Dear Friends,

Over the years I have read and answered thousands maybe even millions of emails. One God Breeze plea for help keeps coming up. “I am sinking from the clutter in our home!”

Our Excess is dragging us down, like a weight around our necks. When we release our clutter, give it to someone who can use and love it more than we do, we are throwing out a life line to ourselves. We are no longer sinking into despair.

Our clutter is paralyzing when we try to deal with it. Just this week you have decluttered several things that we couldn’t seem to release. As you have purged these unused, unloved items you have found your routines are functioning more efficiently. Things are not tumbling out of the cabinets when you are reaching for something else.  This gives you more time to cook and do the things you love, instead of dealing with your clutter day in and day out.

I have a declutter song that I love to sing at the top of my lungs when I am doing my 27 fling boogie. Several of my Friends teased me with this song at an event once. “Please Release Me” as sung from the stuffs point of view, but now I am realizing that in the process of finding new homes for you clutter, you are releasing yourself from the problems that come from not being able to let go.

Did you know that hoarding is wrong? Whenever we hold on to something
because we just might need it one day, we are not allowing someone else who needs it more to use it, we are living our lives from an “ole poor me” attitude.  Subconsciously, the feelings are, “I will never be able to afford to buy this so I had better hold on to it, just in case I am poor”. With this attitude, you will always be poor: Poor in Spirit, Poor in love of self, and love for others. Also in lack of faith in your God to provide gifts for you or your ability to provide
for yourself.

I was raised by a Grandmother who lived through the great depression. Robert’s mother lived through it too. We have noticed that our elder family members base their lives on saving this and that, just in case. Some members have been raised by the same principles. We can’t help how we are raised, but we can learn how to use the attitudes for the good of others and not bury ourselves in clutter. The tough part is when you are married to someone who has more of the hoarding principles than you do. As you declutter, they seem to feel more insecure and find ways to gather up their clutter/security all around them. I recommend a good book by Suze Orman, The Courage To Be Rich or the unabridged audio. She tells us that our clutter is holding us back and keeping us from having what we are meant to have, because of our “Oh Poor Me Attitude.” When you give you get. Read this, there are some things about protecting yourself in a divorce, but for the most part I loved everything she had to say. She is a wise financial adviser. Take what you like and leave the rest I always say.

When we decluttered our home in 1999, we found such joy in finding new homes for things we no longer loved and needed. In the process, we also found that giving felt good. As we released the clutter that was clogging our lives and home, we found something that we never expected. We were blessed with money. Not just getting checks in the mail and finding lost accounts, but money saved.  We became more picky about what we bought. Many of you are finding this is true.

Also decluttering can become addictive. I don’t think this is a bad addiction. If you will look in magazines, you will find that less is more, in home furnishings and fashion. Simple is better, than cluttered. You feel peace, when you look at these pictures.

I only want for you what I have found!  As your clutter decreases you will find more peace and joy. I promise!

Are you ready to FLY without clutter dragging you down?

FlyLady