To live your best life and be your most authentic self, you have to live in a home that reflects that value, right? Okay, so look around your house. Does everything reflect who you are and the life you want to live? Or are there things you see that have nothing to do with who you are?
To curate, or design your life to your own exact specifications, you need the space you live in to support you and your goal.
A home filled with odds and ends that you got because they were freebies, or gifts you never bothered to return, or even broken items you haven’t gotten around to tossing, does not reflect an individual person. It reflects a life lived by the default setting, which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.
To truly curate your life, you’ll need to let some stuff go first.
That might be material items like that pile of books you’re never going to read. It could also be people in your life you don’t enjoy or even like. You may need to get rid of a job you hate, or social plans you don’t want to follow through on. It could even be letting go of expectations, perfectionism, and shame.
Then you can start building back up with only the things, and people you choose to have the honor of being a part of your life.
WHY YOU HOME IS SO IMPORTANT
I don’t believe you can embark on a journey to live by your values and your values alone while living in a home that reminds you of who you used to be, who you thought you were supposed to be, or who others have said you should be. Those things drain your energy, making it nearly impossible to stick to your goals.
Your home needs to support the life you’re creating for yourself.
You eat, sleep, and raise your kids in this space. You have joy and sorrow in this space. You enjoy friends, and family in this space. It needs to be a safe sanctuary. That’s the difference between a house and home. A house is a structure. A home is where life happens.
A NEW HOME
I talk to people who move into new houses (apartments, condos, etc.), and they tell me how it doesn’t feel like home. I remind them it will take some time to get used to this new space. We also talk about being intentional with everything they bring into this new home. Moving is a great time to really evaluate what you have and why.
A new space is a fresh start. A blank canvas.
If something sneaks in that doesn’t belong in the life you are curating, it will feel off and weird. It’s a funky feeling in your gut that you have to get used to listening to.
Often times a move is brought on due to a new stage of life.
The kids are getting bigger
The kids have moved out
You’re moving in with someone
It’s time to retire and simplify
Your income changed
It was time for a change
Bringing your past self into the present may not be fair to your future self. So, you keep listening to that gut feeling that knows when you’re holding onto the past in a way that no longer serves you.
Again, as you build this new home up, only allow the things that support the life you are working on. Anything else will only hold you back
REIMAGINING HOME FOR HEALTHIER HABITS
Of course, you may not be moving at all. You may be looking around trying to think about how you can work with the canvas you have.
Perhaps you have had habits that have held you back in this home. Is there a way you can shift something to help change those habits?
I knew a woman who would fall asleep in her recliner even when she didn’t mean to or want to. She wanted to change this habit, so, as much as she loved that recliner, it had to go. With the recliner gone, she was able to work on new habits. No more sitting down defaulting to a nap. She was now a woman of action!
When your home is stagnant you can become stagnant with it.
Move something around, consult a feng shui bagua map, get rid of that ottoman you’ve been meaning to reupholster, but are honestly never going to around to.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
As you create the space you want for the life you want, you’ll feel things getting clearer. You’ll feel lighter. You’ll have more energy, more motivation.
Your values will be represented in this intentional home. You’ll look forward to coming home, instead of dreading the mess waiting for you. You’ll be excited to invite friends over because you’ll be showing them something you’re proud of and that truly represents you.
Letting go of things, relationships, jobs, and anything else that no longer serves you will become easier because you’re sure of yourself. You’ll feel good and want to keep feeling good.
THE TAKE AWAY
No journey of the self is complete until you’ve made your space reflect who truly are. Choose your life. Choose the home you live in. You are not a victim of circumstance. You are the writer of your story.
This is the sort of home I help clients achieve in Decluttering Coaching. Contact me today to start your journey!