Happy Springtime!
Awash in soft pinks, bright reds, regal purples, pristine whites, and greens, the world feels and smells new. From this place of beauty, we each have an opportunity to create the change we want to see in the world. And OMG, the world needs change. The world needs all of our talents and gifts ASAP!
You’re probably thinking where do I sign up?
All feels possible.
We start with the best intentions, but somehow, creating the path for change can feel like a Wizard of Oz meets Psycho horror movie mash-up: we’re fleeing in fear from change as if flying monkeys dressed as bellhops who escaped the Bates Motel are chasing us. The uncertainty of change scares us because we often skip over the process to create change.
Creating Change Begins with Letting Go
Recently, I heard two questions that are perfect for this moment.
What’s breaking down, no longer serving you?
What wants to break through, calling you forth to pursue your dream?
And I’ll add my favorite question, with variations, as the third.
What are you tolerating? In other words, what and when do you say ‘yes’ to requests or ‘no,’ and why? How often do you put the needs of others before your own?
Letting go happens successfully when we are open to exploring options within a safe structure.
Over breakfast yesterday, a friend shared her process for letting go. She does 27/9: She lets go of 27 things each day for nine days. This process is like taking a spiritual vacuum cleaner to suck up obstacles, real or imagined. Doing the math, she lets go of 243 things in nine days!
What Would Letting Go of 243 Things Feel Like?
Fantastic, scary, exciting, and uncomfortable at first.
How and where do we start the process?
My friend uses a freewheeling approach. She lets go of clothes and household items, deletes computer files, etc., in no particular order, which allows her to create more space and peace of mind to make changes in her life.
On the other hand, I need categories with checklists to feel that I’m making intentional choices for a purpose. Saturn in Capricorn sits in my 8th house of transformation. What can I say? I can’t help it.
How about you? Will you go with an intuitive flow, an outline, or a combination? Whichever you choose, I hope you will say GAME ON!
Here’s the Plan
Please feel free to choose the start date that supports your success, mindful that you must let go of 27 things each day. I plan to start on Monday, April 22nd, and will check in with updated posts on Wednesday, April 24th, Saturday, April 27th, and the grand finale on Tuesday, April 30th.
Organization by Category
Whether your approach is freewheeling or structured, I offer eight areas of life to consider for this 27/9 Spring Cleaning. You can choose just one area if that is what resonates with you. If you select different categories, please share. Let’s learn from each other.
Physical Environment: Start your first day with the low-hanging fruit in your living space. A few ideas include the following.
Clothes/Shoes
Pots/Pans
Books
Old pet toys that Sparky no longer plays with
Old pet outfits that Sparky no longer wants to wear (no judgment)
Expired food in the fridge or the cabinets
Career: If you ask someone what changed for them in the last ten years of their working life, you will probably hear a laundry list of transitions peppered with colorful characters involved at each twist and turn.
Then, if you ask what the person expects to happen during the next ten years, the answer will most likely be, “I don’t think much will change.” We are so absorbed in keeping up with present demands that it can be almost impossible to imagine ten years into the future.
Reviewing your electronic devices could be an excellent place to start because technology changes so fast that you can use it to measure what’s changed in your working life. For instance, I could let go of at least 27 cords, as I have long forgotten what devices they were initially paired with. If you feel the same way, let’s get them out of the drawer and into electronic recycling.
The following perspective might be more challenging but necessary for letting go. What unrealistic expectations (high or low) are holding you back in your career? First, what is your definition of ‘expectation?’ Then, consider what expectations from the past proved to be accurate and why.
How have you changed?
What attitudes or dated skills might hold you in place or back?
What ideas or habits feel safe but no longer contribute to achieving your goals?
Money: If George Washington and Susan B. Anthony, the faces of the American dollar, spoke to you, what would they say about your relationship with money?
Perhaps they would say: “Hey, start by letting go of the paid subscriptions for apps on your phone that you never use!”
Health: Let’s talk dental floss. If your dentist has a flossing obsession, as mine does, you probably have five or six packages of floss in the back of the closet. Donate them, let them go, or start flossing. Other ideas include the following.
Expired prescriptions (many drug stores provide a free disposal bin)
Old pairs of glasses (donate at any eyeglass store)
Processed foods—an endless stream for letting go
Friends: One of the most difficult decisions I ever made was to tell a dear friend I could no longer watch her destroy her life. What would happen next? I might have been reading her obituary the following week. But letting go of our friendship was the catalyst that prompted her to seek help. That was over 20 years ago, and we remain good friends.
What friendships leave you feeling drained and sad?
How do you want to change your relationship to the situation?
Family: This category can be a treasure trove for letting go. Last week, a yoga instructor said: “Anger cannot heal anything. As long as you are angry, your body will be angry, consuming more energy whether you realize it or not.”
When we forgive, we let go. Today, who can you forgive?
Significant Other/Romance: The other night, I was watching Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. In the film, the wife stages her disappearance and frames her husband for her murder.
Extreme?
Maybe.
But the movie does inspire several ideas for letting go of:
Assuming your partner is a mindreader
Making comparisons to other couples
The need to always have the last word
Going to bed angry
Personal Growth/Spirituality: Long ago in church service, I heard: “Your life is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.” Perhaps to fulfill our highest potential, we should consider letting go of the following fears.
Fear of rejection
Fear of _______________ will happen
Fear of death
Fear of failure or success
Fear of speaking our truth
Fear of reprisals or harm for speaking our truth
Fear of the future
Fear of ___________ because the media wants us to be frightened
Fear of change!
27/9: We Are in This Together
Please allow these eight areas with ideas to help you cleanse and declutter, letting go of all that is weighing you down or holding you back from being the change agent you want to be.
Please share your updates, and let’s check in again on Day 3: Wednesday, April 24th!
What a fabulous idea and method. Of course, timely for spring and cleaning, but also a great practice--rather than constant focus on want, how can release and letting go be considered in equal measure. Has a lot of space and invitation in it. Thanks Melissa!