by: Vicky White
Instant gratification has a bad rap! For a choc-oholic it's gobbling down the chocolate for that few minutes of bliss even though if you eat enough of it your body doesn't feel the best and you'll outgrow your clothes. For a spend-oholic it's buying that bright sparkly thing you just have to have, and dealing with the credit card payment later....or not!
But for the clutter-oholic there's a way to turn your addiction into instant gratification and the kind you don't pay for later.
And why would you want to do this?
If your life is full of clutter you're suffering. You know you can't be your best. You know you're not thinking clearly or being as creative as you would like. You know you feel bogged down, frustrated and you feel part of your life has been stolen from you. You're consumed with all this stuff. You're ready to uncover the real you. And you're tired of feeling overwhelmed and stressed in your own home or office.
Here are 7 tips for using your clutter for instant gratification and experiencing an energy rush that will change your life! And that's no idle claim.
1.) Choose a room to start in. Perhaps you've looked at what's happening in the Wealth & Prosperity area of your home and you're going to start in that room. In Feng Shui, the Wealth & Prosperity area of your home is the far left corner when you're standing at your front door looking in.
Perhaps your office bugs you the most. Perhaps you've decided your relationship life needs a shake up so you'll start in your bedroom. Or perhaps it's your closet that needs decluttering. Choose one room or space.
2.) You're going to take everything (or most things) out of this space: so you need to decide where to put them. Do you have a spare bedroom you can use temporarily? Will you put things in boxes and pile them up temporarily in your hallway or garage? Can you put the contents of your closet on a bed for day or two?
3.) Next, remove everything from this room or closet: put in boxes in the spare bedroom, the hall, the garage, on the bed - just remove everything (except major furniture items) and create some space to breathe. Even remove paintings and mirrors etc from walls. This is an extreme makeover - remember you're going for instant gratification and this is the fastest route.
4.) Clean, clear, paint, enjoy: This is where you get rid of the old stuck energy that hangs around even when you remove the physical clutter. Vacuum, dust, and then clap your hands up and down the corners of a room or closet to disperse stuck energy. If this space needs painting this is the time to do it.
And then, sit in this space and soak up the energy. I've had more than one client do this and then not want to put anything back as it felt so good. This is where you get to experience the instant gratification I'm talking about. If you have never done it, you won't believe what a high it will give you. Chocolate has nothing on this!
All that feeling of stuck energy is gone and you can finally breathe. You've created space for something new, in one fell swoop.
5.) Enjoy some more: OK I know this is a repeat, but I want to make a point. This is probably one of the few times you've had an empty space to BE in. What are you feeling? Relief, possibility, spaciousness, expansion......? Take some time to soak it up. Perhaps it's time to do some journaling?? Some dreaming??
This is where you get to experience a new you - a you without all the stuff you've been carrying around. You've made yourself more important than your stuff. The Universe is smiling - you've freed yourself to discover who YOU are.
6.) Put back just what you love, what you use, and what makes your heart sing: This is where a touch of ruthlessness comes in handy. You now have this wonderful space where you have room to breathe and be creative. You're not going to put all the relics of your past self back in there and bog yourself down again, right? This is your new beginning. Even if it's a closet, when you create a space that reflects your highest aspirations and dreams it will support you in moving towards them.
Out with the old. Even if you've paid good money for something - if it doesn't support who you are deep inside, it's costing you even more to hold onto it. It's taking over your life and not only are you short changing yourself, you're short changing the rest of us too when you don't do what you're here to do. And it's hard to do what you're here to do when you're bogged down in stuff - whether physical, emotional or mental.
Starting with the physical is an easy way to instantly raise you energy and shift other kinds of clutter out of your life.
7.) Survey your domain: I still remember the feeling I had when about 6 years ago I did this whole process with my home office. I sat at my desk in my newly decluttered office and just marveled at the difference I felt. And within 2 weeks I had signed up for a coaching program and soon after, a Feng Shui training also - neither of which I had even considered before then.
Going for instant gratification by doing a major declutter will create a huge energy shift and propel you into connecting with yourself in a big way. It's not for the faint hearted. Decluttering is the most powerful personal growth tool I know. Your life WILL change.
Because clutter has so many emotions tied in with it, if you've had enough of feeling bogged down, these tips will show you instant gratification can be your friend. Giving your energy a major lift means you'll now start attracting something different - more of what you want.
Now, which room or rooms will you start with?
