It’s all the rage to declutter your home. We’re all out there finding what sparks joy ala Marie Kondo so we can reset our lives by banishing physical clutter. She’s incorporating mental health into the mix - but it’s still only attached to physical objects.
What do we all need? A little mind decluttering so we can get out of our own way and create space for the positive goodies life has to offer us. If we never get rid of the garbage taking up space in our minds, we’ll never have room for the positive vibes.
Spring clean that mind. Make space for improved thoughts and goals.
It’s Time to Spring Clean Your Mind
I know you’re thinking “great idea Acelli, but how the hell do I ‘spring clean’ my mind?” I’ll be transparent, my friends: it isn’t easy. It’s going to require a bit of work and it will take a bit longer than one day, or a long weekend, like when you spring clean your house. You may even need to stop for a bit, and restart. It’s all a part of the process. So take a deep breath and let’s dig deep into it:
Avoid Perfectionism
Perfect doesn’t allow progress. Whatever you’re doing, do it the best you can, but be okay with throwing out the concept of perfection. If you focus on things being perfect, you’ll never move forward and be able to get out of your own way. Don’t clutter your mind with ideas of perfection.
Let Go of Past Mistakes
So you made a few mistakes, or a lot of mistakes. We’re all human and living our lives the best way we know how. Let those mistakes go and lose that mind clutter. This may hurt to learn but….. You’re going to always make mistakes. It’s what it means to be human.
Break Old Habits & Create Better Habits
Our habits make us, or they break us. If you’re going to clutter your brain you might as well break the old habits out of your mind, and create better habits to clutter your mind!
Touch Upon Your Weaknesses
Touch upon your weaknesses so you can improve the skills you’re lacking. It’s a great opportunity to understand how to improve yourself for the better. It’s not okay to beat yourself up over weaknesses.
Never clutter your mind with negative talk about what skills and abilities your weak on - touching upon them is just that: touching upon them, writing them down and creating a plan to work on those weaknesses to turn the table and make them strengths!
Take Stock of Your Strengths
Don’t roll your eyes at this one. So many of us clutter our minds with what we don’t think we’re good at, or good in. It’s time to shift those thoughts out of our minds, and continue to speak about our strengths with others and with ourselves. Yes, list out your strengths and read them to yourself every day. Clutter up that mind with your amazing strengths.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
One of the worst things we clutter our minds with is comparisons. Humans. We’re always looking at other people and their journeys in order to see if we’re successful. The best thing to do is let that sh*t go. Stay in your own lane, put your blinders on, and understand every person has a unique journey. It doesn’t serve us to compare our journey, or our place in our journey, to another person’s journey or place in their journey.
More often than not, we clutter our minds up with comparisons and it keeps us from reaching our own goals and it also makes us crappy friends, or fellow humans. Why? Our lives are so cluttered with competing and comparing that we forget to celebrate their wins. That’s the kind of positive vibes we want to put out into the world, because we attract the kind of energy we’re putting out into the world. Let the comparisons and competition go - no more negative clutter.
Get Out of Your Own Way
Now that you’ve done the spring cleaning, let’s get you out of your own way with a plan of action! Start by writing your goals down. Prioritize the goals and create actionable steps to achieve the goals. Then set deadlines, because without a date attached to the actionable step, it’s just a dream.
Part of getting out of your own way is celebrating when you finish a certain set of steps towards your goal. Embrace showing yourself how proud you are of what you’ve accomplished! It’s also important when you hit a snag in the plan, that you not give up. Ask for help, or re-work the steps, and never allow these challenges to keep you from important goals.
Stop Making Excuses
We all have similar excuses:
There’s not enough time in my day
I have no money
No one wants to help me/support me
Let’s cut the nonsense. We all know if we want something, we have to put the work and time into it. It often requires throwing some money into it, too. If you seriously want to make changes, or achieve goals you’ll have to stop making excuses.
Focus on what matters, and adjust your schedule accordingly. If the things you are doing aren’t helping you reach your goals, stop doing those things. It’ll free up a ton of your time! It’s okay to move slowly, it is not okay to stand still.
Sometimes You Need Help Decluttering Your Mind
When we’re attempting to grow and find success, the people we think would want to support us, don’t actually support us. Sucks, but there’s not much you can do about it. You can change how people think, feel, or behave. It’s often best to bring in professional assistance when you’re trying to get out of your own way and find a better life for yourself. That’s where I can help. Give me a call to see if we’re a good fit to work together.