Guilt and Clutter-Free Living
Three Questions for you:
1) How many items do you keep in your home because you genuinely love them?
2) What percentage of your belongings have you inherited or been given but don’t really love?
3) Are you displaying items out of guilt?
It’s important to love the things inside your home. Look at each piece of furniture, artwork, décor etc and ask yourself my four clutter clearing questions.
1) Do I use it?
2) Do I need it?
3) Do I love it?
4) Does it make me happy and evoke a positive memory?
If you have conflicting feelings about an object, go one step further inside your excavation psychology.
You may be holding onto objects because you feel that you should. It’s time to take control of your space. Just because somebody gives you a gift doesn’t mean that you have to like it or to display it. You are not showing a lack of respect for them or loving them any less if you decide to put it away because it’s not your taste.
Every time you look at the sweater your best friend bought you that isn’t your style, you feel guilty for not wearing it. Or perhaps you inherited a picture that your father painted. You feel indebted to him and even though you don’t like it, you hang it up. The problem is that you wince every time you see it, which depletes your energy.
The solution is to take it down, store it, or give it to someone who will love it. If your parents visit once a year, you can always hang it back up for that short period of time. The same applies to every book, candle, vase, painting, and artifact that has been given to you. If it doesn’t make you happy, let it go or, at the very least, put it away for a while.
Give yourself permission to “let go” of unneeded and unwanted items that deplete your energy and take up room in your home. It’s time to unleash yourself from the “shoulds” in your life. If you are the master of your domain, you must take back the reins and create a home that liberates you from the past. It will create space for you to make your dreams come true!