Confessions of a Clutterholic

Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Toastmasters and guests, good evening.

I have a confession to make…I AM A CLUTTERHOLIC. No, not an alcoholic, nor a shopaholic, but a clutterholic.

o 6000+ emails in my Yahoo inbox
o 50+ Yahoogroup subscriptions
o 500+ messages in my Globe inbox

That is the count of my ELECTRONIC CLUTTER, as of Sunday.

o A cabinet filled with clothes more than half of which I haven’t worn for the last 3 years.
o Another cabinet filled with bags of different shapes and sizes for different occasions.
o A dresser table filled with contact lens and eyeglass cases with old prescriptions.
o A plastic container filled with fancy necklaces and bracelets that I don’t get to use that often.

Those are some of my PHYSICAL CLUTTER. Need I say more?

There’s this saying ”to save some for the rainy days”, I think I overdid it. I mentioned in my Icebreaker speech before that I was an “Experience Collector”, but I think my clutter became part of it. It wasn’t until I stopped working for almost a year that I really had the luxury of time to inspect the contents of my room.

So what is clutter exactly?

The word “clutter” originated from the Middle English word “clotter” (with an “o”) which means to coagulate or solidify (as in blood coagulation). Simply put, clutter is “stuck energy”.

CLUTTER ACCUMULATES when ENERGY STAGNATES and, likewise, ENERGY STAGNATES when CLUTTER ACCUMULATES. So the clutter begins as a SYMPTOM of what is happening with you in your life and then becomes PART OF THE PROBLEM itself because the more of it you have, the more STAGNANT ENERGY it attracts to itself.

Karen Kingston, author of the book “Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui” classifies clutter into four categories: (1) things you do not use or love, (2) things that are untidy or disorganized, (3) too many things in too small a space; and (4) anything unfinished.

Anything unfinished in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual realms clutters our psyche. Let me expound on the last type. I’ll need a volunteer to participate in this little exercise.

Hold on to this Styrofoam cup and this barbecue stick. Imagine this cup to be your life. I’ll give a series of statements for you to Agree or Disagree on. For every disagreement or “No” answer, you will make a hole at the bottom of the cup with the use of the stick.

Here goes:
o All my personal files, papers, and billing statements are neatly filed away.
o All my appliances and equipment at home are in good working condition.
o I drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
o My teeth and gums are healthy.
o My weight is within my ideal range.
o I pay my bills on time.
o I have told my parents, in the last 3 months, that I love them.
o There is no one whom I would dread or feel uncomfortable “bumping into”.
o I have fully forgiven those people who have hurt/damaged me, intentional or not.

Now, I want you to position the cup over your head and I’ll pour water over it. (I’ll make the motions of pouring the water from the pitcher onto the cup.) Nah…just kidding. But you get my point.

Each incomplete or unresolved matter represents an energy leak. Until these holes are fixed, one can never have enough water to keep the glass full.

So why do we have the need to keep clutter? Let us examine some of the reasons:

o 1st: “Just in case” mentality

The thought of not being able to throw something away because it is sure to come in useful someday indicates a LACK OF TRUST IN THE FUTURE. It is scarcity-thinking.

But hey, we create our own reality by the thoughts we have, so if we worry that we will need something after we have thrown it away, our subconscious mind will create a situation where we need that very thing. But if we decide to let things go, similar or better things will somehow turn up in your life at the right time.

o 2nd: Identity

Sometimes we get attached to our belongings because we somehow feel that our own identity is tied up in them. For instance, my filofax planner is an evidence of my active extracurricular life in college, thus, I would want to hold on to those memories for a long time. But later on, I realized that I don’t actually need an object to remind me of what I’m capable of doing because that capability is actually within me.

o 3rd: Scroogeness or “sulit” mentality

Sometimes we refuse to let go of our junk until we feel we have really got our money’s worth out of it. It feels indecent to let a thing go before every last drop of usefulness has been wrung out of it (motion: wring towel). Good things cannot easily come into our lives if we block the flow of energy by persistently clinging to outdated clutter.

o 4th: Perfectionism

Perfectionists procrastinate because they fear they are going to do something wrong or poorly, so they just don't do it at all. To overcome the perfectionism stumbling block, simply change your vocabulary. Instead of "perfection," strive for "EXCELLENCE!" There may not be a perfect place to store your photo albums. But I'm sure that there is an excellent place to put them.

Now that we understand the reasons for keeping clutter, we now have a choice whether to hold on or to let go. Me, I have decided to declutter in order to make space for new things to come into my life -- a rewarding job, a fulfilling relationship, and many more.

So far, I’ve made progress.
o I have deleted unimportant messages from my email and phone inboxes.
o I have streamlined my Yahoogroup memberships.
o I have thrown away most of my old planners.
o I have sold off some of my old romance novels through online ads and have donated some of my old clothes and bags to charity.
o And of course, I have also started to declutter my body with the proper choice of food.

I felt a lot lighter…liberated. It is just but appropriate. Incidentally, tomorrow marks the 10th year death anniversary of my dad and in a few days, I shall turn 30-something. I’m more than ready to move on.

Fellow Toastmasters and guests, what are you waiting for? Come join me in my space clearing adventure! Good evening!

(Taken from my Basic Speech Project #8)