March 20th is officially when the spring season begins. The arrival of spring means different things depending on where you live. To some it means the end of frigid cold temperatures, to others it means moderate weather before the blistering heat of summer and to most, it means more daylight, flowers are in bloom and more outdoor activities can take place.
To me, spring also represents the time of year when I conduct a thorough cleaning of my entire home — room by room and top to bottom. I recently conducted this domestic exercise and the place that took up most of my spring cleaning and got on my last nerve was my closet. What is interesting is, when I investigated my closet and I saw certain outfits, shoes, and handbags it reminded me of people, places, things, and different times in my life. It also made me realize I needed to get my closet in order, it was out of control. I noticed that I had too much stuff and it was not organized. My closet had no plan, no structure, and had things in it I no longer wanted or needed.
You might be wondering why am I sharing information about spring cleaning and my closet? The truth is we all need a little spring cleaning in our lives. This individual introspection can start with an area of your life, a “closet”, you’d like to cleanout. Maybe the closet in your life that needs a thorough cleaning is your mind. When you open your mental closet door it reveals your thoughts, fears, desires and, beliefs. Some of our beliefs are similar to some of the clothes in our closet; they are old, outdated, and don’t fit us anymore but yet we still keep them. If there is any closet in your life you cannot stop, start and change when you want to, you are not in control of it, it is in control of you.
Some people say clothes make the person, but the truth is clothes don’t make the person, thinking makes the person. Every word we say and think becomes a blueprint that our mind and body works to turn into reality. Every thought we think causes a physical reaction and an emotional response within us. What we present to our mind, our mind will present back to us. Our mind does not know, and indeed it does not care if what we tell it is right or wrong, good or bad, true or false, helpful or hurtful; it takes it all in. This is why self-talk is very critical for our self-esteem because our words and thoughts are powerful and our mind is always listening. Our mind’s job is to act on the words we tell it. The mind learns by repetition. What is expected tends to be realized. Whatever we focus on, we get more of. To achieve your personal and professional goals, you must give your mind more powerful, descriptive, and positive words.
Albert Einstein said, “out of clutter, find simplicity.” Sometimes we think we want or need more, but oftentimes the answers come when we have less. Less clutter regarding our wardrobes and less clutter in the closets of our life. So, get up, dress up, show up and never give up! Genevieve Rhode #womenhistorymonth.
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Visit www.WendyGladney.com and www.forgivingforliving.org to learn more. Wendy is a life strategist, coach, consultant, author, and speaker. You can hear her every Wednesday on Instagram Live at 12 noon PST @wendygladney.