The Surprising Gift of Clutter

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Welcome to 2021. We made it! Against all odds, we crossed the finish line. For me, London’s 2021 New Year Fireworks was a real reminder of the year that was 2020.

New Year, New Beginnings?

So, how’s your year started?

Are you breathing a sigh of relief that the clock has ticked over into 2021?

Proud of the changes you’ve made in the last 12 months?

Delighted by new talents you’ve discovered during lockdown?

Thankful that you allowed yourself to do nothing for a change?

Or are you feeling stuck?

Me? If I go by my last blog, I’ve been somewhere between ‘freeze’ and ‘going with the flow’ – with my flow being way slower than I’m used to.

I couldn’t work it out. Where was my mojo hiding? Then I found it!

What Lurks Beneath

It was hiding under a whole lot of closet clutter. Not closet as in wardrobe. Closet as in hidden away, submerged in a sea of electronic clutter.

Like emails — and lots of them — not of the Inbox or Deleted Items kind, I’m talking about filed off into Pending, plus a set of folders akin to a filing cabinet.

And reading — lots of articles and research.

Time to De-Crap

I committed to a full-on ‘de-crap’ as I like to call it. The curious thing is, I’ve been a minimalist all my life.

I was continually decluttering as a kid. As a student, I could pack my life up in my little orange Ford for the end of year holidays.

Our office had quarterly clean-outs, culling filing cabinets every six months.

Today, I buy what is useful and work with ‘replacement theory’ as much as I can. You know, ‘buy a bag and get rid of a bag’ for example.

I’m free of emails that were relevant at a time – like school newsletters from my now 18y.o.’s first week at school until his last.

Have I kept many emails? Yes – those that do mean something to me. From people not with us anymore, some from a special place in time.

The Wash-Up

I’ve embraced the ups and downs of my life with a far greater depth and awareness than 2020 had let me do.

People come into our lives for reasons, seasons, or lifetimes. Whether we like it or not, this is a part of life and being true to yourself. It’s not good or bad. It just ‘is’.

And most of all, I’m reminded that to get a clear picture of yourself and where you’re going, sometimes involves looking back.

Looking back with awareness. Letting yourself experience whatever emotions may come up. Then doing whatever you need to do to forgive and move forward with confidence.

Maybe that’s about only accepting who someone is — including yourself.

Maybe it’s about forgiving someone for things they said or didn’t say – especially if those spoken or unspoken words influenced how you felt about yourself.

It might include forgiving yourself for taking on board other people’s opinions while remembering “what other people think of me is none of my business”.

Finally, it may include letting go and moving on. Realising the reason, or season has come to a close.

Face the Fear and Reap the Benefits

Pain may always be associated with memories. And people. It’s a part of being human.

Will you choose to become bonded to the pain so that it owns you and your future? Or will you use it to become stronger, more confident and more resilient?

There’s Always an Upside

I’ve wondered more than once if this is a part of what 2020 was about. The isolation of lockdown. The slowing down. All without warning.

There’s plenty of evidence to say so. Feedback from people worldwide, from different walks of life, saying they know themselves and their lives better, thanks to 2020.

Yes, there was a point in the de-crap where I wondered if I would ever feel calm again. Would I be able to be kind to myself, or not take on other’s people’s issues as my own?

It was scary. Yet, true to life, I stuck with it and came out the other side. Calmer. More aware. Clearer. Ready to get into 2021.

I encourage you, dear reader, to move through 2021 with eyes wide open. Maybe that means being courageous, or just being still.

And maybe it means tackling what lurks beneath in your world, electronic or otherwise!

Until next time…

Anne