It’s not about the stuff
Cutting the clutter is a big buzz word, very month there are new articles, books and tips about how to reduce the amount of stuff, how to store the stuff and where to dispose of it. The truth is it’s not about the stuff. I know, what you’re thinking, ‘Alyce, if it’s not about the stuff, aren’t you out of business?’
In truth, the role of an organizer is to help clients to live their best lives. To do this, a good organizer focuses on the stuff, to help find what’s blocking our clients. People describe their clutter or stuff as suffocating, as feeling buried under it, or as paralyzing. In feng shui clutter is stagnate energy.
So why are we so attached to our stuff? There are many different reasons, but the main underlying cause is that the things we own, we view as an extension of ourselves. We desired to be something more, this desire lead us to a purchase. Even when the thing doesn’t give us what we desire, we often hold on to it, storing it away in our closets, garages or tripping over it on the living room floor.
This week, I’m in Reno at the National Association of Professional Organizers Conference to study and learn new ways to help clients transform their lives. Today, our keynote speaker was Peter Walsh, from Clean Sweep and Oprah. His straight forward, humorous approach is inspiring. He shared many stories, but my favorite represents the biggest organizing hurtle that we have all faced.
He told of meeting a friend over drinks that had hired an organizer to help her organize her office. She told Peter that the organizer had found that she had 12 staplers! The organizer then went shopping and came back with a beautiful box to hold all 12 staplers!
This woman didn’t want a box to hold her staplers; she wanted her office under control! Before you run out to buy something to store, sort or organize your stuff, make sure you have a clear intention, vision or goal.
Do you own the stuff, or does it own you?
How much emotional energy is it taking?
How much actual time does it require or take?
What benefit does it provide?
When and how will you use it?
It’s not about the stuff. We can clear everything out of your home or office, and in six months, if you haven’t changed your thoughts and actions, you’ll be right back where you started. Real transformation takes place only when we are willing to leave our comfort zones and dig deeper into ourselves.
Spring is a time of newness and growth. Have you tended to the soil of your life lately?
It’s not about the stuff.
