clearing out the clutter

Getting rid of the rubbish feels like an important part of the process I'm going through. Recently, I've had this - at times - overwhelming urge to just 'get rid'. To get rid of all the unnecessary 'stuff' that has been getting in the way of what's important. So while I'm now making plans to get shot of all the unnecessary junk that has accumulated in various corners of our house, I can sense that I'm also going through a similar process inside my own head.

This is about ‘getting out of my own way’. I have long been in the habit of placing unnecessary and harmful demands on myself - demands which really only help me to avoid doing what’s truly important. I’ve always tried to busy myself with lots of things - with pretty much everything, in fact. In my (largely successful) efforts to become an ‘all rounder’ - choosing a career in marketing is perhaps a case in point - I had to suppress my far more natural desire to focus and become absorbed in something I love.

So this critical time - this time which cannot be rushed, in depression - is enabling me to find out what I need to get rid of, and what I want to change or keep in my life. I realise I can’t just chuck everything out or stomp through everything in hobnailed boots, tempting though this may be in time of despair. I need to take the time to sift through the debris of my former life, understand why it was there in the first place, see what purpose it serves now (if any), and move on.

Above all, I should take this opportunity to remove the pressure that this gradual accumulation of detritus has brought about, and give myself some space. I need to simplify, simplify, simplify. Where there’s focus and single-mindedness, there’s room for the flowers to grow and flourish. Where there’s compromise, conflict and confusion, the path is overgrown with weeds. It’s all about making choices, really. But these choices can be hard and I might need to be very determined once they're made, so I need to make them at the right time, at a pace that feels comfortable.

Less truly is more, and where there’s concentrated energy, there’s strength and power.