MMP Episode 53  Uncluttered Is A Great Way To Have Room For New Energy

Welcome!

Welcome back to Magnetic Me! I'm Marcie Robinson, and I'm excited you're here today. I hope you're well and that you're looking forward to better times ahead. Let's jump into this episode because you may be inspired to make friends with that Mr. Clean guy by the end of it. 

Who else loves de-cluttering?

There's been a lot of talk in the last couple of years in the manifesting community about decluttering. There's a good reason for it, but I promise this tactic is nothing new there. It's something I've been doing for decades as a manifesting technique both physically and energetically. I even have an in-progress story to add about my own home today. I'm somebody who's super into organizing things. Yes, I kinda wanna be besties with Marie Kondo. And being a design fanatic long before it was trendy (the collection of interior design classes that I've completed over the years can attest to that), I routinely spent and still do spend time study spaces, furniture, accessories, and the stuff that makes a room both pretty and functional. And I love to arrange and sometimes re-arrange things, so they work better. That means I can certainly vouch for decluttering. Yes, it probably sounds like I'm as exciting as that can of tuna fish you have that's been sitting on a shelf in your pantry for months. Maybe I am a bit boring for some, but organizing is fun to me, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment. It helps me feel like I'm on top of things, which helps me when I may not be so on top of things, and that's empowering. When I have a tidy, clean, and ordered space, I'm inspired to possibility, and that's what happens to appeal to my sense of aesthetic as well.

For a few years, I've been trying to convince my husband that we need to get rid of two boxy closets in our front hall and outfit the entrance with a proper mud area. We've raised four kids in our home, and in normal times, we love to entertain. It's been extremely annoying to me to have kids jammed right in front of the door when coming in in a group, taking off muddy shoes, wet boots, and leaving them for the next person to trip over. Or jostling each other and getting pushed into the wall leaving dents in some cases when trying to leave all at that same time. Never mind greeting or saying goodbye to our guests. 

And for somebody who routinely teaches others about mindset in manifesting, I admit that one of my challenges has been how I've thought about those two closets. Over time I've kept catching myself thinking about them as the bane of my existence or just a real pain in the rear. On the few occasions I've mentioned them to other people, some have tried giving me a reality check, saying they'd love to have just one closet by their front door, never mind two.

What I don't think they understood is the feeling of frustration I felt each time one of my kids would open the closet door and chuck a jacket, a backpack, or assortment of other food, toys, or gear there as quickly as possible and shut the door before a mountain of random things ended up on the floor right in front of the main door into the house. Worse yet, when they'd leave it open and walk away. And if you're wondering, yes, I taught them how to use a clothes hanger, and I've talked until my throat is sore about the importance of taking care of one's things and being at least somewhat organized. It's sure not rocket science. But kids are often lazy or in too much of a hurry to get to other things. So on the days when I'd get all determined to get it cleaned up and tidy, I'd end up spending way more time and emotion than I should have needed to just to have it looking like an actual closet. That means I was cleaning that sucker out once a week. I swear I'd end up throwing out what seemed like a week's worth of grocery money in science experiments by way of uneaten lunches, which never helped matters. When I was alerted by the school that books had not been returned or homework was missing, I always knew where to look. Despite all kinds of organizational tools and methods that I tried in there over the years, the closets just weren't as useful as I'd have liked them to be. 

A breath of fresh air!

So when my handy husband got out of bed instead of sleeping in a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday morning and started removing jackets that hadn't seen the light of day in far too long, and some apparently lost footwear left behind by some kid or other, I was delighted. Both of our older kids left stuff behind when they moved out that they never collected, and some of it had made a comfy home in those two closets. When I asked him what he was doing, he looked at me and asked me if I was positive about this idea. I told him I was and assured him that I could make much better use of the space and utilize it to its full potential. Then he got out his tools and proceeded to remove those two closets. When he was finished, he admitted that our front hall had never really lived up to his expectations in the previous form either. So now that we have this cavernous front hall, he's put down some new flooring, and we've drawn up plans that both of us can agree to for my much-loved future mud area.

The difference is made in the light that shines in at the front, and our home's fresh, new energy is felt in other rooms of the house too. It's lighter, it's brighter, and it feels so much better. The sensation of blocked-up energy that I had each time I entered our home is now gone. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing more of what we need most often clearly and building in great, practical storage for what isn't so pretty to look at.

To de-clutter or not to de-clutter? (Pssst, do it).

So let me ask you this. When was the last time you decluttered something? Maybe you're the type who likes to live minimally, and you don't have stuff jammed up anywhere. But if you're like most of us, there are probably a few things you could get rid of, and it could help you with manifesting what you want. Whaat? 

We all want our home to be a haven for us at all times. We want to feel good there, and we also want to feel safe. It's a place to kinda hide out from the outside world when it gets to be too much for us. We should be able to go indoors to our sanctuary to clear our heads, smooth out the rough edges of the day, breathe easier, and to manifest with joy and positive expectations there. 

Having a home that's free of too much old, not-needed stuff and too much negativity will help us in many ways. Keeping our home nice and feeling like our favorite refuge is a great way to practice self-care. It can;

• Give us less distraction and more time to spend on things that are important to us.
• Peace with letting go of energy we don't need so we can breathe easier.
• The space to rest and feel relaxed and rejuvenated.
• The freedom to spend more time the way we want to.
• The security we need to dream about who we want to be in the future.
• The presence of mind to experience what's important right now. 

