This is the third installment of “A Different Kind of Abundance”. Part I (11/2) offered questions for your consideration and explanations for why we accumulate and hang onto things. In Part II (11/3) we jumped into guidelines for owning possessions and what constitutes “clutter”. Today, the discussion is going to center around organization goals to move forward.

I was asked what organization, and all of this “house stuff”, has to do with Peace Full Home and Intentional Living. The answer is simple. If you can’t find peace, joy and breathing space in the building you live in, it’s challenging to find peace in your life. When the place you come home to doesn’t welcome you with open arms (or at least say, “I’m glad you’re here”), or it’s one of the last places you want to be, the experience of living fully is minimized.

I know very few people who live only with what they love or use (D.R. thank you for being an exemplary role model). Accomplishing that is easier when you live alone (obviously), but I work with families with children where streamlined, organized living is simply the way they walk through life. I’ve helped many friends and clients clean out homes when loved ones have passed away. I’ve seen first-hand how painful and overwhelming it can be to have to go through boxes that haven’t been opened in decades, closets full of clothing and accessories (some, still with price tags), cabinets jammed with items that are never used, and so much “stuff” that trucks have to be secured to carry it away.

I just completed the process of going through every photo album I have (they’re all labeled with the years the photos were taken) and purging anything that’s not relevant or important. It was a lot of work, but I’m so aware of the fragility of this life and want to “leave behind” only possessions that would add to, rather than become a burden to, those who come after me.

It can be tough to accomplish big tasks if you’re not armed with ultimate goals. In creating non-physical abundance, this is absolutely true. If you don’t know where you want to end up, it’s challenging to start the journey.

12 ORGANIZATION GOALS
1. empower yourself to make changes and evolve
2. design a “vision” for each room in your home
3. live in the home you want, not the one you’re stuck in with all these possessions
4. embrace “less is more”
5. edit your life to create “breathing space”
6. recognize that there’s more to life than taking care of stuff 
7. have less to store, insure, move and dig through, making it easier to care for your home
8. know what you have and where it is so that you can enjoy what you own
9. streamline or simplify activities by having less stuff to deal with
10. clear things out rather than hide them away
11. create serenity (doesn’t that sound great?)
12. move toward living only with what you love and use-—“Love It or Use It”

Finally, let me add to all of this that I am not anti-possessions, nor do I personally have a life devoid of stuff. I love giving gifts, and I genuinely appreciate the special things that have been given to me over the years. But, as with almost everything in life, balance is critical.

You have a relationship with your home, and just like relationships with other humans, your home needs care. Think about enjoying what you do have as a different kind of abundance.

Blog: peacefullhome.com
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