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Shake off the \u2018winter layers\u2019, get rid of all the excess and BREATHE again!!!!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Listen\u2026 do you hear the birds singing? Do you hear nature awakening? Can you see the first blossoms on the trees? This is my favorite season: everything comes to life again! I love it! You can just feel the energy flowing, new life emerges everywhere.<\/p>\n Feel one with nature, go out and tap into that new, bubbling, rejuvenating energy.<\/p>\n This is the perfect season to clear out the cobwebs: not only in your house (part 1)<\/strong>, but also in your body (part 2)<\/strong> and in your head (part 3)<\/strong>. This week, I\u2019ll talk about getting rid of the stuff in your house, next week I\u2019ll talk about getting your body in shape again and the week after, about letting go of all that is stuck in your mind.<\/p>\n Part 1: re- birth of your house.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s no coincidence that we have the tradition of \u2018spring cleaning\u2019, it feels so refreshing to open all the windows, to let in the fresh air, to clean the house, to get rid of all the clutter that has accumulated during winter time (or longer \uf04a). During the winter months, we stay inside, we curl up and sit around the fire, it\u2019s dark, we tend to hoard. Our energy feels rather low, we live inwards and that\u2019s okay, that\u2019s the way nature works. But now, as spring is in the air, it\u2019s time to open up your house, to let in the fresh air, and breathe!!! Do yourself the biggest favor ever and get rid of all the stuff you don\u2019t use, you don\u2019t need, \u2026<\/strong> stuff that is just laying around and eating away your energy.<\/strong> <\/span>You\u2019ll feel so much lighter when all your clutter is gone. One does not realize how much your stuff is blocking your energy, how much your stuff is holding you hostage. Once you realize you can take back your joy of life just by eliminating all the \u2018too much\u2019 in your house, you\u2019ll immediately start throwing out, giving away all the things you do not need. If you want a guide to declutter your life: house, body and mind, step by step, read my book \u201cLess is Yes!\u201d *, it\u2019s a very practical and easy to follow guide. Part 1 is all about simplifying your house. You\u2019ll be so happy to see your house getting cleaner, roomier and you\u2019ll wonder how you survived all these years of living in this suffocating clutter which we so conveniently call cozy cushions, nice souvenirs, pretty decorations, \u2026 It takes courage to start but try it and see how you feel. Once started, you\u2019ll be hooked and you\u2019ll want to continue as the more you make space in your house, the more you\u2019ll feel liberated.<\/p>\n Go room by room, closet by closet, shelve by shelve, \u2026 take everything out, and make a triage**:<\/p>\n Trash<\/em><\/strong><\/span>, which goes out, are all the things that are broken, worn, useless.<\/p>\n Transfer<\/em><\/strong><\/span>, things that are still useful to someone but not to you. Put them all in a box and donate them, or let them get picked up by an organization that helps people in need.<\/p>\n Treasure<\/em><\/strong>,<\/span> things you really need, things that you use, things that actually give you energy.<\/p>\n It seems like a huge task, and it is, but it is so worth it. Decide for yourself how you will get started: half an hour every day, an hour \u2026 or 1 day\/week. Schedule it in your agenda<\/strong>.<\/span> Make it as fun as possible. Put on your favorite music, take a picture before and after, get a buddy to go through the process together\u2026. Whatever works for you. Then enjoy the result, savor every bit of energy you feel flowing again!!! Be proud of every inch you have decluttered! <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n A playful way of getting started<\/strong>,<\/span> as a warming-up if you\u2019d like, is to do the 30-Day Minimalism Game<\/span>***<\/strong>. You get yourself a buddy and you choose a random month to play the game. On day 1 you both get rid of 1 item in your house, take a picture, send it to each other and then get the item out of the house, otherwise you are just re-organizing your clutter. On day 2 you both get rid of 2 items, and so on until you\u2019ve reached day 30 where you both get rid of 30 items. By the end of the month: 465 items will have left your house!!! It\u2019s so much fun to do because sometimes the pictures are hilarious because of the odd items you have kept all those years, and most importantly, you are motivated because you do it together. It\u2019s the perfect warming up to get the \u2018real work\u2019 started and to go over every room, every cupboard, \u2026<\/p>\n Give it a chance because as we are creatures of habit, every change feels uncomfortable at first<\/span>. <\/strong>Be thorough and stick to the 3 T\u2019s: trash, transfer and treasure. Choose just a few pieces that really make you happy, that put a smile on your face, real treasures. If you\u2019re not willing to let go of some items yet, hide them for a few months. Once out of sight, you\u2019ll be surprised how easy you forget about them and then you\u2019ll be able to let them go too. Now that you actually notice<\/em> what is on display, what is in your closet, \u2026 you\u2019ll be able to enjoy it so much more than when an object gets lost in other decorations, in other stuff where you don\u2019t even notice it anymore. Once you\u2019ve experienced for a while, what you like and what is just around out of habit, you can start getting rid of things you never look at, never wear