CLEAN UP THE CLUTTER
For my New Years article this month I decided to write about a book that changed my life . I love books that do that . Maybe Iʼll read one once a year that change my thinking patterns and take my life into a new direction . This book did that . Itʼs titled THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TI- DYING UP : THE JAPANESE ART OF DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING by Marie Kondo . It was given to me by a good friend and member of my club at Islands Fitness Center . It totally changed her life and she wanted to pass the revelation on to me which I am now doing with you .
The book is abut clearing the clutter out of your life and living with less . We tend to just accumulate and accumulate and the next thing you know your garage is packed , your attic is packed , your closet is packet and you canʼt even breathe anymore . I know . Iʼve been there and done that . But not anymore . Thatʼs what I mean about changing your life . You need something to come along and kick you in the butt every once in a while to make you say “ What the hell am I doing here .” Well thatʼs the purpose of my article this month and thatʼs what this book will do for you if you approach it with the right attitude .
I had a garage I could barely walk into , an attic stuffed with junk , a bedroom that turned into a storage unit , a walk in closet that I couldnʼt walk into any more and an office that had paperwork and receipts stuffed in my drawers that were dated to the year 2000 . ALL of that STUFF is gone now and I feel GREAT ! All of that STUFF served no purpose other than to make me feel depressed . I had this impression that I always needed to hang on to something for fear that I would need it some day . So I never threw anything away . That fear became a crutch where I ended up having all this crap that I may someday use ..... but never did . It was just crap from the past that kept building up and building up and seemed to prevent me from moving on . The more stuff I accumulated , the harder it became for me to feel I could bring in new things into my life ....... because I didnʼt have room anymore .
My friend lent me her book and I took it camping with me that weekend . I read the book in one day . It was an Ahaaaa moment where I said I have to do this . It just so happened that a few weeks later we were having our yearly garage sale at Quailwood . I never participate in these things . This year I spent several days preparing for the sale , borrowed four tables from a friend and dragged as much stuff as I could find out into the driveway . It was sooo liberating to see stuff go that was hanging around in my house for decades ...... knowing that someone else would put it to good use where I was just hoarding it .
I gathered up all the metal stuff and took it to the metal recycle center off of Fain road . I loaded up my pickup truck and took it to the Grey Wolf dump . Iʼve never been there before . I donated about a dozen bags of stuff to Stepping Stones . I loaded up the dumpster at Islands Fitness Center with stuff I couldnʼt get rid of .
Now I can breathe . Now I can move on with my life . Now I have room to bring new things into my life . I feel light . I feel positive . I feel relieved . This is the change Iím talking about . Itʼs about saying enough is enough . Things need to change . Do it . Start with clearing the clutter and allow real change to enter your life . I wish you a happy and health New Years . You can do the same thing with your health . Just make a decision to change the way things are and sometimes just do the opposite of what you are doing . Start exercising , get off the medications , go vegan ...... lose 50 pounds . See how your world can turn 180 degrees . You just have to decide enough is enough .
The results can be profound .
Gordon Barth is the owner of Islands Fitness Center located at 3155 N Windsong Dr in Prescott Valley . He can be reached at † 928-759-2271 or at gordonbarth @ gmail . com . Visit www . islandsfitness . com for more information .
pccnews January 2017 19