Today I started cleansing the STUFF in the boxes in the office.
Surely I am not the only one doing this?
I have plastic boxes holding a plethora of 'stuff' in our office. I am guessing I am not alone here. What do we do with these things? It is a horrible waste to throw the stuff (and the boxes for that matter) away and most don't appear suitable for the charity shops.
Stopping the flow 'in' solves everything!
Being human invites us to grow from experiences. We can either expand our world or contract it. I believe it is our ability to accept 'what is' and 'observe' ourselves that gives us the best viewing platform for growth.
If I was into self-judgement or shame this blog wouldn't be possible, my learning would not happen and sharing it with you would be just a fleeting thought.
Why are we not ok to be human? What has us think there is a higher place to live than where we are right now?
As humans we can only take one step from here. We have choice, don't get me wrong. This is something I am very clear about. But once we make the step towards something, we can only take one at a time. We allow babies to do this when they learn to walk, we let children do this at school... but after a certain period some parents put adult expectations on children and show disappointment when they have learning opportunities (mistakes, errors, poor judgement). What is that all about?!!
I am so happy to learn, grow, share and make mistakes. It has been the greatest asset in my life. From this I find out loads of ways 'not' to do things. And this catapults me towards ways of creating magic in most occasions. I parent this way. I have a completely open learning household where Sammi (12 yrs) can make mistakes, share what she learns etc. Even when she hurts me or others... there is never anger. Instead we talk about it and encourage empathy, understanding and growth.
This was an accidental parenting style that emerged rather than was chosen. It came from me getting angry with her when she was little and I saw it didn't give her anything and didn't expand her. So from that day I took my egoic needs out of the equation and looked at every circumstance with innocence and love.
What has this got to do with boxes... maybe nothing. Unless we decided to put ourselves in one.
Cheers from Deb (chief box head)
Shameless plug - if you are interested in having me as your personal coach drop me an email deb@creativecoaching.com - we can enjoy one step at a time together.
What went out - 2 items
No laughing now... 1 x IPhone 4 cradles for the music player (oh yeah, really needed to keep those!!) and 1/2 packet of paper business cards for the printer...gone-ski!
What came in - 0 items
Zerooooo
INSIGHTS
(1) I'm not a fan of plastic...
(2) Organising with boxes may constrain rather than contain
(3) Self created boxes may be comfortable, but that's as big as it gets
TOTAL: OUT - 808 IN - 116
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
We are fully back into the swing of it again.
More DVDs arrive!!
We got a package in the mail last night. It was another DVD for Jerry. We definitely need to find a solution for the media. We are looking at two options: (1) get them all on a media server and then clear the hardcopies out of the house or (2) put them into these cool sleeves and store them in a draw. The solution will arrive when we are ready. No rush right now.
Time to tackle the stationery
I'm not sure if you are like me but I love stationery. I think it may be the girls equivalent to Bunnings (Home Hardware etc).
I haven't bought much in the last many years but I just love it. I have some boxes in the office (3rd bedroom) that have bibs and bobs in them. I think tonight I might do a box. Perhaps if I do a box a night I can cull this stuff. To be honest I haven't used the things in those boxes for years and years... in fact I don't really remember what is in there.
The good news is I don't buy it anymore...but what is the fascination? Why do quality papers, gorgeous pens, highlighters, tabs, binders, stickers, notepads, etc appeal so much? What is this cellular juice that runs through my body when I am in Office Works?
Bizarre!!
I think I am going to explore this a little. Next time I am near an Office Works store I am going to go in and walk around and see what is going on. Discover what it is that has me get all worked up about this STUFF. It's so odd because it is not like I use it all or need it all. Basically I know I get by with a couple of pens and a notebook. Interesting hey?
Cheers from Deb (o-PEN to change)
What came in - 1 items
A DVD - an oldie but a goodie
What went out - 6 items
Sammi to the rescue. She went through her DVDs and 6 went out. She rocks!
