Bagua 4: Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories! Part One!
How are you feeling about all those periodicals you went through? Haven’t recycled them or gotten rid of them yet? Get to it!
If there isn’t anyone else to encourage you to do this- I will. You can do this! I have many clients who started out thinking that going through their homes was an epically impossible feat, and by the time we were done, they were relieved and amazed. It can be done.
How are you feeling about all those periodicals you went through? Haven’t recycled them or gotten rid of them yet? Get to it!
If there isn’t anyone else to encourage you to do this- I will. You can do this! I have many clients who started out thinking that going through their homes was an epically impossible feat, and by the time we were done, they were relieved and amazed. It can be done.
In my experience, those who say “I don’t have time” really mean “I don’t make time”. There is still a lot of work to be done! I know this may seem daunting, but you have to be committed to this process in order to make it work! Take a step to get those magazines out of your house. Either take them out to the recycle bin, or put them in the car to take to the recycle center. Put it on your “will-do” list.
Next up: Clothing, shoes, and accessories. Clothing clutter is related to Life Area #4 (Wealth, Prosperity and Self Worth). This is a problem for the majority of my clients. This is going to be another instance where you may have to rally the troops. A suggestion? Have a fashion show! Go through your closets, drawers, and secret hiding spots… fish out all those pairs of MC Hammer pants, 1980s prom dresses, cut off shirts and shorts (guilty!), and ripped, damaged, stained items… and get ready to have some fun with Feng Shui decluttering round two!
I have had many clients who have gotten rid of hundreds if not thousands of pieces of clothing. Everywhere from “brand new with the tags still on” to “sitting in a pile in the basement getting moldy with the mice” to “my mother (who passed away 15 years ago)’s clothes in the attic that really need to go but I can’t because they were my mothers…”. It isn’t anything to be ashamed of! The ins and outs of every day life really do get in the way sometimes. These will all be instances where you will have to set aside time for the task. Plus, if you keep treating your friends and loved ones to post-decluttering treats, they may start bugging you, “When are we going to get together next??”
So, here we go. Make a date! First, my recommendation is to take any clothes, socks, underpants or other items that have stains, holes, rips, or tears, and get rid of them. I am fortunate to live in an area where anything that goes to the little tree on the curb near the front of my house disappears within hours if not minutes. It’s amazing! Also, you may not have use for these items but someone less blessed may be grateful to have them… a sweater with a hole in it is better than no sweater at all! Not everyone is so fortunate. Also many folks repurpose these items; it is not yours to question where or why they go, just take solace in knowing they have gone to a better place!
I have also had success posting a “free” ad on Craigslist. A personal note here: please be honest about it. I usually say, “All clothing has some semblance of rips, tears, or stains that may be fixable, but I don’t have the desire or the wherewithal to do such”. This allows any potential takers not to feel like you have just given them your trash. If curb raiders aren’t satisfied with their haul, be prepared for the fact that they may bring it back! This has happened to me. I know.
This is a situation similar to the periodicals. Make a deadline. If it doesn’t go within a few days, get rid of it. I hate to encourage people to take or send things to the dump, but it doesn’t do you any good to go through all this effort just to shift your clutter from one place in your home to another. Also, just because you give yourself a warm fuzzy feeling by taking these items to Goodwill, remember that those people will then go through all your cast-offs, find the rips, holes, and stains, and then they will have to throw them away anyway. Save the universe a step.
Now comes the fun part… the fashion show! As an aside: You may want to have a private pre-show to save yourself the unpleasantries associated with the infamous section of the closet reserved for the “clothes you hope to fit into again when you lose a few pounds”. Hey, if you are currently on a diet and are well on your way to fitting back into those size 6 designer jeans, kudos! Reality? Probably not going to happen. Remember: You are beautiful just the way you are. None of us are the same size we were in high school. The ones that are? Freaks. Genetic anomalies. (Sorry people. All due respect.)
Once that difficult task is out of the way, it is time for some fun!
Next week: Part 2- The fashion show!
Next up: Clothing, shoes, and accessories. Clothing clutter is related to Life Area #4 (Wealth, Prosperity and Self Worth). This is a problem for the majority of my clients. This is going to be another instance where you may have to rally the troops. A suggestion? Have a fashion show! Go through your closets, drawers, and secret hiding spots… fish out all those pairs of MC Hammer pants, 1980s prom dresses, cut off shirts and shorts (guilty!), and ripped, damaged, stained items… and get ready to have some fun with Feng Shui decluttering round two!
I have had many clients who have gotten rid of hundreds if not thousands of pieces of clothing. Everywhere from “brand new with the tags still on” to “sitting in a pile in the basement getting moldy with the mice” to “my mother (who passed away 15 years ago)’s clothes in the attic that really need to go but I can’t because they were my mothers…”. It isn’t anything to be ashamed of! The ins and outs of every day life really do get in the way sometimes. These will all be instances where you will have to set aside time for the task. Plus, if you keep treating your friends and loved ones to post-decluttering treats, they may start bugging you, “When are we going to get together next??”
So, here we go. Make a date! First, my recommendation is to take any clothes, socks, underpants or other items that have stains, holes, rips, or tears, and get rid of them. I am fortunate to live in an area where anything that goes to the little tree on the curb near the front of my house disappears within hours if not minutes. It’s amazing! Also, you may not have use for these items but someone less blessed may be grateful to have them… a sweater with a hole in it is better than no sweater at all! Not everyone is so fortunate. Also many folks repurpose these items; it is not yours to question where or why they go, just take solace in knowing they have gone to a better place!
I have also had success posting a “free” ad on Craigslist. A personal note here: please be honest about it. I usually say, “All clothing has some semblance of rips, tears, or stains that may be fixable, but I don’t have the desire or the wherewithal to do such”. This allows any potential takers not to feel like you have just given them your trash. If curb raiders aren’t satisfied with their haul, be prepared for the fact that they may bring it back! This has happened to me. I know.
This is a situation similar to the periodicals. Make a deadline. If it doesn’t go within a few days, get rid of it. I hate to encourage people to take or send things to the dump, but it doesn’t do you any good to go through all this effort just to shift your clutter from one place in your home to another. Also, just because you give yourself a warm fuzzy feeling by taking these items to Goodwill, remember that those people will then go through all your cast-offs, find the rips, holes, and stains, and then they will have to throw them away anyway. Save the universe a step.
Now comes the fun part… the fashion show! As an aside: You may want to have a private pre-show to save yourself the unpleasantries associated with the infamous section of the closet reserved for the “clothes you hope to fit into again when you lose a few pounds”. Hey, if you are currently on a diet and are well on your way to fitting back into those size 6 designer jeans, kudos! Reality? Probably not going to happen. Remember: You are beautiful just the way you are. None of us are the same size we were in high school. The ones that are? Freaks. Genetic anomalies. (Sorry people. All due respect.)
Once that difficult task is out of the way, it is time for some fun!
Next week: Part 2- The fashion show!
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