Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Clearing Your Space

Your physical space is a reflection of your mental state. Create orderly surroundings by eliminating needless things, and you will reap the benefits of an ordered mind.

Do you want to know the state of your mind? You don't have to go to a psychologist for expensive testing. Take a look at your surroundings. What is the state of your home; your bedroom; your office? Look closely. You are seeing the state of your mind, projected before you.

...If you own up to clutter, now is the time to let it go. Just an hour or two a week spent de-cluttering will increase your sense of serenity. Start in one room and throw away 25 items you no longer need.

Whenever I faced a problem in my life in my journey after divorce, I found that de-cluttering often helped me find the solution. Once, I chose to start by clearing out my home office. I threw away papers, files, and cases that had closed years ago. As I worked, I listened to Louise Hay's Receiving Properity CD, and affirmed to myself, "I am cleaning out the legal files of my mind." In the process, I found a current file that I had been looking for everywhere, and another file that applied to a pending case. When the project was done, I had transformed my office from a foreign, chaotic place to be avoided into an orderly domain. The immediate reward was a feeling of serenity.

...In a Zen Buddhist story, a student comes to a master seeking wisdom. The seeker spoke endlessly about what he already knew. The master said nothing. Finally, he took the student's cup and began pouring tea into until it overflowed all over the table. "Stop!" the student cried. "Can't you see the tea is overflowng?" The Zen master replied, "Exactly. I cannot fill a cup that is already full." If we hold onto old experiences, bad memories, and the flotsam and jetsam of our waking lives, we leave no room for the new. Wisdom enters a clear space.

(Excerpt from JIGSAW: Picking up the Pieces After Divorce by Mindy L. Hitchcock) To read more, go to Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Jigsaw-Putting-Pieces-Together-Divorce/dp/1419663526/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248568816&sr=1-1

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