I am, that's who.
For years, I have been holding on to stuff - papers, computer cords, clothes, photos. All because of fear. So, what am I afraid of?
...that I might get asked to prove that I paid that contractor back in 2006?
For years, I have been holding on to stuff - papers, computer cords, clothes, photos. All because of fear. So, what am I afraid of?
...that I might get asked to prove that I paid that contractor back in 2006?
...that I might need that cord that came with the MP3 player that died a year after I bought it on eBay?
...that if one day I do actually get my butt down to the size it was before I had children I'll regret that I gave away all my skinny jeans (which, by the way, were barely in style when I fit them)?
Two months ago, a dear friend of mine told me that now that her children were in school full-time and she could be more than a Stay At Home Mom (which in my opinion, is one of the hardest and most worthwhile jobs anyone can ever have), she wanted to be a Personal Organizer. Having just started my business earlier this year, I was eager to coach her through the process of getting started. She was happy to barter services and organize me. (In the end, I insisted on paying her because I am a far too extensive project to be organized for free, quite frankly. She offered, but if I'd taken her up on that offer, I fear she would have organized herself right out of my Rolodex, if you catch my drift.)
My friend and I both got a little nervous, I think, the first time she presented me with a huge pile of STUFF. It was all the CDs she'd come across that were duplicates or lacked cases or were cases with no CDs or what have you. Enter, the Stuff Monster, growling and grumbling:
Well, you can't throw this CD case away. What if you find the CD?
And you certainly can't throw this CD away. What if you find the case?
You can't throw this dupe CD away. What if you want to listen to it in my car? Wouldn't it make sense to have an extra copy?
And on and on and on. Left to my own devices and in the care of the Stuff Monster, I would find myself sitting on the floor of my library, reading the papers, strolling down memory lane, lost in the memories, getting nothing done. When those questions start rattling around my brain, I get paralyzed with fear, distracted from what's real in my life. The stuff that matters. Every hour I spend rifling through papers looking for a warranty because my files are overflowing with unnecessary user guides for gadgets I can't even find and certainly don't use is one I could spend reading a book to my children. Every minute I spend pulling out game after game because none of them have all the pieces is a minute we could spend playing together. Every minute I spend searching for a CD could be spent dancing in the living room.
I want to spend my time living and enjoying my life, not searching for it.
So today, I'm so grateful that I have someone, someone outside of my life, someone objective who loves and cares about me, who can gently guide me through the process of organizing my stuff. Figuring out what I need (KEEP), what someone else could use more than me (DONATE), and what really is no longer of use to anyone (TOSS).
That's what we hope to do on our show each week, I think. Help each other sift through the Stuff in our lives. Help each other stop being so afraid to look at it we're paralyzed, and just categorize it - stuff we need, stuff we can give back to who it really belongs to, and stuff we can let go of. That could be a thing, like all the stuff in our homes, or it could be a feeling, fear or resentment. But together, we can help each other (and those who listen to us) get Beyond the Stuff and get on with LIFE!
Lots of love,
Liimu
And on and on and on. Left to my own devices and in the care of the Stuff Monster, I would find myself sitting on the floor of my library, reading the papers, strolling down memory lane, lost in the memories, getting nothing done. When those questions start rattling around my brain, I get paralyzed with fear, distracted from what's real in my life. The stuff that matters. Every hour I spend rifling through papers looking for a warranty because my files are overflowing with unnecessary user guides for gadgets I can't even find and certainly don't use is one I could spend reading a book to my children. Every minute I spend pulling out game after game because none of them have all the pieces is a minute we could spend playing together. Every minute I spend searching for a CD could be spent dancing in the living room.
I want to spend my time living and enjoying my life, not searching for it.
So today, I'm so grateful that I have someone, someone outside of my life, someone objective who loves and cares about me, who can gently guide me through the process of organizing my stuff. Figuring out what I need (KEEP), what someone else could use more than me (DONATE), and what really is no longer of use to anyone (TOSS).
That's what we hope to do on our show each week, I think. Help each other sift through the Stuff in our lives. Help each other stop being so afraid to look at it we're paralyzed, and just categorize it - stuff we need, stuff we can give back to who it really belongs to, and stuff we can let go of. That could be a thing, like all the stuff in our homes, or it could be a feeling, fear or resentment. But together, we can help each other (and those who listen to us) get Beyond the Stuff and get on with LIFE!
Lots of love,
Liimu
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