INSIGHTS
(1) I use a small percentage of the STUFF we have
(2) There is something other than 'need' driving decisions
TOTAL: OUT - 806 IN - 116
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
A couple of social events in a row, ok 6 in a row, and BAM I am knocked off my centre. Speaks volumes.
What takes us from our purpose?
We all have honest desires, passions and goals in life. They can be driven from various parts of our character. Regardless of the outcome we get the opportunity to grow.
In my way of seeing life, two parts of us are participating at any given time. There is our true nature, our heart, our higher self...then there is our wounded self which bases its view on experiences of the past.
Knowing this exists in all of us makes it easy to understand self and others.
I like to experiment in life. I like to take on small challenges and see what they reveal. This blog about jumping off the consumerism train is providing the best vehicle to the next level of growth.
Personal insights are the elixir of life. They feed us and enable us to continue along the path of the unknown. Developing personal trust in self and something outside of self expands the playing field of life. Game on people!
Oh NO!! an Op Shop!!!
We walked up the street in Glebe on Sunday morning to pick up some sour dough bread from our favourite baker. Funnily enough we walk past our favourite Op Shop too. LOL... we are hopeless. We didn't even take a second to decide whether we should go in our not. We just colluded beautifully and in we went.
I had a browse however was very aware of the heightened intensity of my experience. My heart was racing, my vision was completely scanning the store for silk, shoes, and treasure of various kinds. It was fascinating.
It's exciting. Not knowing what I may find, what gem I may uncover, what pair of Italian leather, one of a kind, never been worn before high heel shoes I may find on the top shelf!!! OMG... this is so exciting I need a lie down!!!
What is this? Is it something filling me up because life is so empty? Nah! Is it a need to spend money? Maybe. Is it a need to not miss out on something? Getting warmer. Is it a need to have something new which somehow brings a false sense of joy? Hotter. Is it...
Oh dear... interesting hey? It didn't take me long to realise I had just fallen off the wagon and the Indians were surrounding me.
Being honest with myself was a bit difficult. Accepting that this isn't true to do, yet here I am in the store, wasn't easy. I felt disappointed for about a minute until I realised I was aware, that I was able to make a choice now... and so I did.
So I changed my tactic. I stopped shopping for me and I changed my focus to looking for others. I looked at the silk ties for Jerry for work, I looked at the jewellery for my friends and lo and behold I found a great necklace for someone special. I paid $10 for it and know they will love it. It goes away into the box of Xmas presents. I know she will love it and use it and so it won't be considered clutter.
Is this a successful outcome? Hmmm don't know. But what I do know is I had a great opportunity to see my 'addiction' in action. AND how easily Jerry and I collude around consumerism. I also discovered that I don't NEED anything. There was nothing I really needed from that visit. This was a great discovery of reality.
This blog and my commitment to myself to sail this journey for a year is paying me back big time. I expect by the end of the year I won't recognise myself... a common experience over the last 15 years.
Cheers from Deb (still learning on the path)
What came in - 3 items
Op Shop buys: Jerry: 1 shirt and 1 tie / Deb: 1 necklace (Xmas pressie for someone special)
What went out - 3 items
A picture frame I have had for over 20 years and never used, a pair of shoes and a set of paper tabs.
Woohoo!!! We have hit 800 gone-ski items.
INSIGHTS
(1) No matter what we think, say or do, we have the opportunity to learn.
(2) I don't need any 'stuff'
TOTAL: OUT - 800 IN - 115
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
Oh dear... possibly a tsunami level of inward flow at the Jackson house.
You Won't Believe What Came Into The House This Weekend
I enjoyed a lazy morning in bed reading a book... actually, I read through to 1pm and then had a little sleep. Loved it! Meanwhile hubby went off to enjoy his passion at the local DVD store which was closing down... sign of the times hey? It was an opportunity for him to pick up some classics missing from his collection. INCOMING WARNING!!
I didn't realise what this meant until I saw the pile. 36 DVDs made there way into the house. Oh boy!! It started a conversation about moving all the DVDs to an online medium. This would enable us to get ALL the DVDs out of the house. Jerry was saying this was not as easy as it sounds. Time to research me thinks.
