What is clutter? The accumulation of things you bought at some point which no longer serve their original purpose and have now become a burden that fills up space in your home that you could find a better use for.

Clutter is the superfluous, the surplus, the non useful. At best it can turn into the disposable, the garbage, at worst it can turn into a nightmare you cannot sort out.

How does that translate into more general terms in your reality? What could you define as ‘clutter’ in your emotional, social, personal or work life? What burdens you that you could do without? What weighs you down? What keeps you from moving forward? What gets in your way? What causes you confusion?

How could you simplify your life at every level? From wardrobe, to home items, to belongings, to relationships, way of thinking and philosophy of life?

How could you reach the very core of what is meaningful for you to be happy and content?

One strategy I find useful is to strip down things to their basic core, by asking ‘why’ for everything you think you need in your life. Be that a pair of shoes, or a relationship, the main concept is the same: to dig down deep enough until you are left with the very essence. Quite often we may discover that the reason for which we thought we wanted or needed something is quite different or even irrelevant to the actual thing. Usually it is related to deeper needs of feeling happy, connected, feeling loved, secure, content, at peace.

Another strategy is to ask yourself: ‘Can I do without this?’ Whatever that ‘this’ may be and see what you are left with. An exercise in minimalism if you like or simply seeing how much you can ‘lighten’ your space and/or life.

It is amazing how delightful of a feeling of freedom one may experience after ‘decluttering’ one’s life and space. Realizing how little we really need to feel content and how connecting to our deeper and more essential needs may render all the ‘clutter’ superfluous.

It is mind blowing how much ‘clutter’ we carry with us in the form of negative emotions, our past experiences, unresolved inner conflicts, lack of self-esteem and self-acceptance. How many of our beliefs and values may be actually obsolete or outdated and no longer serve us.

Yet we carry all that weight all that ‘clutter’ with us into our present, every day, without realizing how it is weighing us down, making us feel exhausted, tired, fed up. How this ‘clutter’ keeps us from having access to the energy of the present moment, from moving forward, feeling inspired and being creative.

Clutter of any form keeps us stuck. Stuck in our space, stuck in our lives. Burdened by superfluous, unnecessary weight, unnecessary struggle. Yet for some strange reason we get attached to it. Attached to our ‘stuff’, attached to our pain or anger, attached to our fears. We are basically attached to the security of the ‘known’ of our comfort zone and have difficulty moving past it into the uncertainty and discomfort of the unknown and its possible risks or gifts.

So why do you need what you think you need? What can you do without? What is it your soul really needs to be happy and content?

Narrowing it down to the basic core needs and wants, will set you free to enjoy the present moment lighter than ever, more present than you ever thought possible and full of energy to embrace the new.