usually it involves getting rid of something - making changes - out with the old, in with the new (a concept well illustrated by the old European tradition of opening both the front door and the back door at the strike of midnight on Dec. 31st.

In order to make room for something new, we generally have to get rid of anything that gets in the way, or blocking the road ahead - whether it is a physical object, a habit, or sometimes an unhealthy relationship. This may be a relationship with a person, with food, with our body, with money, or with anything that we feel may be holding us back from the freedom we desire. Only when we are ready to let go of that which is no longer serving us will we be ready to embrace the new and unfolding future - with its promise and affirmation.

Those who feel that they have already gone back on the resolutions they made, probably have not completely let go of that which was holding them in the old patterns of behaviour and ways of thinking. They had good intentions, but their mindset did not match them.

Letting go - clearing out the clutter - may be one of the hardest things to do... and book after book has been written about the best ways to release negativity. Sometimes, we prefer the comfort of the familiar (with all of its discomfort), than the risk of the unknown and the new.

A dear friend of ours once shared that for some people, the pain has not become big enough to motivate them to make the changes they would like to see in their lives.

It's all about timing and maybe January 1st is not necessarily the right time.

Most of us have been able, at some point, to let go of stuff, and take those first few steps forward into the next stage of our journey. Experience will remind us of how freeing those times were. Looking back, we may be able to discern the personal growth we made as a result of those decision. Clearing out the clutter at some level was worth it, in the long run.

So, when we find ourselves feeling disappointed that our good intentions have come to naught (no matter what time of the year), let's not beat up on ourselves, but remember that there is a 'time for every season' - and it will come to us when we are ready.