Extra Baggage

The other day, I saw the movie, "Up in the air". I love the part where George Clooney gave a seminar on how much extra baggage a person carries in his life. It's true, isn't it. We carry so much extra bagage on us, it's hard for us to walk or even drag ourselves.

I've had this huge hoard of things that I've been hoarding since I was so young that I didn't even know the meaning of hoarding. Yesterday, I started unloading this extra baggage and found out that it was simply meaningless to save it in the 1st place. Such a waste of time and energy.

I have newspaper cutouts, some dating back to the 80's, a lot of loose papers with poems and other information. I've got lots and lots of yarn, vintage and new beads, paintings, etc, etc, etc.

My hubby believes in this philosophy: If you've kept a thing for more than a year and you've not used it, the chances are that you'll never use it. Either discard it, donate it or sell it.

It's believed in Feng-Shui that clutter blocks your positive energy. I believe that old things do it too. As they're old and old means your past, psychologically you're clinging to your past, not allowing energy to flow. Thus creating present hurdles in your life. Hoard may also mean weight on your mind, a burden which you carry with each waking hour.

I know it won't sound good coming out from the mouth of a hardcore hoarder to say that hoarding is one of the bad habits. Well, I'm a hoarder but I realize that it's harmful and do take some action. Afterall, action is more important than just bragging.

A few years back, I hand shredded loads of papers which contained my poems and other handwritten stuff. I don't regret it a bit. I felt calm and at peace with myself and believe me, a lot of good changes happened in my life as I let go of my past.

Space can create magic within and outside. The more space you've, the more you'll feel calmer. Yesterday, I got rid of another 6kgs worth of weight from my life. I gave away a few fashion mags. Today, I'm in the process of unloading or shedding another 10kgs. Although, I'm not that well, it already makes me feel good.

Physical space is important, but virtual space is just as important as physical space. Sometimes, we just favourite a page, or save a file thinking we'll use it when we get more time. I've bunchloads of favourites and I've hardly ever used them. This is a game to me. I'm planning next to clear my virtual space.

BEWARE: Never ever clear your clutter in a short span of time. This will bring a huge change in your life, sometimes overwhelming you.