Some of us might begin with our priorities and then pinpoint the areas that do not cater to them. Others might choose to spring-clean the areas that are causing anxiety, stress and discomfort and then prioritize how they will use their fresh, clean space.
However we begin, we should remember that while what we want and need is important, our lives and our choices also affect the people close to us, especially those who depend on us in some way - husband, children, aging parents, employers, work-colleagues.... As we begin to spring-clean our lives, let us keep their welfare in mind.
The following tips will help us get started.
Store the bad memories. When we entertain them, they resurface in our happiest moments. They stir up fear in the midst of our most adventurous and creative endeavours. Plus they wedge themselves in the wheels of our most loving and promising relationships, creating mistrust, suspicion, unforgiveness and bitterness. If we want to improve our lives we have to do something with our bad memories. We can't eliminate them but we can store them away after extracting the pieces we can use in a constructive way.
Clean up our thoughts. You know the ones; they sabotage our dreams, make us feel inadequate, incapable, stifled, afraid, paralysed. You know, the idle, unnecessary ones that replace informed, inspired and progressive thoughts generated by reading good books, talking with knowledgeable and inspiring people and watching movies and television shows that stimulate our creative muscles.
Forgive ourselves. We can usually name any number of reasons for our failures and foibles. That's okay, as long as we don't use them as shackles to keep us from correcting our mistakes, trying again and more importantly forgiving ourselves. Example: We may want to quit trying to lose weight if we slip up with one meal, a week off from the gym or don't see the results we were expecting. We must be willing to forgive ourselves and tell ourselves that we will do better the next time and double your efforts to succeed.
Polish our attitudes. Each of us has certain attitudes that irk family members, disgust friends and deprive us of some award, benefit or success. Some of those attitudes might have served us well in some circumstances. However, spring-cleaning is a good time to take a second look to see if those attitudes are still necessary and beneficial to the kind of life, career, relationships and dreams we want. With a little bit of polishing, we can refine our attitudes for a better life today and into the future.
Steady our emotions. The speed, confusion and complexity of life can take a toll on our emotions, which might swing from one extreme to the next. It might depend on where we are, where we're going, what we want, what we're doing, who we're dealing with and how they're treating us. Sometimes our emotions are stable. At other times, we may not quite know how we feel about someone or a situation. Steadying our wobbly emotions will help to strengthen our confidence and our resolve to live our lives with joy, integrity and purpose.
Are you comfortable with your life or do you feel as if it is weighing you down? Some spring-cleaning can help to lighten the load and free time and space for what matters.
Come back next week for some more tips for spring-cleaning our lives.
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