No matter how far you’ve come and how much further there is go travel, it’s still a great idea to pause and look back to see what you’ve accomplished thus far and feel good about it. It’s motivation for the journey ahead and good for your self-esteem.
Because I am continually evolving, my home will be doing the same. I have much more that I want to do, but I would like to pause and celebrate all that’s been accomplished… it really is a lot.
Since embarking on this SoulSpace group 8 weeks ago, I have…
…made a boatload of amazing new friends. Our Facebook group has been so so so awesome. I created this little collage of some snipits of our conversations there so you can see how motivating and encouraging we are for each other. I am sure that none of my progress would have happened without them. I am celebrating our awesome group too.
… ironically, slowed down in ways I haven’t let myself in a long time. Letting myself off the hook and decluttering my emotions and heart. And so I also have set an intention that going forward, each and every action should bring forth meaning, peace, growth, or joy.
… learned much more about myself. SoulSpacing is really about what our clutter represents, how we care for ourselves, and our emotional health. I learned how to let go of the past and how to relinquish fear of the future. It’s a work in progress.
… moved treasured objects to places I can see them every day and incorporated more of what truly reflects us and that we love, making our home much more of an inspiration and sanctuary for my family.
… reorganized and created some systems that actually work and help keep clutter at bay.
… found other homes for things that no longer tell our story. That includes half the kitchen cabinets, half our files, some furniture, books, clothing, and lots of random garage junk.
… created new criteria for deciding if something is allowed to come into our home. Does it spark joy? Is it useful? Does it tell the story of who we wish to become?
… learned more about what we like, what gives us energy, what inspires us.
… read some great books on minimalism and decluttering. You can find reviews on them here.
I’d like to thank:
- Xorin Balbes for writing his book SoulSpace: Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life — Creating a Home That Is Free of Clutter, Full of Beauty, and Inspired by You
.
- Amy for creating our Facebook group and keeping us all going. If you’d like to try this, we have decided to keep the group open and to slow it down. We’re starting in April and will spend a month on each phase.
- YOU for reading along and encouraging me. The links above are to each of the 7 weeks’ posts about the process.
It is wonderful to see your progress through Soul Space. I should be following your example and begin de-cluttering before Spring actually gets here. Thanks for sharing your journey
Sue recently posted…Comment on Ride on by Harmony Harrison
Sue, there are no “shoulds” allowed! Once you do embark upon this process, it makes a huge difference in every aspect of your life, but you definitely can’t rush it.
You are a huge inspiration, Naomi. Thank YOU!
Heather Koshiol recently posted…Learn: What It Means to Feel Grounded
Aww… thanks!
I am a big believer in celebrating our progress . . . and in aligning with Love, with Joy, with Beauty . . . I see similarities to your process. Good for you!
Janet recently posted…Making My Mark — or Not
What a lovely milepost on your journey. You did a lot! I was only around to join the chat one time, when it was essentially over. I wish I’d had more time to devote to this. It’s key that insight you gained into the emotional meaning of the clutter. I think I have a bigger problem discarding something that was expensive and very meaningful for years. Sometimes there’s an extra hurdle, like the lead solder on the motherboard of an old computer. Not good for the landfill! Boulder has a special recycling facility for electronic waste, a place I ought visit more often.
That’s why we leave those sentimental/guilt-producing decisions to the end, once we’ve already done a ton of work and you see evidence of your success all around you. It’s much easier to streamline when you have proof that it’s fine. We took the hard drives out of our desktop computers before we took the rest to an electronic recycling place. I have no idea what to do with those hard drives besides put them in the attic.
Hi Naomi,
What a great way to celebrate our processes! I love that little collection of snippets. What a thoughtful thing to do! I tried ordering that rug that was similar fabric to your ottoman. Wouldn’t that be so cool to have some matching things in our homes? 🙂 This really has been an amazing experience for me as well. Thank you for participating so fully and making it richer for your experiences you’ve added to ours.
Amy Putkonen recently posted…A Tribute to Loving Myself
What a fabulous post! I love the snippets of our conversations. What a great group! Can you imagine reading that every day? There’s so much power and love in those little words. Thank you for sharing your experience this way.
Michele Bergh recently posted…Weird is My Normal