Many of the clients with whom I work desire a ‘fresh start’ and decluttering their home is part of that process.
The fresh start could be due to any number of reasons but common ones are:
- Getting married or starting a new relationship
- Coming out of a relationship or through a divorce
- Moving to a different life stage such as having children, children leaving home or retiring
- Being diagnosed with or recovering from an illness
- Moving home
- Changing jobs or leaving a job
- Having a shock, a scare or a life event that makes you reevaluate things
- Having therapy
There are SO many opportunities for fresh starts throughout the year:
- The New Year – often a time for planning how we want the year ahead to go and where we want to be by the end of it.
- Spring time. The change of season brings with it a sense of feeling renewed and it can trigger us to ‘spring clear’ life.
- Summer holidays. By taking some time out or going on holiday, this can be a time when we get some head space to take stock of our lives.
- September – back to school for the kids can mean a change in routine and a desire to do things differently before the end of the year.
The truth is – we have an opportunity to make a fresh start EVERY DAY. One of the joys of life is that we know (with as much certainty as we know anything) that every morning the sun will rise and a new day begins again. With this, brings renewed possibility and a new chance for fresh start. Ban the words ‘one day’ or ‘some day’ from your vocabulary – if you want to make a change, then start today!
Of course, a fresh start, isn’t just one decision or one change – it’s hundreds, if not thousands of them. But In order to start the chain reaction needed for a true fresh start, there are certain things which make a GREAT START to the fresh start:
Reach out to someone new
Some people enter our lives and make a massive impact. It could even feel like they were ‘sent’ from somewhere to help us. But we don’t need to be passive in the process! Reach out to someone completely new and see where it takes you. This could be making a new friend (social media makes it so easy to connect with people and from there it’s not so scary to ask them to meet for a coffee) Or you could ask someone to collaborate with you to make a project, business idea or event happen. Or you could ask someone you admire to mentor you. Combining your skill set with those of others is so powerful.
Let go of what other people think
This mindset is pretty vital if you want to make any sort of change. There could be resistance from others in your life, simply because many are scared of change – if they see someone else changing, they fear that they may be expected to….or they fear the fact it’s making them question their current situation. Accept that we all have different opinions and that’s ALL they are – opinions, not fact. Ask yourself what life would be if you didn’t worry about what anyone else thought – the person best qualified to make a decision about you is YOU.
Outsource your weaknesses
The drawback with this is it may require some kind of financial outlay. But it could be the best investment you ever make. Outsourcing can buy you the results you want, cleanly and easily. For example, you might employ a cleaner which buys you time as well as results. Or an accountant to save time, money in the long term and for peace of mind. If you want to move house to make a fresh start but are put off by the scale of the task, then hiring a Removals company will enable you to move without the hassle of doing it yourself. You could employ someone else to give you motivation, focus, structure and by proxy, results – like a personal trainer or life coach. Forget the idea that you ‘should’ be able to do it on your own. The truth is hardly anyone can – that’s why these industries exist, so use them.
Be a captain not a fatalist
The likelihood of your fresh start being successful largely depends on your mindset. If you believe you are the captain of your own ship, then you believe you are in control of your destiny (at least mostly) so you have the confidence to make the decisions needed to move across the stepping stones towards your goals. But if you’re a fatalist, you believe life is mostly out of control and it’s all down to something bigger and more powerful than you. Decide you’re a captain – it’s the positive and empowering option.
I’d love to hear about any fresh starts you’ve made or would like to make. What are your insights or challenges? Find out more about getting professional help with decluttering and organising your home.