It is October 1st today and it always feels like a new beginning when a new season is upon us. I happen to love Fall because it brings the best feelings with it. I get so excited about the holiday season approaching, layers, sweaters, boots & everything Fall fashion, snuggling up with a cup of tea and a good book.... so many things that illicit that feeling of Fall. Now, I live in California so we don't get a huge change in seasons, but I still love it just the same.
You know how much I love a 30 Day Discipline, but this month I'm not doing a strict challenge...but instead I am focusing on a couple of things this month that I want to share with you. Simplifying my life....and Gratitude.
I recently read Marie Kondo's bestselling book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and I must admit, I'm excited about putting what I've learned to use. I'll admit, clutter is the bane of my existence. Especially paper. I hate mail. I hate filing. I've run out of filing space. So guess what? It piles up. My "piles" are organized and I know where everything is, but it's just too much stuff! I've attempted different systems that haven't worked for me. It causes stress when I look at it because I know I need to find a solution....but didn't know how. Until now...
As soon as I started reading this book, it made so much sense to me why I'd been "rebounding", as she calls it. It seemed like every time I got my house cleaned up...it would be a mess again in no time. Now I understand why. I've never completely decluttered before putting things away. The areas of my home that don't get cluttered and stay clean are my living room and my kitchen. There are not too many items and they all have their place. My closets and my paperwork is a different story...but not for long because now I have a plan of attack.
I used to think it was a storage problem. There seems to be a storage solution for everything these days. I walked into the Container Store once and left because I was too overwhelmed and didn't know where to start. We even got our master closet completely redone with all the fancy organizers....and I still can't keep it organized for long. Marie Kondo explains that you must declutter first, by category, in a particular order. There's a method to her madness that makes sense. She claims that if you follow her method, you will be free of clutter... forever.
She explains how tidying by category, not location, works like magic and explains exactly what to do. Once you declutter all the categories, then and only then do you find an appropriate place for everything... and you don't need any fancy storage containers to do it!
By following her very specific tidying order, you get better at discarding as you go. Have you ever attempted decluttering only to find yourself sitting in the same spot, hours later, looking at old photos...taking a trip down memory lane instead of getting anything done?! I have! With her tidying order, by the time you get to those items....you'll be so good at decluttering you'll be tossing stuff out left and right!
She wants you to only keep items in your home that spark joy. Everything else goes. She says that her clients have never rebounded once their homes are tidied with this method. They live in a state of calm, relaxation and joy...because their house is in order.
My husband and I have begun putting this book to the test. We have both read it and are BOTH equally excited to simplify our life. The first category is clothing, namely tops. I cannot even tell you how many items we are discarding...a LOT. I'll keep you posted on how things are going...I'm excited.
The next thing I am going to focus on this month is Gratitude. I'm going to make a conscious effort to feel grateful for all of the amazing things in my life. It's easy to slip into a place where we take things for granted and I'm going to pay more attention and remember to appreciate them and show my gratitude daily. If you try this, you'll start seeing your life truly change for the better. By FEELING gratitude, it's one of the fastest way to put the Law of Attraction into motion...and things will start showing up in your life. Now remember, you cannot show gratitude while expecting something in return. Just truly appreciate and feel how that FEELS. (click on the link above to read my post and learn more about Law of Attraction.)
You can do this in different ways. You can send a thank you card. I keep a stack of cute plain Thank You card on my desk to remind me to send them to people I appreciate. Yes, it means so much more to take the time to hand write it and send it snail mail! You can also try keeping a gratitude journal and writing a few things in it daily you are grateful for. They can be big or small...as simple as "I feel grateful for my health today." "I feel grateful for my amazing friends in my life." "I feel grateful for the food I have to eat." Whatever you are feeling. When you start your day this way, it can change the outcome of your entire day.
What are you focusing on this month? Does this inspire you to choose something? Anything? I hope so. It's important to be working toward something and growing. The goal isn't to be better than anyone else. The goal is to be better than we were yesterday. Happy October!
I HIGHLY recommend the book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up". My husband even loved it. Get your copy, grab a cup of tea and a blanket, and join me on your way to a more joyful home.