Kat Kelly – It’s no secret that physical clutter and mental clutter are closely related. So, part of ensuring that you are living as clutter-free as possible is to ensure that you are tackling those projects and goals that take up space in your mind.
In times of transition, the opportunity presents itself to look around ourselves and take stock of what is around us.
A new year is the perfect time to take a look. As I’ve mentioned before I’m not a huge fan of resolutions; however, I do love to review the year behind me and asses the year ahead. My goal is to set my sails in the direction of the person I’d like to become.
But, this is not the only time that you can begin to tidy up your trajectory. For me, I also try to do this in other times of transition.
Things like big life stuff, shifting family interactions, new weeks, new months, new days, global adjustments; you name it, every moment can present a chance to begin anew.
If you read any of my other writings you know that I get stuck: physically, emotionally, professionally, spiritually, relationally, and more. And I get stuck a lot. I think the difference between me and most other people is that I am willing to overshare about these moments.
Ultimately, my rationale for oversharing is to remind others that they are never alone. You never know who you may be able to lift out of a certain spot just by showing that their feelings are valid and something that others might just understand.
So, that brings us to the point of this piece. In those moments of “stuckness,” what are the levers that you can pull? Once you identify those levers, consider them a gift and get busy throttling up or down on those levers as needed.
While this might sound like a bunch of hocus-pocus-mind-trickery, please stick with me for a minute.
When there is a change that you would like to make in your life, be it large or small, you have to identify what needs to happen in order to make that change. When you identify the things that you can adjust to make those changes, those are your levers. And no two people have exactly the same levers to pull.
Take for example, getting into better physical shape. This is something that I have carried with me pretty much every day of my existence since childhood. Weight-wise, I’ve been up and down throughout my life. But, I’ve always been extremely strong. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that I cannot do things that I used to. I’ve put on weight very quickly and some of the things that creep on us as we age have suddenly amplified in my body.
Emotionally, while I’m frustrated at the situation. I recognize that I can keep working to find the secret sauce. And the truth is the secret sauce is ever-changing as we change. But, that unto itself is a gift. As long as I have the option to try different things, those are the levers I can pull.
Another way to think about it is looking at something you’ve wanted to do. Have you wanted to go back to school and finish that degree, but you’ve been putting off because of life stuff? Think about all the things you can do to move that along. Can you file for financial aid, get a work reimbursement, take an online class, or just simply apply.
You see the point of all of this is that there are always additional paths and options. Even the smallest step in the right direction is one of the levers you can pull.
Keep moving in the direction of the life you dream of and clean up some of the mental clutter that is blocking you. Oh, and keep tackling one pile of physical clutter at a time too!
Kat Kelly is the founder of Vexteo Media Group.
Photo Source: Daniel Shapiro, @dshap, via Unsplash.