anymore. I love the story of the 3 vases of Courtney Carver****, who is my wonderful mentor on my minimalism path. She had 3 vases in her bedroom which were a wedding gift, and as she was trying out what stuff made her happy and what not, she hid them for 3 months. Then she put them back. Because she knew she had not missed them, she said to her husband, I\u2019ll get rid of those vases, they are just standing here, gathering dust and I don\u2019t get any joy out of them. He said, no, don\u2019t take them away, I\u2019ll miss them. (That\u2019s what happens with gifts: you think you are emotionally attached to them because they were a gift). She asked: did you notice they have been gone for 3 months? And he was flabbergasted, he had not even noticed they had been gone!!! That\u2019s my point exactly, we keep a lot of things just out of habit, because we think we will miss it, but we don\u2019t<\/strong>,<\/span> because we think we have to hang on to them because they were a gift, but we don\u2019t!<\/strong><\/span> Try it! You\u2019ll feel that, once you have less stuff, the energy can flow freely again!<\/p>\n You\u2019ll experience more space.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll be able to breathe more freely. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll actually have room to move around. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019ll be less cleaning. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll feel less exhausted as there is less input<\/span><\/em> because the more stuff you have around, the more visual stimuli you experience.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll feel<\/em> less stress<\/em> because less input<\/em> means less stress, less cleaning<\/em> means less stress, less stuff<\/em> equals less decision-making stress.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll experience more freedom<\/em>!<\/span><\/p>\n Start small, notice how it makes you feel and enjoy every step you\u2019ve made<\/strong>.<\/span> Remember you\u2019ve gathered all your stuff over years and years of time, so be kind to yourself and realize it\u2019s a process, go step by step, go slow but steady. You\u2019ll notice, once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier and easier and it even becomes fun! I promise! One particular closet, may cause you a lot of head ache though \u2026. your wardrobe\u2026 I dedicated a whole chapter in my book* just to this one closet. Again, now, with the weather changing, it\u2019s the perfect time to dig into that massive pile of clothes, shoes, handbags, \u2026. and see what you actually enjoy wearing. Here again: make 3 piles: out, maybe, keep.<\/p>\n Out<\/em><\/strong>:<\/span> everything that does not fit anymore, that is worn, that you never wear. See what you can donate and what goes directly to the trash<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe<\/em><\/strong><\/span>:<\/strong> you can\u2019t decide right now: wear it for one day and tag it: \u2018liked it\u2019 or \u2018did not like it\u2019. The ones you did not like: donate, transfer<\/strong><\/span>, them.<\/p>\n Keep<\/em><\/strong>:<\/span> your absolute favorite items: they fit you, they fit your lifestyle, they make you feel good, hence these are your treasures<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n Especially this closet is a process, try things out, reconsider, get rid of all the \u2018one day I may be wearing it\u2019: if you haven\u2019t worn these clothes for years, you\u2019ll never wear them. Be very aware that you don\u2019t fall into the trap <\/strong><\/span>of: now I have room in my closet, I\u2019ll buy new stuff. You need room so that the energy can flow, you need space in your closet, you need to see all you have in 1 look. Try out what feels good, what you wear and what you don\u2019t wear. If you do need new stuff, keep a rule: 1 in, 1 out or even 2 out. Only then you\u2019ll keep a minimalist wardrobe.<\/p>\n If you want to take it one step further: read Courtney Carver\u2019s Project 333****. She takes it to the next level by choosing 33 items every 3 months. Those are the items you\u2019ll wear for these 3 months. You hide everything else. This is a process you optimize by doing it. In the end you\u2019ll see clearly what you like, what you wear and what you can get rid of because you never pick these items for your \u20183 month-wardrobe\u2019. It\u2019ll make you realize what your favorite things are and that they are all you need. We wear 20% of our wardrobe, 80% of the time<\/strong><\/span>. So, it\u2019s very clear that we can drastically simplify our wardrobe and once you have created your capsule wardrobe, it\u2019s so much fun because all you have in it, fits, and is what you adore wearing. No more frustration!<\/span><\/p>\n Another benefit of a capsule wardrobe is: less to choose from means no more decision-making stress because you actually see all<\/em> the clothing you have and you can\u2019t get it wrong because they are all your favorites. No more decision fatigue!<\/span><\/p>\n Make the decision to simplify your life, make the decision to let the energy flowing freely through your house again. Plan it in your agenda, start the decluttering and enjoy the feeling of lightness that will come over you. Breathe again, feel energetic again, feel fresh and rejuvenated!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Next week, we\u2019ll look at how we can \u2018clean\u2019 our body and get the energy flowing again so that we feel better, lighter, healthier, in better shape. And then, the week after, we\u2019ll clean out our mind, we\u2019ll learn to get rid of all the false beliefs that are keeping residence there!<\/p>\n