In the mean time we may have come up with an interim solution. The issue with the amount of DVDs we have is the space they take up. We have a little home and 300+ DVDs take up quite a lot of space. It may be more than this... have to count them.
The solution we are going to try is to put each DVD in a sleeve and keep the cover art with the sleeve. We will convert a drawers into a DVD storage system like they do at the DVD stores. It will take up so much less space. Don't know exactly how this will work however the end result will be the bulky plastic cases will be gone-ski . One option is something called Discsox. It appears they are high quality sleeves just for this purpose. I will let you know how we go.
This will enable us to take the (somewhat ugly) cabinet out of the lounge room. This will clear the space in readiness for the lounge room makeover we have planned.
What came in - 36
36 DVDs - classics
What went out - 1 items
1 top I don't wear
INSIGHTS
(1) Finding a solution to the things you cherish is fun to do
(2) Piracy creates the need to protect from theft yet hampers all users making copies of items they have purchased. A strange industry.
TOTAL: OUT - 797 IN - 112
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
A quick one today... nothing really to report.
Device Distraction Disorder
I coined this phrase at work when holding meetings and watching people on their devices. I call attention to it as I point to my laptop, my personal iPhone 5 and my work iPhone 6 plus. We all laugh, but the truth is this distraction is disconnecting us from being present.
Distractions are a way to escape the discomforts of life. TV, alcohol, social media etc are all obvious ones. Being aware is the key. Like anything we do in life, awareness helps us navigate with intention.
Which brings me to todays 'Hans Christian Anderson' moment. Where does all the old tech go? In a box in our cupboard of course! You know the box. The one with the cords, old iPhones, broken (just in case) ear-buds, storage devices no one has readers for, floppy discs (no, really?!), and other stuff we don't know what it's used for. Have you got one of those?
Any-who... (change of subject)
The last two nights have been social nights out for us. We loved it. Dinner with great friends, a farewell to a colleague after work and staying in the city overnight results in no gone-ski items for two days. Does this bother me... nah!
We will get back to it.
Have a brilliant day
Cheers from Deb (tired and looking forward to a sleep in)
What went out - 0 items
Zip (a-dee-do-dah)
What came in - 0 items
Naught (ty)
INSIGHTS
(1) No matter how committed you are, a night with friends, good food, fine wine and a sleep over cannot be overlooked as a spectacular excuse not to gone-ski items.
(2) Note to self... SLEEP IN TOMRROW!!
TOTAL: OUT - 796 IN - 76
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
With the digital world changing how we get our information, storage becomes the new bookshelf.
What Books Do I Keep?
Today I was looking at our book cases. I love the look and feel of books. They add warmth to the home and each one holds wisdom and adventure. So what will this look like in 5 years time? What about in 20 years? Will we be all fully online for everything? Then what will happen to all the books in the world?
My thoughts around this involves the constant shifting of storage types. I mean one upon a time we recorded digital media on tape drives, then floppy drives, then CDs, DVDs and now hard drives. Will there come a day when my hard drive will no longer be read by the device and programs I have. Then what? We are already looking at recorded media at our house that is likely not to be read. I have videos of me playing touch football 20 years ago that may no longer play.
Books on the other hand last as long as the paper (based on weather conditions etc). Stories in those books enable us to know cultures, people and events. The cultures we know little about are the ones that have not recorded their stories.
This tells me how little we really know. Makes me see the power of intuition and the travel across all time and space we can do by sitting in stillness to connect with that which we don't know.
So what will we do with our books? I don't know.
For now, I ended up finding 4 books I bought when pregnant that showed you how to unleash your child's genius. They are amazing books. One in particular came from the US and cost (wait for it) $140 to ship. The book was only $15. (clearly I am not over that!!)
From these books, I made a lot of props to support the stimulation of my gorgeous daughters genius. She was reading before she could speak.
So now it is time to get rid of them and the props. I will definitely be putting these on the 'for sale' pile.
