What excuse do you use to avoid clearing clutter?

Do you hear yourself say this — I’m too busy to tidy up!

What excuse do you use to avoid clearing clutter?

Excuses! There is always a handy one. If not, certainly easy enough to dig one up, especially when you feel cornered or pressed. From funny, bizarre, and ingenious, to serious, sincere, and earnest, there is an excuse for everything.

Whether we use them or not is up to us and whether we see the “real” truth behind the excuse, is also up to us.

Let’s face it, there are more excuses than the hoarded stuff in your piles. Pick up any of the objects you have decided to keep, and an excuse is attached to it. The thing speaks volumes, and loudly. Do you hear it?

What does it say? I’ll guarantee you that when you try to let it go, you’ll hear it loud and clear.

Let’s listen to what it has to say as you do your best to get rid of it.

Wait a minute, you can’t get rid of me…

• I’m way too valuable. I’m worth way too much to just toss me in the Goodwill pile. Maybe it’s time for a garage sale or better yet, a professional auctioneer? I know it will bring in good money.
• I’m a gift. How dare you get rid of me. Dear ole’ Aunt Sally paid her hard-earned money for me and, besides, it was so thoughtful of her. Stop grumbling about how ugly I am.
• I’m needed — well, not at the moment, but someday. You know the moment you get rid of me, you’ll need me.
• I must be on display. Wait, don’t hide me or put me away. You know you’ll forget about me. I must be out, visible, and seen. I’m right at home in that pile of like-minded stuff.
• I’m wanted by another. Did you forget that the kids wanted me? I’m a family heirloom. I’ve been in the family lineage for generations. You must hang onto me. What do you mean they don’t want me and never did?
• I’ll hound you with guilt. You know if you ditch me, I’ll make you miserable. After all, you paid good money for me and I’m in perfect condition. What would make you suddenly not want me?
• I’m happy just the way I am. You must ignore the guidance you were given in that class on decluttering. You know darned well you’re not motivated enough to even start let alone finish. Just leave me be.

All joking aside, the voice that speaks up as you approach your stuff, is quite insistent. It does manage to talk you out of letting it go or tossing it. Yet, that voice is your own.

It might have begun with someone else — Maybe someone taught it to you as a youngster. Or, you learned it in school from a teacher, in church from a minister, or at home from a parent or family member. No matter how it came to be — Now you own it!

And, here’s the biggie, the one that tops the list of excuses — I’m too busy.

“In the vast cornucopia of excuses, not enough time or “I’m too busy,” easily tops the list.” (Dr. Wayne W. Dyer)

In this day and age, our society is proud of “busy.” It is worn as a badge of honor. We’ve become devoted to and worship it as if it is a religion. Nothing else is as important as being busy, no matter how stretched or exhausted you may become.

Ask anyone what they’ve been up to lately, and I’ll guarantee the response you’ll most likely hear is, “I’m so busy!”

We scramble from one thing to the next, work longer and longer hours, and flop into bed exhausted, only to wake to the same chaotic, over-full timetable the next day. AND, we believe we have fulfilled a noble cause to have such a busy and tightly-packed schedule. We place much importance and self-worth on this one characteristic — busyness.

But, what if being busy is something you are not meant to be proud of? What if it is the “real” truth behind why you have all those piles, clutter, and unwanted stuff? What if it is the major reason you do not have what you truly want in life?

Yes, your clutter and packed schedule are telling you something more important than, “Wait a minute, you can’t get rid of me! You know you are too busy to deal with this!”

It is your biggest clue that your life is out of balance and it is time to step back and examine it from a higher perspective. To ask, “Am I making room in my life for what I truly love? Is my soul calling me to a higher place and am I simply not listening?”

Your excuses, and your piles of stuff, are speaking volumes as to where you have placed your importance. And, busyness without purposefulness, is a recipe for burnout and personal dissatisfaction.

Let me leave you with something to consider — Be alert and notice when you are using an excuse. Listen for the “real” truth behind it. Most likely your soul is calling you to a higher place and the excuse is your way of dodging or avoiding it.

Be stronger than your excuses. And, your piles of stuff will diminish along with them.

“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
Henry David Thoreau, Noted Transcendentalist