I have to be honest, I’ve been struggling with the theme this month. I was all set to write about luck and how I always encourage everyone to go out and make their own luck. But, alas, I’ve been given abundance and I’m going to be grateful!
For some reason, the word “abundance” does not resonate positively with me. In my mind, “abundance” translates to “excess” which I have always been raised to believe is unnecessary and wasteful. Immigrant parents.
It seems that the more important question is, what do we do with abundance in our life? Do we let it weight us down, or do we share that abundance with others. In times of abundance, I believe it is important to share. Break bread with friends, open the wine, donate clothes you don’t wear anymore.
As embarrassing as it is, my nephew set me up with Instagram so I could work on social media marketing for the office (I know. Any lingering delusions that I was still young and hip, flew out the window at that moment, I instantly felt like my grandma.). But, I discovered that I loved Instagram because you can follow people who aren’t necessarily “friends” and bypass so many of the rants you find on Facebook.
I started following people who inspire me; one of the people I found is Marie KonMari Kondo. She is the the author of the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and I am so inspired by her philosophy about choosing to keep the things that bring you joy and let go of the clutter in your life. By eliminating physical abundance, we create the space for mental clarity. We just keep the things that we need and the the things that bring us joy.
I don’t need 10 pairs of jeans. I want one or two pairs that I really love. Why do I have 20 pairs of shoes? Just kidding, I actually need those. But, all kidding aside, I packed an entire box of picture frames and moved them from our old house to our new house, then unpacked them into a cabinet where they have sat for over a year just in case I might need them. Clearly, I don’t need them. And with all of those frames in the cabinet, I feel guilty buying new picture frames that I really love. So, I finally boxed them back up and gave them to someone who was excited to use them. My clutter can be someone else’s joy and vice versa.
When your life is cluttered, you cannot make space for the new, you cannot think clearly, This month, stop to focus on what you want to be abundant in your life. Love, time, joy… those are the things I want in excess. Now this is the hard part, really think about what things are getting in the way of that. Is having too many baby toys taking up all of your time constantly organizing them and putting them away?
What areas of your life have excess that are holding you back from the things that bring you joy? Keep the things that you absolutely need and the things that make you happy.
Share the abundance.
Angie & Dr. Cap