Moving forward a little bit everyday

This year, I am going to do the things that I really don't want to do. Maybe it is paperwork, eating healthier, consistently exercising or having a hard conversation with my husband, child or boss. I am going to really think about WHY I want something. I am hoping that when I really understand WHY I want something, I will then be better able to put in the energy and action to make it happen. I want to do something everyday that I will thank myself tomorrow for. It isn't magic. The people I know who are happy, healthy and get stuff done, just do the work. That's it. They take care of themselves. They make it happen. I want to surround myself with doers, magic makers, risk takers, dreamers and life lovers.

I know a lot of people are reading the book, "The life-changing magic of tidying up," by Marie Kondo. I recently finished it and the areas where she talked about items serving their purpose really resonated with me; for example, the purpose of a gift is as a gift, not as a lifelong burden or something we should feel guilty about giving away. It serves its purpose when we receive it and when we are done, we can let it go. All things, not just gifts, should be looked at like that. If you don't need it anymore or it doesn't bring you joy, let it go. So much of this book is giving yourself permission to let things go.

This book also reinforces that when we clear our spaces, we have more time to focus on what brings us joy. When our home is in order, we have time to discover what we really want to do. She writes that one of the "magical effects of tidying is confidence in your decision-making capacity." She also writes, "When we really delve into the reasons why we can't let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear of the future."

While cleaning my closet recently, I was shocked by how many of the items I REALLY disliked. I hated realizing how much money I wasted, but going through everything, item by item, made me really aware of my patterns, which I hope helps me to be more thoughtful before I buy things.

Lastly, the part of the book that I loved is when she wrote about how your living space affects your body. When we surround ourselves by only the things that we love, we are sure to feel more joy. The more I clear out, and identify a space for every item, the more I realize how little I need and that is a wonderful feeling of contentment.