Seeking Treasure?

When I was a little girl, my mother would soothe away a bad day by buying me a new Barbie, a Nancy Drew book, or new barrettes. She would make up after a fight during my teenage years by buying me a new pair of shoes or a sweater.

When I became an adult, I was convinced that the answer to soothing negative feelings was the purchase of new linens or a sweater. I believed that happiness could be found with purchased treasures.

Soon, my home became filled with knick knacks, dishes, and way too many clothes.

When I was in my 30s, I discovered that no amount of stuff would make me happy.

I began shedding things in all areas of my world. I got divorce, and about a month after it was final, a good friend of mine spent several hours helping me get rid some of the stuff that cluttered my world.

After we finished, we dragged everything to the curb. I still recall standing there looking at the piles of unnecessary and useless stuff that I didn’t love and didn’t need yet had spent untold sums of money on. I wondered how I could have believed that the piles of possessions could fix my marriage or make me feel happy or secure. At that moment, gazing upon trash, I was wowed at how my heart felt.

My heart soared for I had rediscovered faith in myself, not possessions.

I learned that in order to begin living the life I knew I was meant to be, I needed to begin to let go of perfection, as well as allow myself to feel.

There are many reasons that people surround themselves with stuff.

Sometimes, buying something makes you feel good for a little while. Sometimes, we think that if we have enough money, we will be happy. Sometimes, we think that with the right brand of jeans or shoes, or the newest cell phone, we won’t be sad or lonely.

Though I shed a lot of stuff in those first few months after my divorce, as time passed, I discovered that there was still some clutter in my world.

When I was in my 40s, my mother died. If you’ve read my blog before, you may recall the epiphany I had shortly after her death.

She died in the summer of 2010. My sister and I helped our father clean out Mom’s closet. I was saddened at the volume of stuff. We ended up with twelve 50-gallon trash bags full of clothing, shoes, belts and handbags. Many of the clothes still had the price tags on them. Lots of the shoes were unworn.

I’ll be honest. My mother was an unhappy woman. No matter how many new clothes and pretty shoes she had, she couldn’t find satisfaction in life.

I realized that no amount of stuff will make you happy.

And in fact, too much stuff can actually stand between you and the most amazing life that you were meant to live.

Everything has energy. Everything from the clothing that you wear, to the books on your shelf, to the coffee cup on your counter. After Mom died, I really got the fact that everything in my environment had energy.

I began to shed stuff.

Six months after Mom died, I sold my house in Texas. I reduced belongings filling 2000 square feet of space down to a 5×5 storage space, what would fit in my car, and the couple of suitcases of clothing I had brought to Ohio on previous trips.

I discovered that happiness and satisfaction came from within.

Look around you. Have you been filling your space with stuff to make yourself feel better? Do your surroundings enhance your life or make you feel stressed? Is your wardrobe made up of tasteful pieces that you will wear for seasons to come or is it crammed with items you rarely wear?

If you are seeking treasure, I can tell you where it’s found. The treasure in your life isn’t stuff. It’s YOU.

YOU are an amazing individual with a beautiful soul and a great heart. You have special gifts to share with those around you. You may just need to dig it out under the things you’ve got covering it up!

Clearing clutter out of your physical space is a step towards getting clearer about your purpose in life.

It’s challenging to life your best life when you are surrounded by too much stuff. It’s also overwhelming and can be challenging as to where to start.

Are you seeking treasure? And ready to find it within yourself and not in your stuff?

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that you cannot welcome new things into your life if you don’t release some of the old stuff. You need to begin to purge things from your life. Getting clear in your life by dealing with your physical clutter (big clutter and small clutter) will allow you to direct your precious energy towards creating the clear path to living your best possible life.