"One’s own self or material goods, which has more worth?"

Our American culture has many great aspects to it, like we're known for being outgoing, friendly and optimistic but on the flip side we are also known for working too many hours, eating too much food and possessing too many things with none of these habits yielding very positive results. In fact, if we're really honest with ourselves, are those long hours spent at work leaving us feeling happy and fulfilled or stressed out, overwhelmed and exhausted? Are the amounts of food we're eating making us healthy and strong or making us obese, unhealthy and largely dependent upon medication and what about all those possessions we've been collecting for so many years? Do we treasure what we own or have we just been collecting stuff that has little meaning and even less value to us? Do we feel energized in our own homes or has it become just another place where there's too much to do, too much stuff and no time or desire to go through any of it? Are we as a nation truly succeeding at achieving the American dream or do we seriously need to push the Do Over button?

What I have seen in my experience is that the clutter we're accumulating is taking an extreme toll on our physical, mental and spiritual health. In the majority of homes, our physical clutter is made up of a bunch of things we've collected over the years and often don't even remember we own or where to find it. While the loss of time and frustration is mounting, what's more alarming is that we aren't understanding yet or have become aware of is that the physical clutter doesn't just come by itself. It drags along emotional and spiritual clutter as well, in fact, the spiritual and emotional clutter was probably there before the physical clutter appeared because physical clutter is usually the manifestation of the emotional and spiritual clutter. For every item in our home we keep for no reason, there are physical, emotional and spiritual ramifications that are hiding amongst the clutter as fear, shame and guilt that lives in our space, minds and bodies. While we may look happy and together to the outside world, the truth is many of us are slowly feeling like we've lost all control and the cracks in our foundations are beginning to show.

So, how do we start to sort through all of this clutter, especially for those of us who have spent so many years spiraling down into the chaos that we can't remember what having control or feeling happy feels like anymore? We start by remembering that our true mission in life is to love ourselves. So we choose to make decisions based on small acts of self love. It can begin with your physical clutter because it's easier to start practicing our self love based decision making by using tangible items and the more we can see, feel and sometimes hear, taste or smell an item, the more information we have to make a decision. Do we like it? Do we like how it looks and feels? Do we use it? Do we need it? Once it's gone, we'll also notice the difference immediately. With the clutter gone there is suddenly space where we can breathe easier, where we can find what we need and use sooner, where our minds can feel more expansive and our ability to focus improves.

When we choose to only surround ourselves with what we like, need and use, it changes our perspective. Suddenly our homes, what we see every single day, what we wear and present to the world, is showing only what we like. We chose that. We chose only things we like to see, need and use in our lives and we are starting to see that every day. It affects us as we are visual beings and it causes us to internally feel better about ourselves. The more in control we feel, the more we are choosing to only surround ourselves with what we like, use and need – the more space we choose to have and the more we choose what happens to us, rather than choosing indecision and wondering what just happened, the happier and more in control we feel. The more space we have in our lives, our homes and our heads, the more clearly we can think and the more productive we can become. The choice is ours – do we sit back and just allow anything to show up while we accept it or do we make a choice, once and for all because we love ourselves and we're worth it?