New Year's Resolutions Part 2

It's Time to Throw out the Trash

As I posted in December 8th's New Year's Resolutions post, "For years, I have never "given up" anything as a resolution; instead I have always chosen to embrace a new challenge or an adventure..."

As this year gets closer to an end, I have begun to see how important it is to remove things from my life that serve no purpose other than to offer frustration.

However, this post is not about the clutter in the garage (which is the product of two over-forty year old people getting married and trying to move two lives worth of stuff into one home-that is slowly and considerately being addressed and removed), or trash that winds up in the gutter after a rain or windy period.

This post is about people.
This post is my declaration, my resolution to remove people from my life who offer as much frustration as clutter and as much offense as trash.

My Grama always used to say "if you lay down with dogs, you will get fleas!"
I completely agree!
I never want to be one who is in need of a flea dip...that stuff smells!

As I have been working on the clutter in the garage I have been evaluating the importance of things, I have been arranging things, I have been saving some things, I have been throwing out things, and I have been donating plenty of things.

Upon evaluating each object I ask myself 

• How long has it been since I've used this?

• When is the last time this thing brought me joy?

• When will I find use for this again?

• If I keep it, will finding a space for it in my life make it more difficult to access the things I really need?

• Is it really helpful?

• Am I holding onto this for sentimental reasons? Why? How is that helping me?

• Would anyone receive more benefit from this than I do?

While going through the process of evaluating the "things" in my life, I began to see how these same questions could be applied to people.
Sadly, upon evaluating several people I was still trying to stay in contact with, I realized these people were causing much frustration and at times great sadness.

I have always taken pride in being a loyal friend. Unfortunately, after close evaluation of several people I have been holding onto out of loyalty, I realized that by keeping them in my life I have been damaging my happiness, risking my reputation, and compromising the happiness of the ones around me who really deserve my time, my friendship, my love and my loyalty.

Time to let go!
Time to clean the clutter!
Time to remove the things that do not support a happy, healthy, and productive life!
Time to throw out the trash!

Time to "Clean House!"

Cheers

to a happy and clutter-free New Year!

:)