What came up for you when you started thinking of your secret garden? I heard from some that you want to discover your own garden and aren’t sure where to even begin. That's okay, since you may be stretched too thin and think that reflection and internal journeys are a luxury for celebrities or people who can pay others to carry their anxiety. Don’t worry, since today is all about trying to help you find your path.
Here's a little secret -- you've already completed the first step by simply wanting to find your secret garden.
Here's a little secret -- you've already completed the first step by simply wanting to find your secret garden.
The next step is to remove any distractions in the way that are littering the path. It’s easy to come across things to distract you from what’s important to you. Each day you nobly set off trying to accomplish your goals and yet the day flies by, and the list is still there, but with plenty more distractions accumulated instead. I like to call all of these distractions "clutter."
Clutter can be anything... your kitchen junk drawer or the dreaded closet in your home literally bursting with stuff. It can also be the spaces inside of us that need a review and refresh.
So, ask yourself: Do I have too much clutter in my life?
Never-ending to-do lists you can’t scratch the surface of?
Closets with way too much stuff you find they function best if they’re never opened?
All the Texts, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, WeChat notifications that came in and OMG, it's only 8am.
An email inbox so filled that you have to delete one to receive one? Or another with so many emails saved, but it's okay since you still have 20 kajillion MBs left? (someday soon I will surely need to save 40% off, do the new abs 30 day challenge, or sign that petition to save the world!)
And why won’t that iCloud get backed up already?!
Say it with me now: Clutter.
And we haven't touched the other forms of clutter inside of us. Anxiety, guilt, self-doubt, negative self-talk, the internal "i-shoulda" voice always saying "I should have not done x or chosen y." The dreaded, ‘What if….”
"Why start working out when my gym plans always fail after a few weeks? I'll never lose the weight..."
"I'll never be happy, that's only for people with easy lives."
"Something is wrong with me that I can't find love."
"I'm such a loser, everyone else seems to be doing something with their lives... why can't I just figure it out!?"
"I shouldn't want that..."
“What if people find out who I truly am <insert your internal critic voice here>?"
All those harsh words... That we use on our own selves... all clutter. And the worst kind to have at that..
But, here’s the good news:
ALL Clutter can be DE-cluttered with some effort, and a bit of practice. The thing about clutter is that at some point, we just accept it as a necessary part of our life... But it doesn't have to be.
So, spend the next week taking stock of the clutter in your spaces, externally and internally. Make a list, don't worry about making another crazy to do list with what to do with the clutter. Just take time to notice it. Note it down even, and share what you find with me. Next week, I'll talk about how to de-clutter, but no rush. It took a long, long time to accumulate the mess, it's OK if it takes some time to clear it out.
And as the clutter disappears the path to your secret garden become easier to find...
To a Life Beyond Measure,
Shazia Imam
The Life Engineer
p.s. Share this with any of your colleagues or friends who want to de-clutter their life.
p.p.s. Just got this post and want to get tips about organizing your life? You can sign up for the list here.
Clutter can be anything... your kitchen junk drawer or the dreaded closet in your home literally bursting with stuff. It can also be the spaces inside of us that need a review and refresh.
So, ask yourself: Do I have too much clutter in my life?
Never-ending to-do lists you can’t scratch the surface of?
Closets with way too much stuff you find they function best if they’re never opened?
All the Texts, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, WeChat notifications that came in and OMG, it's only 8am.
An email inbox so filled that you have to delete one to receive one? Or another with so many emails saved, but it's okay since you still have 20 kajillion MBs left? (someday soon I will surely need to save 40% off, do the new abs 30 day challenge, or sign that petition to save the world!)
And why won’t that iCloud get backed up already?!
Say it with me now: Clutter.
And we haven't touched the other forms of clutter inside of us. Anxiety, guilt, self-doubt, negative self-talk, the internal "i-shoulda" voice always saying "I should have not done x or chosen y." The dreaded, ‘What if….”
"Why start working out when my gym plans always fail after a few weeks? I'll never lose the weight..."
"I'll never be happy, that's only for people with easy lives."
"Something is wrong with me that I can't find love."
"I'm such a loser, everyone else seems to be doing something with their lives... why can't I just figure it out!?"
"I shouldn't want that..."
“What if people find out who I truly am <insert your internal critic voice here>?"
All those harsh words... That we use on our own selves... all clutter. And the worst kind to have at that..
But, here’s the good news:
ALL Clutter can be DE-cluttered with some effort, and a bit of practice. The thing about clutter is that at some point, we just accept it as a necessary part of our life... But it doesn't have to be.
So, spend the next week taking stock of the clutter in your spaces, externally and internally. Make a list, don't worry about making another crazy to do list with what to do with the clutter. Just take time to notice it. Note it down even, and share what you find with me. Next week, I'll talk about how to de-clutter, but no rush. It took a long, long time to accumulate the mess, it's OK if it takes some time to clear it out.
And as the clutter disappears the path to your secret garden become easier to find...
To a Life Beyond Measure,
Shazia Imam
The Life Engineer
p.s. Share this with any of your colleagues or friends who want to de-clutter their life.
p.p.s. Just got this post and want to get tips about organizing your life? You can sign up for the list here.