If you have been reading my articles or my book*, you know I am a big fan of simplifying, decluttering, getting rid of all the too much in your life, of all the ‘junk’ in your mind, of making your life as light as possible.
The lighter you make everything: your to-do lists, your worries, your weight, your expectations, …, the more joy, the more sparkle, the more light you’ll experience in life.
It’s always inviting to start afresh, when there is a new year, a new month. Find yourself an accountability partner, someone who supports you without being harsh, and write down what you want to make lighter this month, this year. Once you’ve accomplished this change, you can take on something else next month, or continue with the first one. The most important thing is that it lasts, so don’t take on too much in one month, but slowly buildup towards where you want to arrive. Remember every progress is progress! Consistency is more important than sprinting forward once in a while.
It’s up to you what you want to choose first: decluttering your house*, making your body* healthy and light again, making your mind less of a dungeon where all kinds of dragons and demons are fighting to win being most present in your head.
Decluttering your house or getting your body in shape is something tangible but decluttering your mind is of another level.
It may seem a little bizarre that you can actually declutter your mind, but you can! Just think for a moment about all the stuff that is holding you back, about all the thoughts that make you unhappy, about all the judging you do, about all the things your ego is telling you. Get rid of all the junk in your head as you get rid of all the old stuff gathering dust in your attic: stuff that is no longer useful to you, stuff that fills up space and stands in the way of letting good, useful things come in. In lots of my previous articles here on Medium, or in my book* you will have read about how your mind works, about how the ego, aka the Protective Self, is holding you back in life. I write about it so often because:
It’s essential that you understand how the mind works because:
It is the only way to learn how to make yourself happy.
It’s the only way to be the creator of your life, to be the victor instead of the victim.
I believe it is high time to start decluttering your mind so that you can start having the life YOU want. The same way you decluttered your house**, you are now going to take a closer look at all that is stored in your mind so that you can decide what to keep and what to chuck. Our subconscious mind *** is the storage facility of all we’ve been through, of all we’ve learned, of all we’ve seen in life. And we pay a high rent for it! Too high! We feel unhappy, we feel drained, we feel frustrated, …and it can even make us physically ill too. Let’s see what is in your ‘storage facility’, your subconscious mind, so that you can make space, so that you can have less useless clutter and ‘pay’ less.
- Limiting beliefs.
We dream of getting this particular job, we would really like to learn how to play the guitar, we go to an art museum and wish we could paint, …. we wish, we dream, … but we are convinced it’s out of our league. That job? ‘Who do you think you are?’, says the Ego. Playing the guitar? ‘You’re not a musician’ that little voice is whispering. You want to start painting? ‘You have no talent’… we all hear that little, nagging, very annoying, and sometimes very loud voice in our head. That’s our Protective Self. Why is it there? It’s there to ‘protect’ us, to keep us in our comfort zone, to prevent us from taking risks. And when we’re talking about dangerous things, it’s a good thing that there is a voice inside of us who keeps us out of harm’s way. How did it get there? Education, experience, maybe even a one-time experience. Maybe a teacher once said you would never be successful, maybe a parent did not appreciate your first outings of musical talent, maybe a friend, family member, sibling, …. somebody, once told you what is dangerous, or that he or she thought you were no good at something, and it got stuck in your mind. It is still stuck in your subconscious mind. And again, when it’s something that will keep you safe, it’s a good thing it’s stuck in your mind but when it’s something that is holding you back, something that keeps you from trying new things, from going for your dream job, from going after your dream, then you have to get rid of it. Those limiting beliefs, those thoughts, definitely go on the Trash pile*.
Now that you know, you don’t have to listen to that little, but oh so loud and never stopping, voice in your head, you are free! When you want to try something, you just tell that voice, your Ego, aka Protective Self: ‘Thank you for having protected me my whole life, but I don’t need you saying this anymore.’ Learn whatever it is you want to start learning, enroll in whatever class you want to give a try. It’s important not to be angry at that voice otherwise you’ll be on a low vibrational frequency and you’ll attract**** more negative stuff. To try out new stuff, to be a creator, you need to be on a high vibrational frequency. Clear out the limiting beliefs and enjoy the space you are creating in your mind, space that you can fill with new experiences, with the belief that you are the creator of your life! Enjoy that feeling of freedom, of lightness, of possibilities!
