When your life begins to resemble a messy closet, the first place to begin is in the closet. To a great extend, more than you may want to realize or admit, messy lives begin with messy closets. We all have one or more, so begin there. Oh, I know, you don't have enough time, or enough energy, etc. etc. but force yourself to make this small beginning and it may reap large rewards in your life!
You know which one it is, the worst one, the nightmare closet. Sneak up on it in the middle of the night, if you must, but just do it! Open that door carefully and start pulling things out. When the closet is empty and everything that was in there is laying in piles around you, you may feel like screaming and you will certainly wonder why you let this silly article talk you into such a mess, but STOP! Realize this is a necessary step on a new path, a valuable lesson to be learned in the schoolhouse of life and it really can make a difference.
Begin to examine all the stuff that is in your piles and start to categorize it. Organize it into 3 piles:
- KEEPERS - I absolutely cannot and will not live without these items
- MAYBES - I really don't know if I need this or not, but I feel reluctant about letting it go
- LOSERS - I never really liked or had a need for this item and I can't wait to get this stuff out of my life
Start with the KEEPERS and carefully put those things back into your closet. Do it carefully and neatly. Remember this exercise is really about straightening out your life, you are learning how to decide what really matters to you and what doesn't. You should now have lots of extra space in your closet, if you don't, maybe you should re-sort those piles again.
Next, carefully look over each of your MAYBES. Let yourself feel the nostaligia, remember the time when you bought or acquired it, who you were with and why you though you just had to have it, you may even remember what you paid for it. Sometimes you may hold onto a no longer useful item because it represents something or someone in your life. Once you have become reacquainted with those items in this way, you may find that there are some you really need to put into the closet with the other KEEPERS and you may be willing to add others to the LOSERS pile. Do that now!
CAUTION! Don't throw anything away just yet! As a former antique dealer and junk collector extraordinare, I can assure you there is someone out there that might pay you for your unwanted stuff. I am going to show you how to turn some of that stuff into CASH!
Take all the remaining MAYBES and LOSERS and spread them out in the middle of the living room floor. DO NOT put them somewhere else, like the garage or in a spare room. That would make it too easy to end this exercise right there and that is not the purpose. Next, get some boxes, paper and a pen. Make a list of each of these items before you pack it into a box, only then can it be put into that spare room, garage or other temporary storage place. Once you have accomplished all that with just one closet, you will hopefully be inspired to do the same with all of your closets, maybe you will even want to graduate to cupboards or drawers or to that biggest nightmare of all...the garage!
As you clean out and organize these spaces, let yourself feel a sense of accomplishment and pride when you have completed these tasks. Let it represent a new beginning for you. When you have cleaned out even just one closet, know that you can use that very same process in every area of your life. Begin to let your mind toy with this idea, start to be hopeful that there is a way to clean up any mess in your life. Make a list and decide which areas in your life are the KEEPERS, the MAYBES and the LOSERS. It may even be necessary to do that with some of the people in your life.
Once you have made your list of items from just that one closet or of all the closets in your life, study the list and think about each item as a possible source of cash. Turn to the yellow pages and look under used items, it is simply amazing what people are eager to buy; used clothing, used records, used audio & video equipment, used sporting equipment, used baby furniture, clothing or toys, there are stores and even franchises now that are looking to purchase your used goods. Be ingenious in your search for places to place your stuff! (Sorry, you probably won't be able to find a taker for your ex-mother-in-law!)
Organize your boxes of stuff according to value or categories, do some research, make some calls and see who might be interested in your discarded stuff. eBay is always a good option and a quick way to make some extra bucks. Once you have attempted to peddle the best stuff in this manner, then take all the rest and have a garage sale or donate it to your favorite charity for a tax donation.
Always keep in mind that things come into our lives for a purpose whether it is material goods, experiences or people. Once these things are no longer needed, thank them for their service and be willing to let them go. Being willing to let things go opens up space for new and perhaps more valuable things to come into your life. You can reap great benefits from cleaning out your messy closets - you may just find a way to do some straightening out of your life!
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