As for the rest of the books... not sure what we are going to do with them. Time will tell.
Cheers from Deb (perplexed by the info storage challenges of the future)
What went out - 4 items
Books
What came in - 0 items
Nothing again... (big fat silly smile)
INSIGHTS
(1) The world is in a constant state of flux... changing with it enables growth
(2) It is not the book itself, it is the insights one gets when reading them, that creates value
TOTAL: OUT - 796 IN - 76
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
It only takes 5 minutes a day to get into the habit of clearing out the clutter.
Clearing out is the easy part
Stopping the incoming items is the hardest part. The idiom 'nature abhors a vacuum' explains the tension 'naturally' generated when we deem a space empty. It is about redefining the space.
Is it empty or is it open and clear? What does a clear, clean space mean to you? How does it feel? Where will you put the time you used to invest in moving, cleaning and dealing with the clutter? What passion have you got inside your heart that now can be explored?
A reduction of items coming in has meant a big difference to us. We use our time differently. We use our space differently. We appreciate our things so much more.
This journey is changing our lives in a lovely, slow and permanent way.
Have you been inspired? Share your experience here (my blog's facebook group)https://www.facebook.com/groups/427233054096059/
Cheers from Deb (soaking in gratitude)
What went out - 7 items
One pair of shoes and 6 pieces of clothing from Jerry's wardrobe (his choices)
What came in - 0 items
Nothing again...loving this.
INSIGHTS
(1) The definition of clear space impacts how you use it
(2) Stuff has no value what so ever. The way we use stuff makes it valuable.
TOTAL: OUT - 792 IN - 76
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
When you do a little every day towards a choice in life, things shift permanently.
More space equals more connection
It is incredible to me how this small change have made such a big difference. Last night I was in our daughter's room as she was doing homework. The room felt different. It had more space in it for her to express herself. It looked cleaner even though she was busy with things here and there. It was inviting. It was actually the first time she had done her homework in her room...and the first time I had gone in and worked along side her.
I notice we are using the house differently. When an area is free from clutter it's much more inviting.
I don't know where this will end. Actually as I write this I realise it will never end... like anything we change, it keeps morphing and shifting as we continue to grow into our true expression of self. And as we discover more of ourselves and life, we lift our sights even further on our true (higher) self.
Hope your journey is evolving through your choices and actions...and not through circumstances.
When we are clear on our choices in life AND when we take action towards those choices, shift happens. Small daily actions become massive leaps in achieving an outcome. Ask any author, artist, sports person, academic, etc. You cannot 'cram' life. It just doesn't work that way. And no matter what circumstances occur, how far they bump you off the path, knowing the path and continuing to walk it is all you need to do. The moment you let circumstances guide you, you are at the mercy of everyone else's journey, not yours.
The trick is to be relentlessly dedicated to your choices, your outcome. You will be surprised at how quickly life shifts.. and your heart will start to blossom.
Cheers from Deb (a ponderer of life)
What went out - 1 items
Another loiterer in my wardrobe (what was I thinking...LOL)
What came in - 1 items
Can opener (had to replace our broken, silly billy one)
INSIGHTS
(1) Even the smallest, most modest of homes can be transformed by clean space
(2) Nothing beats spending time with those you love
TOTAL: OUT - 776 IN - 68
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
Why do we keep things we don't use?
It's too good to get rid of it... really?!
Let's explore this logic shall we? We get things and we can see they are beautifully made, good quality, etc. Yet for some reason it is not something we want, need or even like. You know the things I am talking about. That top your mum gave you, the dish you were given for your birthday, that ornament from your friend, that outfit your bought but never wear... the list goes on!
So what do we do?
Most of us keep them because of the sentimental value. Some can't get rid of them because "it's too good to get rid of it"... or "there's nothing wrong with it" or "but aunty Mary gave it to me". The list of reasons go on.
So how do we make the decision? What do we ask ourselves to enable the truest choice?
