What is it that makes us have the urge to hoard so many things and then have such a difficult time parting with them when they have outlived whatever usefulness they may once have had? Are we hanging on to old memories? Is it the fear that we will throw something away that could have a dramatic impact on our lives? Maybe it is just an inability to know where to begin. If you decide to finally clear out your storage or garage, you may seek the services of a Hoarding Sanitation Cleanup company.
Focus on the here and now
According to Feng Shui expert Karen Kingston, when we hold on to old papers we do not allow ourselves to create space for new ideas to come into our lives. Think about your house. Are there stacks of newspapers and magazines sitting in a corner? Bills stuffed into drawers around the house? Book shelves filled to the brim leaving no room for your current inspirations? Photographs piled in boxes collecting dust that you haven’t looked at in years? Let the energy and new ideas flow by ridding yourself of a past that is no longer relevant. Start afresh and open yourself to new ideas. This is how we learn and grow. Start today. Lighten up and feel free.
Well read
Step by step, begin to rid yourself of the weight. Start with your books. They have helped you to develop your views on life. They have inspired you and been there to comfort you. Feng Shui disciples would say that when you have too many books on your book shelf you become set in your ways. Are you becoming set in your ways?
Go through all of the books you have in your home. Really assess them. Those you will never read, no longer have a use for – like old textbooks – or have just outgrown should be donated to a charity shop or library. Give some of your favourite books to your friends. Share your wisdom. Keep some of those books that truly reflect who you are now, but make space for who you will become.
Make it a rule of the household that newspapers are recycled daily and that magazines can only stay during the life of the issue. Make ideas books. When you read through magazines and newspapers, take out the information that inspires you and save it in your own personal reference system. Even your ideas books should be edited every so often to make way for new inspiration. Yesterday’s news is old hat.
Photographic memory
Can you feel the blocked energy flowing? How often do you look at all of your old photographs, stuffed in drawers, shoe boxes and albums?
Not often, if you are like me. I am going to begin today to get rid of the past and keep only those memories that I want to keep with me. I will vow to put lots of my photographs in picture frames – which can be placed around the house – and the rest in albums, to make them more accessible both to myself and to visitors.
The same is true for sentimental journeys from your past. Don’t feel guilty about getting rid of all those letters and birthday cards that you never look at. Keep the ones that truly mean something and clear the way for memories yet to be made. Don’t wallow in sad memories of the past. Move on with life and enjoy the present.
Save the planet
So many items in the modern home, from paper and cardboard to bottles and tins, can be thrown into OCC recycling. It’s the only way to go and gives you a positive reason to clear away the inessentials from every area of your life. Load all your old paper, plastic, bottles and cans into boxes and take them down to the local recycling bins whenever you need to. While you book the commercial dump truck service you can check with them which materials they can recycle – followed by asking the same thing to your local council. You may find that even the majority of your kitchen waste can be recycled to make a wonderfully rich compost.
Knowing that you are helping the environment is often enough motivation for you to edit all your papers regularly. Most forms of paper can be recycled, although they should be separated into colours and types before being placed into the correct recycling bin. Again, check the procedure with your council.