- Opinions of other people.
We hear opinions everywhere, at home, in school, at work, from friends, from family, … and when you are a kid, you just accept what you hear as being true. Now that you are an adult, you get to choose your own opinions. Therefor you have to become quiet and listen to what your heart is telling you. Do you agree with what you’ve always believed to be true? Maybe yes, and that is okay, then you just keep that opinion as being yours. But a lot of the opinions will feel ‘off’ to you, your heart does not agree and those are the opinions you have to let go of, they’re not yours so, out they go. Again, you are creating space for what YOU believe in, for what your heart feels is right. Those beliefs will make you happy, and feeling happy makes you feel energetic and light! The more energy you feel, the more you will be able to create your own life, your own happiness.
- Get rid of the 5 lies of your Ego*****.
Your Ego has you trapped in a very narrow-minded life, it keeps you in a cage and as long as you do not let go of those lies, you won’t be free. Once you let them out of your subconscious mind, you are free to live YOUR life, according to YOUR dreams. The 5 lies are:
– I am what I have
– I am what I do
– I am what others think of me
– I am who I know
– I am all alone
I am what I have: Once you start decluttering, you’ll realize stuff does not make you happy, on the contrary, it drags you down. You’ll finally realize that stuff does NOT define you, and you’ll be finally free of the lie ‘I am what I have’. That is so liberating!!! You will finally feel free. Stuff will not own you anymore. You’ll feel lighter than you’ll ever felt before.
I am what I do: The same goes for what you do in life. Your profession is so often chosen by what society considers to be ‘a good job’. But are you happy in your job? Is it what you’ve always dreamt of doing in life? Or is your motivation money driven, title sensitive? Do what you love! Do what your heart says will make you happy. You are not your job-title, you are who your heart says you are.
I am what other people think of me: The 3rd lie is about you letting your life be dictated by what other people think, by what their opinions are, by what society dictates them to think about you. What other people think of you, is none of your business, it’s theirs! Maybe it’s their opinion or it’s the lies of their Ego that are telling them what to think of you, but anyway, it has nothing to do with you. You can never be what everybody would like you to be, as we all like different things. Be yourself! Some people will like you, and some won’t. Your life will become a lot easier, happier, simpler, lighter, when you finally start being yourself. When you live as who you truly are, you’ll attract like-minded people and you won’t have to pretend anymore, you’ll feel finally ‘home’, you’ll feel finally free. Once you’ve cleared out that lie, there is room to be you, room to be happy!
I am who I know: As long as you keep frequenting people because of what they do, because of what they have, because of who they know, … you’ll be living a lie. You clutter your mind with ‘thinking you belong’, with ‘figuring out ways how to fit in’. As long as you do not frequent people because you feel connected to them with your heart, but because of who and where they are on the social ladder, you’ll feel empty. Get rid of that lie too and feel the pressure falling away as you do not have to pretend anymore, you do not have to live their lives anymore. You are finally free, there is finally room to be you.
I am all alone: As long as you see yourself as a separate being, as an individual who is not connected to anyone, you will feel alone. Let go of that thought too. We are all one, we are all connected, we are all created from the same Source, called Love, so we can never be alone. This planet is our home. The more we realize we are all living here together, and the more we take care of each other and of every living creature here on our planet, the more we’ll feel connected, happy, belonging to this same planet Mother Earth.
Declutter you mind, let go of all that does not serve you anymore, make space for what your heart is telling you. Free yourself of what others think, do, say. That is all about them and has nothing to do with you. Be the creator of your life. Train your mind, train your ‘mental muscles’*** to think positive thoughts, train your mind to believe in the goodness of all, and you’ll see your life changing. What you think, determines how you feel. Be willing to feel good, create the space to feel good and you will feel good. It’s all in your mind and you are the master of it.
Good luck in decluttering your mind, and make sure that from now on you only let positive, helpful thoughts take up space in your ‘attic’.
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Katrien
*”Less is Yes!” by Katrien Degraeve.
**”Spring! Everything awakens”, by Katrien Degraeve.
***”The Trouble Is, It’s All Up To You, The Good Thing is, It’s All Up To You”, by Katrien Degraeve.
****”The Law Of Attraction Series” by Esther and Jerry Hicks.
*****”The power of Intention” by dr. Wayne W. Dyer.