Stop and listen. What are you telling yourself at this very moment?
What are you feeling at this very moment? How about at this moment? What are the thoughts and feelings that you’ve been carrying with you today’this week? It is so easy to become unaware and complacent in our habitual thoughts and feelings. The number one reason to clear out our mental and emotional clutter is that we become what we think and what we feel!
Last week, I wrote about creating space for new opportunities and things that you really want by clearing the clutter out of your physical life. Creating space also includes clearing your inner space of emotional and mental clutter.
Think back to a time when someone you love hurt your feelings and you carried the hurt around with you for a few days. Carrying this hurt created some emotional clutter for you. Now think back to a time when you had a great idea that popped into your head during a meeting, but you didn’t share it, you just couldn’t get the words out and then the time to do so passed you by. Guess what, you’re also giving yourself a gift of mental clutter by not freely sharing your thoughts and ideas. Lingering negative feelings, negative self-talk, ideas that get stuck inside, all of these things hold our attention and distract us from living fully.
What does your self talk sound like? Is it negative or positive? Do you hear the words “should,” “can’t,” “why,” or “need”? If so, it is likely that your self talk is negative. Negative self talk is mental unproductive clutter that has power behind it because it can create emotional clutter: feeling bad about yourself, self pity, withdrawal, pessimism, resentment, etc.
Bottom line, the more mental and emotional clutter we carry, the less mental and emotional space we have available to live a full and rich life. Creating an abundance of inviting space for new opportunities to come into your life requires you to be available to them physically, mentally, and emotionally. Clutter may blind you so much so that you don’t even notice a new opportunity when it arrives knocking on your door.
Again, you become what you think about and feel! Mark Matteson, author ofFreedom From Fear writes about a few ways that help me and my clients begin to clear mental and emotional clutter:
- First, the good news is that you’re in charge of your thoughts and feelings. How long will you choose to think and feel a certain way? It is up to you.
- Commit to your personal development plan and create life long live big goals. Think about them. How does it feel to envision them all coming true as a result of you investing thoughts and emotions in yourself?
- Share your worries with a few people who love you and you’ll cut them in half. Write your concerns down on paper and you’ll see them get smaller.
- Share you life goals with those you love and watch your goals blossom, build, and feel closer.
Coaching questions: How cluttered is your inner space? What does your clutter include? Check out your self-talk, where does it say you’re headed? What are your big, life-long goals? What does your personal development plan include?