Here's how to get new energy in your space for manifesting:

I realize my story about my front hall is a bit extreme for a lot of people. Maybe you can't just go knocking down walls. Chances are, though, that if you made it a goal to start decluttering, you could free up some much-needed space to usher in the type of energy that you want to have surrounding you. The universe loves to fill a void with something new as quickly as possible. That's part of the reason why cleaning and decluttering is a great manifesting tool to use. Let me give you a few other things to think about here as well:

• When you've got a lot of stuff around you taking up space, it can create those blocks I was talking about both literally and figuratively. Not-so-great emotions tied to memories that certain objects can trigger can make you feel restrained or like it's hard to move. When you feel like you're boxed in, you probably are in more ways than one. If there's so much around you that it's distracting to you, then you know what I mean. Everything you have in each space of your home lends to the atmosphere you build there. 

• One of the enemies of manifesting is having to put too much effort into things. The more stuff you've got means you're going to have to put in that much more effort to take care of it. That's a lot of physical and mental exertion that could be used to create more of what you actually want. 

• If your things aren't organized, or you just have too many to keep them that way, it will create stress. The last thing you want to feel is stressed. All sorts of negative emotions will come from that, and you don't wanna go there.

So I completely suggest trying this at home, especially if you've been working on a goal and you feel stalled out somehow. I'm not saying to go complete Marie Kondo. You don't have to start throwing everything out. The idea is to create a space that you love. Let's be honest, some of us have a lot of sentimental attachment to things that we've been given even if we don't love the look of them so much. Now I don't want you to give up anything that represents something important to you. However, if you've got stuff that your ex, who you never want to see again, gave to you, now is as good a time as any to get rid of it. Luckily we're in a digital age where we can easily take a photo of physical objects and maybe write out why it was it was important to us in the first place. You could start a digital diary if you wanted to if you're afraid that you'll lose good memories. So let me give you a few guidelines to make it a bit easier if you might get stuck. 

1. Because starting somewhere is really important here you have to decide where to start. For lots of us, we'll have one or two spaces that are already kinda driving us a bit crazy. If you don't know where to dig in, find a time where you're not super tired to walk around your home and try using your senses to feel out dead or negative energies. Try seeing your home through the eyes of someone who's never been there before. Look for areas that seem heavy or out of place. If it doesn't feel good in a particular spot, then put it on a list of places to clean up or clear out. 
2. If there's furniture there, you can't move by yourself, that's okay, just wait for a time when you might be able to get some help from a friend or a loved one but ask for the help asap. Arrange it to ensure it gets done. Then move onto a spot on your list that you can work with by yourself. 
3. Get an empty box or two and something like old newspapers if you have any to protect what you might put in there if you've got a lot of breakables. Make sure you have your cell phone charged and nearby or a camera ready. Also, have some sticky notes and a pen. Have those things handy before you get going. 
4. When you start working in an area, remove everything that's there and give it a good cleaning. Removing dust, wiping things down, shining up things up, or a good vacuum can do wonders. 
5. Then evaluate each thing that you're going to put back there. Ask yourself if this thing fits in with your vision of who you want to be in the future. If it does, or if you just really love it for some reason, give it a quick dusting or cleaning if necessary and put it where it fits best. But if not, and you feel okay getting rid of it, put it in that empty box.  
6. If it's something you're not sure of, whether you want to let go of or not, take a photo. Then write on a sticky note to go with it why it's important to you. Set it aside or in a box that you'll add other hard to let go of items too. Make sure you label the box when it's full.
7. When you're finished with an area, stand back and look at it with an objective view. Does it look better? Are you pleased with it? You probably will be, but if you've put something in one of those boxes that just needs to be there for some reason, go ahead and put it back. This a process, and it's not perfection.
8. Don't delay getting rid of things that you don't want anymore in the best way possible. If you pick it up and it's not resonating with you, it's not for you anymore.
9. When you're done, take your cell phone or camera and upload pictures with the sticky note explanation you put with your things to your computer, a USB, or an online journal if you have one. If you'd rather, you can make a photo album or even use one of those services to take your photos, put them in a book for you and send it to you. And you can keep those sticky notes and add them to the book! 
10. Put the box with the hard to let go of items somewhere where you won't see it for a period of time; you'll specify for yourself how long it will be (I'd do it within 90 days). When the time is up, without looking first, see if you can even remember what's in the box. If not, consider giving it away or get rid of it in the best way you can.
11. Look for opportunities to group similar things that you need to keep or you want out in your home, so they're tidy, look good, and you know where to find 'em. Revisit your decluttering goals next year at the same time. 

These steps can be applied to all rooms in your home, including that home office. Think of how much more productive you could be there with a nice, clean desk. What about the kids' rooms? That's a great excuse to make sure they're clean and that kids are learning to take responsibility for their things. And it can also be applied to other areas of your life, like that bursting at the seams closet or your bank account. Think about that one! Not to mention your love life. Remember when I mentioned clearing out the things your exes gave you? Yeah, you've got to make room for something new and better, and this is a great way to do it.

 Wrap up

But this isn't the only way to create space and circulate new and exciting energy. Next week, I'll continue the topic of decluttering by talking about how to refresh your energy and make space within yourself for the good stuff you want to attract.

Don't forget to find me on Facebook or Instagram and let me know how you're doing with your decluttering! 

Feel better now and manifest more! Join The Awesome Energy Amplifying Coaching!

 In the meantime, start asking yourself what you actually need in your home to be happy. Once you've decluttered and made space to feel free, it will feel good, and you'll naturally Get Your Shine ON. The world is always a better place when you do! Until next time, take care, and I'll be thinking about you. 

Thanks to Kevin MacLeod and incompetech.com for the use of the music, "On My Way," in our podcast episodes. You can find more musical selections at www.incompetech.com.