Get it Clear: Clean your environment, clear your mind

Clearing your space makes room for newness: new energy, new thoughts and ideas, new opportunities. By cleaning up your environment, you create space internally to welcome that newness.

I found myself in a jumble for the first time in a while: my to-do list was getting longer each day, I’d started more projects than I’d completed, yet I was bored with nothing to do. Scrolling on the tock tick was more important than tending to my errands or even self-care and maintenance. Even facebook was more entertaining than scheduling the days ahead. Mindless distractions were more enticing than tidying the mess I’d created around me—I couldn’t sit at my desk because it was too cluttered, couldn’t enjoy a nice seat on the couch—clothes were all over it and the table was a mess. Don’t get me started on my craft materials—I had objects all over the place. To put it simply, I was a mess. 

I felt fine. I looked fine. However, in my mind I knew I wasn’t because I couldn’t bare to think straight. I didn’t have the patience or even the vision to see or think clearly. Even more, I was struggling to breathe and was avoiding meditation, prayer, and journaling. It became increasingly clear that I was a mess on the inside and my environment reflected that. 

I’ve historically been a bit of a “messy person” so long as I knew no one would be entering my space. If I knew I was having guests join me, of course I’d clean out my car or tidy the room… no unexpected popups though, please. More recently, I grew out of those habits after defining what it meant to have a clear, open, and clean space. Before, I never really thought much about how my space was kept. ‘If it’s cluttered, its cluttered. If it’s tidy, it’s tidy…‘ I thought. But my journey led me to a point where I recognized that the cleaner my space was, the clearer my mind felt.

I learned that focus, clarity, and insightful mindfulness came much easier when the space around me was neat. With that, I also learned that its easier to straighten up a space that’s already clean than it is to clean up a junky space. Somehow the openness of desk space and a cleared floors translated to clearer thoughts and improved mind organization. What took me so long to realize this??

Just days ago, I wasn’t clear. I felt a fog in my mind and had no motivation to do anything, though I had tons to do. That, ladies and gentlemen, was my mind telling me that I was not clear and in some ways misaligned. It’s when we are aligned with our highest selves that we show up the best way we can and can achieve what we desire effortlessly. Resistance, procrastination, and lack of motivation are all hallmarks of misalignment. It’s only once we get clear that we can align again and get back on the right path.

I noticed the clutter piling up everyday and didn’t care to do anything about it just like I didn’t care to tend to that ever-growing to-do list. One day I decided I was ready to snap out of it. I was going to carve out time to make my space feel comfortable and clear again. Simply saying, ‘it’s junky in here, let me clean up ‘ wasn’t enough to get the ball rolling. Having intention while I cleaned helped me to get it done. I knew I was ready for a fresh start, a fresh mindset, and newness to look forward to. It didn’t take more than two hours to get it done. That same night I had new insight for projects and more ideas flying at me than I could write down. That didn’t take long, did it?

I’m thankful for my mindfulness/self-discovery journey as it has taught me so much about even the little things that I normally would not think twice about. Having a clean space is definitely something I’ve grown into appreciating. Not only because it looks good, but I’ve come to learn that it feels good too and promotes a clear mind. Seeing and thinking clearly is the basis to any self-actualization and achievement. Once you’re seeing clearly, there’s nothing or no one that can stop you. What is your space currently saying about you?