We could ask one simple question "If I didn't have this, would I buy it?" And if the answer is no, GONE-SKI!!
It's as simple as that. Isn't it? YES?....do I hear you say "but"? Explore your 'buts' there is gold in them there 'buts' folks.
The other side to this equation is of course to stop things coming in. This is a great opportunity to let your family and friends know not to buy you anything that will clog up your home
What if, giving it away helps both you and the person that gets it?
By taking the things out of your home / life that are not there by your choice, you clear the space, you enable other things to be welcomed, you don't carry that 'must, should, have to' energy, you detach from the consumerism story and you find a new sense of freedom.
By giving these things away other people benefit. And it is even better if they are quality items, that are loved etc. Why not make someone else's day by donating these things to people who actually WANT them?
By helping yourself, you help another. Perfect!!
Cheers from Deb (looking beyond the dilemmas)
INSIGHTS
(1) Holding onto items that don't add value to our lives, clogs our flow
(2) People in need would be so joyous to receive items we hoard
What went out - 5 items
3 of my tops, 2 of Jerry's old (too good to get rid of...) sports coats...LOL
What came in - 0 items
Loving this equation...feeling it too
TOTAL: OUT - 775 IN - 67
TOTAL CASH sales from gone-ski items = $48
I decided to do on top of the fridge... it was hilarious!
Take it all off first
My way of de-cluttering is to take it all out first and only put back what I would buy if I didn't already have it - a good principle to work by.
So everything came off the top of the fridge and in the end NOTHING remained... LOL.
The two boxes of spare champagne glasses we have (when the thirty people come for a party), the massive cane tray we have NEVER used, the heart shaped (coated) baking tray and plastic cupcake liners are all going to a better home.
The serviettes, place mats, and hand towels have been put in a more handy place.
The six more empty boxes were added to the gone-ski pile.
What will I put on top of my fridge? Not wine as it is too warm, not anything heavy as it is silly.. how about my cook books? They are currently hidden away in a cabinet...out of sight, out of mind.
Ok...here's what I am going to do. I will find an old wooden box that I can repurpose and put my cook books on top of the fridge. That way I can use them more often and enjoy more cooking with my family... yay!!
What went out - 11 items
6 more empty boxes, a cake tin, 2 trays, an old oil bottle (that would not clean properly), and a set of plastic cupcake cookware.
What came in - 0 items
It is amazing how little interest in shopping I have at the moment. WTF is wrong with me!?!
INSIGHTS
(1) Creating clear space is so refreshing to my soul
(2) There is often a better place to put things
TOTAL: OUT - 620 IN - 48
I was wandering around the house trying to find the next place of focus. I looked up above the pantry in the kitchen....BAM!!
How long have you been there hidden in plain sight? LOL
There were 4 empty wine and beer glass boxes. Now I could argue that I may need them one day to pack up and move, or take them on a picnic, or some other reason to keep them. But the honest truth is, I may never use those boxes again... and all they will ever do is sit there and take up space and create an eyesore. Gone-ski!!
So is keeping the boxes about saving? Saving waste, saving the environment by preventing having to buy another one, saving time by having it available now etc.
Where is the line between useful saving and hoarding where the cost of keeping outweighs the value of letting go?
This is a trap for us all in one way or another. Hoarding (I believe) is the 'need' to keep...just in case. Our 'just in case' reasons are unique to us.
Here's a question:
Does this item constrain me, prevent my freedom, invade our space, take time but give little back, demand energy or distract me from my passions?
or
Does this item expand me, enable my freedom, add to my passion, bring joy to our space, enable a better future, inspire us etc?
It's interesting that is happening at this time of life as I watch my parents having to consider down-sizing. What do they do with all the 'stuff' they have accumulated?
Interesting!
What went out - 4 items
4 wine glass boxes. Aren't they funny things to keep.
What came in - 0 items
Doing great on this now.
INSIGHTS
(1) There are things that have been there all along that I cannot see (as in life)
(2) I don't really NEED much
TOTAL: OUT - 609 IN - 48
