Out with the Old, In with the New

The long awaited task has finally come and gone. Everything I own is now officially out of my old apartment and in my new home in Logan Square. All my boxes are finally unpacked and my décor is displayed in their spots. I can finally say I am officially moved in and what a perfect opportunity for me to start fresh. Having spent my first few weeks in my new apartment, I already can tell my “reset” button has been pushed. Moving is one of those great opportunities for you to start off fresh and in some ways “new.”

Moving allows you to give yourself that “free for all card” or the reason for the “perfect excuse.” I am taking full advantage of this change as much as I possibly can. With a new apartment, comes a new routine. A new routine for whatever I want it to be. For me, my new routine is “out with the old, in with the new.” This mentality and way of life for me is already helping me live a more balanced life.

As I go through my belongings, I find myself fretting over certain things. Do I keep the items I no longer need or use anymore? Am I ready to put certain things away? Why keep filling up valuable space with things that cause clutter or bring only “negative” energy?

Starting this week I have been taking full advantage of this opportunity. A balanced home helps you lead a balanced life. With each box I unpack, I am making a pile of clothes and items I no longer want or need. Instead of them wasting away in my apartment being unused and neglected, why not give them the opportunity to be used by someone who really needs them. Donating my clothes and other home items to others is another way for me to give back, all the while de-cluttering my life, and leaving room for new things to take their place.

My other “home makeover” plan is to refresh. Refresh my life to the fullest and as often as I possibly can. Refreshing to me means simply updating. The frames I have are filled with pictures of me from my “former” years. Pictures I refuse to take down because I either wished I still looked the way I did in them, or the people who are next to me in them are no longer in my life. Whatever my reasons may be, it is time for most of them to come down. As the saying goes, a picture can say a thousand words, but in my case, they keep reminding me of the past rather than the present. Updating my pictures is a way for me to hit “refresh” and to get rid of the remaining negative energy out of my room and life. I need the ying and the yang, not just one or the other. What memories lay inside the photos I am going to take down will never go away, they are memories and moments that at the point in time will always be great, but like everything else, things still go on. I am excited to fill my soon to be empty slots in my frames with recent photos and future photos to come because it is time for the new me to be present rather than the old.

Giving up items or putting old things away is a part of life. Everything has its time and something’s are meant to be put away sooner than planned. The excitement of filling your life with new memories and new things is one of the great aspects of starting fresh and helping you to always be moving ahead. We have the power and control to choose when we want to start new and recenter ourselves. It is so easy to become unbalanced and pushing yourself to make that move to fix it can be half the battle. De-cluttering and re-centering your life does not have to happen only when you move, you can do it whenever. Of course I am sad to see some of my things go but I know it is 100% worth it and my life will be that much more balanced in the end.

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” -- Jim Rohn, America’s Business Philosopher