Clean up your Act!

The handkerchief is practical. If you don’t wear a hanky wrapped around your neck, ya need to! They are very stylish, functional and can be used for just about anything from wiping tears away or drying a sniffly nose.  Some wear them across the top of the head as a fashion statement or wrapped around your neck to keep you warm on a cool day or it can catch perspiration on a hot, summer afternoon! But after reading this, and making the decision to clean up your act, you may need your hanky to wipe the anxious beads of sweat off your brow.

Now that the holiday lights and glitter have been packed away, it’s time to get the house back in order. When things are clean, in order and in their place, we simply feel better!  As we take on this new year, it’s important to consider that “cleaning and organizing” isn’t limited to just physically cleaning the home, it’s being willing to (re)organize and focus on cleaning up ourselves.  I love that God reminds us in His Word that our bodies are a temple…” That means his spirit dwells within us. With this in mind, we should be mindful of what comes in and what goes out.  You and I were created by God to live in peace and harmony. Yes we will, no doubt hit lots of bumps in the road but experiencing peace and success in life is a reflection, of being healthy from the inside, out. That means we should strive to attain balance in all areas of life: mentally and emotionally, physically and spiritually and professionally.  

Being organized and focused are choices. Nobody can make you go organize your space. You can clean it up by making sure that nothing is left out, on the floor or on the dresser.  But if you simply turn around and stuff all your unwanted, dirty or disheveled mess into the closet or under the bed, it doesn’t mean you’re organized. It means you hid a bunch of crap that was in the way. It means you didn’t deal with some of the junk that was sitting around, you just found a way to conveniently get it out of sight. I think the magicians call that “sleight of hand.” Meaning now you see it, now you don’t, and even though you can’t see where it went, it’s still there. 

Sometimes, even though we start out organized with to-do lists and labeled baskets for this and that, life still becomes complicated and complex which begins to brew a big pot of anxiety!! It’s very easy to become overwhelmed with the mundane day-to-day tasks, obligations, bills to pay, kids to raise and relationships to maintain.  That’s why it’s really easy to either retreat to a place of isolation where human interaction is left to a minimum or put on a happy face and fake it.  Faking-it, translates to shoving crap under the bed and stuffing things into little cracks and crevices there in the closet.  But, at the end of the day, those things are merely stuffed away, not dealt with. Things left undone or disorganized often make way for anxiety to move in. Anxiety, often times leads to a lack of motivation, insomnia and in many cases, depression.

So what do you do? I mean what’s the preventative measure one can take to avoid that kind of anxiety that so EASILY overtakes so many people? I’d say a good start is to “cast a vision.” 

God pretty much said it best, “Without a vision, the people will perish.”  That’s a scripture in the Bible and boy isn’t that the truth!  Without a vision, game plan or goal, one can die. If a new company doesn’t have a vision for itself, goals to meet and a mission to fulfill, it will quickly fizzle out… it will go bankrupt and die. Likewise, establishing a vision for your life is crucial.  Getting organized is the most powerful act you can do for yourself.  Most times, getting organized demands a huge shift in your way of thinking. Once the vision has been posted clearly (yes, I mean typed out and put on your bathroom mirror) for you to look at and meditate on, a drastic change may be required. If we want to experience change or tremendous growth but we don’t want to have to put forth the effort and dedication required, then we will simply stay in that same ‘ol place. But in order to reap the benefits, we must be to be willing to embrace the change.  Are you in that place? As you begin this new year, are you hoping for some drastic changes in your life?  The only way the narrative will change in your life is if you make a choice to step out in faith to cast a vision, post it high, meditate on it daily and then be willing to follow through with the required dedication and commitment to ensure that the vision comes to fruition. It won’t be easy, but it will be rewarding. 

It takes a lot of courage to write out goals, hopes, dreams and the vision you have for your life.  Looking at the different priorities that define your life and examining each one, thoroughly can be scary. But when you’re able to acknowledge the truth about your priorities and set realistic goals, you will start to see tangible freedom on the horizon!  Establishing stick-to-it, non-negotiable boundaries (both personally and professionally) will equip you with power and the ability to live in freedom. We’re not in control of everything in life, but what we do have the ability to control should be bridled and wielded strategically and intentionally.  It’s also important to not fall prey to comparison! Don’t compare your goals to those of another, as each of us have different ways we attain our freedom. Maybe you’ll focus on decluttering your home because you see that your “hoarding” is becoming unhealthy and a physical, deep clean of your home is important for your sanity.  Or maybe you see the need to rewrite your monthly budget and evaluate the money you spend.  Perhaps entertaining the thought of leaving a toxic work environment this year will bring you the peace you’ve been craving.  Or maybe after evaluating your friendships and relationships, you see that a lack of “likemindedness” or even toxicity with certain people is present. If that’s the case, part ways!  Remind yourself that life is short.  You alone, have the power to eliminate unnecessary stress in your life. Carefully choosing those whom you do life with is of the utmost importance.  Friends should motivate, encourage, inspire and sharpen you.  They should push you to your maximum potential in life, build you up, not tear you down.  You should never feel badly about moving on from certain relationships, as the sooner you shorten your relationships list to the ones who really matter, the healthier you’ll become! 

As you consider this little journey we have just taken together, examine the possibilities and use your hanky to wipe the anxious sweat from your forehead.  Girl, don’t listen to doubt and fear, only grasp hold of the freedom due to you!  This is a year for the NEW YOU. This is the year that your financial priorities will change for the better, which will put your ahead, not behind!  This is the year that decluttering your home will allow you to thrive in a fresh and clean space. This is the year you will rest peacefully because once you’ve embraced not just the idea of being organized in every area of your life, but you have implemented successful strategies, then your body and mind will rest easily. When life is “in order” and everything is in its place, we physically feel better. Agreed?  You got this.