Making Room for What
Matters
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“When things aren't adding up in your life,
start subtracting.” –Unknown
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Hi Everyone,
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'Tis the season...
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when all of our good intentions go out the window.
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With the holidays come and gone, it is so easy for all those good clearing habits that we've been cultivating over the past few months –– of tidying, decluttering, simplifying – to go out the proverbial window.
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Maybe all we need to remember is to take one step today. And repeat tomorrow. And the next day... while applying massive amounts of self-compassion and care when we get stuck, or get rattled, or lose hope.
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One small step. One pile. One area. One day. One week. One month.... at a time.
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Yes, the "Rule of One." It's the only way I know to grow a spacious muscle that lasts. Try it this month and see what happens.
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If you could use a little inspiration to help you remember what matters, this poem by Mary Oliver, might help. (Thank you Paul Hughes for sending it to me with the beautiful image. (If anyone knows who did the artwork, let me know. I would love to properly credit the artist.)
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Storage
Poem by Mary Oliver
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When I moved from one house to another
there were many things I had no room for.
What does one do? I rented a storage
space. And filled it. Years passed.
Occasionally I went there and looked in,
but nothing happened, not a single
twinge of the heart.
As I grew older the things I cared
about grew fewer, but were more
important. So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. He took
everything.
I felt like the little donkey when
his burden is finally lifted. Things!
Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful
fire! More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own
nothing– the reason they can fly.
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–Mary Oliver, from Felicity
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What is one small task you can do to lighten your load this spring? Tell us in the comment thread here. We will collectively hold a space for it to be so.
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Whether you choose to go cold turkey or adopt the gentler, more mindful "slow drip" approach (which I tend to favor), may your clearing efforts open your heart and give you new wings to fly.
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Happy (spring) clearing!
Stephanie
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Want more? Keep scrolling...
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A Year for You
The Soulful Sabbatical
Discover the magic of slowing down, simplifying, sensing, surrendering, and self-care (in that order).
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If you're feeling squeezed, overwhelmed, undervalued, out of tune, or disconnected from what you love, A Year for You gives you 52 nourishing weeks to tend, untangle, and find your way home to you.
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No packing needed. If anything, you'll be doing a lot of un-packing!
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A Year to Clear
The 'Camino' of Clearing
Discover the magic of small steps leading to big changes.
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If you're ready to release what is holding you back, and put the "Rule of One" into practice, A Year to Clear will take you on a transformational journey –– one gentle day at a time.
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Your Spacious Self
The Big Picture
Discover a whole new, counter-intuitive, approach to clearing where ease replaces effort, and going slow speeds up letting go.
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If you're ready to play a much bigger game with clearing clutter – be it physical, mental, or emotional – Your Spacious Self gives you the simple tools you'll need to lighten your load from the inside out. This book defines what "clutter" really is and explains why it is so hard to release it using traditional methods.
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Clearing Online
Join over 200,000 participants!
Check out Stephanie's popular online courses on DailyOM designed to lift, lighten, and enlighten.
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Stephanie Bennett Vogt is a leading space clearing expert, teacher, and author of five books and four online courses. She brings forty years of experience to SpaceClear, a practice she founded in 1996 helping homes and people come into balance.
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