Are you sensing it is time for letting go, releasing, transforming old beliefs, eliminating procrastination or other old patterns and behaviors? Are you feeling overwhelmed and overextended and under-nurtured? Wondering how to begin to make the shift to a new place of receiving what you really need and want for your life?

I have a suggestion to offer - let’s make it simple and perhaps even fun! My most successful way to begin anew and invite newness into my life is the process of de-cluttering.

Now you are thinking - de-cluttering is fun? decluttering is simple? Well, de-cluttering can mean different things at different times - releasing, letting go, giving away, finding new purpose or reconnecting with deep meanings behind our ’stuff’. And likely in an ongoing project of de-cluttering I will go through all of these experiences.

Esoterically I believe that clearing out the ‘old’ makes way for the ‘new’. It is the oldest of truths, that all of life is a process of destruction and creation, birth and death. ‘Things, People, Jobs, Hobbies - all cycle in an out of our lives over time. And with each ending we invite in a new creation from our desires.

So how do we decide what is genuinely ‘old’ and ready to be gone? How can we give new meaning to things we want to keep?

The following blog entries cover some basic concepts that I have found helpful - you can apply them to simple organizing your office, your closet, your home - or maybe see how they apply to your relationships or your health!

You are invited to add your comments, success stories or helpful hints after each Step.

Usually a 2 or 3 hour block is most manageable - you can get something accomplished without gettng too fatiqued. Actually book this time in on your calendar book or set a timer, then turn off the phone ringer and send the kids off somewhere, whatever it takes to make this your time.

If even an hour or two block is difficult then go for a half hour project like cleaning out the medicine cabinet or sorting through all the shoes in the bottom of your closet.

I invite you to add your thoughts or experiences: Have you had success with doing 1/2 hour a day or 1 hour every Saturday and seeing results?

Make it manageable in size so that you can get finished in your alloted time frame and experience fast feedback and sense of success. It could be a closet or even a drawer or one shelf on the bookcase. I like to start with a visible area (like my desktop) so that I will see my results daily and be inspired to do an additional area. There is a catch-22 to this though - you need to keep that desktop or bookcase clear so that it will continue to inspire.

You are welcome to add your thoughts, suggestions or feedback on this step. What area of your home, office, or life could you tackle in an hour, in 2 hours?

My most successful system is to remove everything in the target area, empty the drawer or closet or shelf, and pile everything in one pile or one big box. Next thoroughly clean the empty area - make it sparkle! If you are tempted to paint or otherwise pretty up the area make an honest assessment about your original time frame and revise if that makes sense.

This is a beautiful system if you start small and see how well it works. Even if you’re interrupted and have to leave, you don’t come back to chaos you have an empty shelf or drawer and a box of stuff waiting for you!

The main thing to remember is - pick up one item at a time to deal with, don’t lay it back down while you think about it and reach for another one!….next step tells you ‘how’ to handle it.

I invite you to add your thoughts or feedback on this step.

Here’s the basic rule for handling each ‘declutter’ item. Ask these 3 questions:
` Do I use it? (have you used it in the last 6 months, year, two years…depending on what kind of ’stuff’ you are clearing).
` Do I love it? (is it nurturing me, adding beauty and richness to my life?) 3. How shall I let it go?
` If you don’t use it or love it, then it is ready to go - shall I throw it out or give it away? is the final question - see next rule for how this should work.

How do you discern if you ‘love’ something - is it a warm fuzzy? a sweet memory? you can’t imagine living without it?

Gather together 3 or 4 trash bags or boxes. Prepare one bag or box labeled ‘Throw Out’ or “Trash”, another one labeled “Recycle” or “Give Away”. (You may need to break this one down into smaller bags such as “Donate to Library” “Take to Thrift Store” as you see what starts to emerge from the stuff you are working on).Remember to handle each item only once! If it is a keeper item then go now and put it where it belongs, on the top shelf or at the back of the drawer. Use a box (or a laundry basket works good) to put things in that need to go to various rooms of the house. Then your last step will be to take the basket around to each room and deposit the items in their appropriate places.

Decide now where and when you will dispose of the ‘recycle’ or Give Away bags OR see if you can delegate and send someone to the thrift store or the library to drop off donations.

Your suggestions or comments on this step are welcome: Have you tried a slightly different system - did it work?

Step 7. Ahhh! You can see your progress now as you complete your first project in the Clutter to Clarity system. Be with your sense of completion and acknowledge yourself!

As you assess your completed project, be aware of the new sense of openness, the new energy and sense of possibilities that you have opened up in your life. Acknowledge yourself for a job well done. This might be an appropriate time to ‘reward’ yourself in some way. And you could journal about the new beginnngs and creative ideas that start to flow about now. Also time to make your commitment to begn the next de-cluttering project and begin again at Step 1.

How do you like to reward yourself for a job well-done?

One last suggestion to assist you with Clutter Control:

This idea of clutter control is one of the biggest areas that people procrastinate on. You may want to build a support system to help see you through it (versus tackling it al on your own!). This could be finding a friend (someone not at all attached to your stuff and not afraid to hurt your feelings by asking ‘you want to keep THIS?’, more of a coach type person!). You may also want to tell others you are doing this project, announce it to your spouse for example, so the commitment is not just to yourself and you are less likely to talk yourself out of it! Being held accountable is a significant part of the process.

If you do find a lot of interesting emotions arising you may want to journal about old memories you are releasing or the old desires and dreams that have resurfaced. A coach, counselor or even an online chat group focused on clutter could help you deal with the ‘new you’ that emerges.

What are your thoughts on building a support system - how has this worked for you in other areas of your life? Do you prefer a mentor person who is successful at de-cluttering or a fellow clutter-bug?

Step 6. Be aware of the emotional release aspect of de-cluttering.

You may think you are clearing your spare room or your garage but at a deeper level you are clearing old memories, old dreams, etc. As you look at something and truly say ‘yes I love it’, or ‘no, I’ve always hated this thing my ex-mother-in-law gave me’, just allow yourself to be with the feeling for a few minutes and consciously release any negativity or embrace the gratitude that you are feeling. Be conscious of the highest degree of black/white, love/hate that you can, so that you don’t begin to vacillate.

Notice if the feeling of attachment was a ‘past’ feeling or a ‘future’ feeling, an old idea you were clinging to or a wishful thinking for some future dream that no longer makes sense. You may experience minimal emotions on any one step of this clutter clearing process and then days later experience a big release - it is all good!

I invite your thoughts or comments now: How does the release feel to you - a sense of lightness? An unburdening? Is there a certain place in the body that feels differently?

My biggest success story as far as natural remedies for pre-menopausal symptoms has been the natural herb Maca. Maca is a Peruvian grown root that has been used for 3800 years! The Indians of Peru have considered it a staple and both men and women use it.

What I find wonderful about this natural remedy for balancing hormones is that it relieves you of needing to test to see which hormones are out of sync on which days. This applies to your whole endocrine system - thyroid, adrenals, pituitary as well as your balance of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

I also like that you can’t really hurt yourself by taking too much. For many women as little as 1/2 teaspoon of the raw powder a day works but you can take a tablespoon twice a day if that seems right for you, no problem. It also comes in capsules but I actually like the earthy, rooty taste and texture of it, adding it to my smoothies or sprinking on granola.

Some of the extra benefits besides reducing the typical menopausal symptoms of emotional swings, hot flashes, fatique, etc is that it can also boost your energy levels and overall sense of well-being and enhance your libido if that is something that has diminished with all the shifts of your body changes.

Learn more at www.macaweb.com - click on Maca Facts. This site has the best prices and I have been ordering from them for some time.