It never ceases to amaze me how reading a few inspirational posts in the morning can set the tone for the whole day. As mentioned in yesterday’s post I went to bed before midnight for a change which resulted in a good night’s sleep and when I woke up, I didn’t immediately get out of bed. I sat there and wrote in my planner, updated my lists for the day and read some blog posts.

One particular post that caught my attention was by Suzanne – Happily Decluttered titled Avoid the “Just in Case” Clutter Trap. I resonated with everything she wrote and delved into the comments to see what other people had written in response. I noticed that one person wasn’t sure about getting rid of things because she might need them one day (very much like me) and Suzanne suggested having a ‘holding place’ for the clutter that you cannot part with or that you think you might need again. In this particular instance she was talking about children’s things, but I thought that it could relate to anything. It shifted something in my brain and I thanked her in the comments.

It made me think differently about the remaining items that I just keep shifting from place to place that are still just getting in my way around the house. I already know that the reason why I do this is because of the attachment I have with those things. Ideas started popping into my head about what I could tackle today and how I could clear more space around the house by creating holding areas for items that I’m not sure what to do with. I was going to declutter today anyway and this just inspired me to get out of bed and get on with it.

Even though I will be creating holding places for my ‘stuff’, deep down I know I will end up giving the items to charity, selling them or just throwing them away; however, it made me happy just hearing someone else say that it was ok to put the stuff somewhere else for now. The way I see it, is that when I am in a better mindset to deal with these things, I will know what to do with them. The other way of looking at it is that by the time I come across the items again, I might have detached myself from them. I appreciate that this isn’t ideal for some people because they won’t have the space, but it’s worth thinking about categorising things in your current spaces.

Inspiring posts can stop you feeling stuck

I love to be inspired by what I read and learn; it’s why I listen to so many podcasts, audio books etc. I think that deep down I am searching for ways to move forward and I love learning something new every day. It’s also great when you find the right message just at the right time quite by chance. I could have read something similar before and just not absorbed the true message. In fact if I think about it, what I came across today is very similar to the idea of putting items in a sealed box with a date and if you haven’t thought about them after a certain length of time, you just get rid of them. I’ve never actually done that though. Messages mean one thing to one person and something else to another. Some people may never take in the true meaning of a message, some may take action straight away, and others will shrug it off due to lack of time, energy, or just not believing in themselves.

When you feel stuck (and we all do from time to time), reach out, because someone somewhere will have an answer or a nugget of wisdom that will help you. I have friends and family that help me and I return the favour and help them where I can.

I now have over 500 posts on this blog and a similar amount on My Writing Notebook and will continue to grow both by filling them with inspiration for others. Even if one person reads the post, it makes me happy. I think we should all pass our inspiring thoughts on in order to spread happiness to the world.

I’ve had a wonderful day… I sat on the swing seat in the garden in the sunshine this morning and it was really warm which was such a contrast to the snow last weekend. I then cleared and cleaned the conservatory so that I could get to the chairs that have been sitting behind a few items of clutter that has now been ‘dealt with’. I was then able to relax in the armchair in the peace and quiet to have a little bit of me-time. My newly purchased primrose plant that I picked up from the supermarket yesterday went well on the decluttered table.

Tomorrow I’m hoping to tackle the clutter by the back door (again) and also make a start on the study.

What or who has inspired you lately?

Until next time…

Sandra