This post includes affiliate links. When you purchase through these links, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For full details, please see our affiliate disclosure page.
On the show, a moment of truth (click on link to see video) for the homeowner was when she saw all the things that had been crammed into her home displayed on rows of tables and bins in a 10,000-square-foot warehouse. These were only the salvageable items that had been laid out for a huge rummage sale. Her reaction is both heartbreaking and unbelievable. How had she not realized that there was so much stuff?
In the first episode, best selling author and Extreme Clutter host, Peter Walsh asked this very important question: What do you want from your home? The couple’s answer was very simple: “Peace. Harmony. Neatness. Tidiness. A place to call home. A comfort zone I’m happy to be in.” Who wouldn’t want that? Their answer is one that I personally have heard in one form or another from many of my clients.
I think that Peter cuts to the core of what we really need to do. In his discussion with the homeowners, Peter goes on to explain that it is really not about the stuff: “One of the biggest problems with clutter is that people focus on the stuff. And if you start there, you can never succeed. What’s your vision for the life you want, the home you want, this room? You have to hold that in mind. Because without that, you’re lost before you start”.
Organizing your living or working space is not just about getting rid of stuff or
finding the right piece of furniture to house the stuff or the right container to hold the stuff. It is about making a conscious effort to change so that you can be in a place where you are comfortable, content and clutter-free. In order to do this you must have a defining moment. For this couple, that moment was identified when they had to answer Peter’s question: What do you want from your home and by extension – your life?
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
🥾 Explore: Tours & Experiences
🚙 Hit the Road: Car Rental Deals
🛫 Get Away: Find Flight Deals
🎒 Shop: Travel Essentials
In my initial consultation, I make it a point to ask the same question of all my clients, be they residential, home office or corporate. It is important to answer the question and see the writing on the wall or the vision. I ask clients to picture what they want and refer back to that vision when they start the process or are overwhelmed with the task at hand. They need to focus on the answer to the question. Once again, Peter Walsh makes it very clear: “Look at the stuff you have and ask, does this help me live the life I want? Your best life? And if it does, keep it. If it doesn’t, you have to let it go.”
So, ask yourself:
🥾 Explore: Tours & Experiences
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
🚙 Hit the Road: Car Rental Deals
🛫 Get Away: Find Flight Deals
🎒 Shop: Travel Essentials
Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.
It’s so true – our environment is an extension of ourselves and can mean the difference between a relaxing existence and an anxious one. Great post!
We moved across the country and while unpacking all the “stuff” we PAID to move across the country I had my AHA moment. It is a slow process to keep the things I love and use and not those “guilt” pieces. 😉
Now that is a loaded question, for sure.
I think what I’ve wanted from life has changed year by year. Some years it has been as simple as surviving.
wonderful article.
I love a clean and tidy home! But I can’t enjoy it if I don’t clean it. Found you at sensational creations blog hop!