Tuesday, Nov 1, 2011Are Your Material Things Too Much

“The man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.” ~ Andrew Carnegie

Because we are mainly mental beings whose mind creates one thing after another, we have a tendency to collect these things we’ve created.  We believe that our car tells the world around us who we are: whether we’re cool or not. We think that the labels in our clothing somehow indicate the quality of our being.  We believe that these and many other assorted and various material things make us feel secure, happy, “right or okay.”

I have learned as a Change Coach that “things” sometimes stand in the way of change. Because we think we have really good reasons for why we have these “things,” they may act as road blocks to our process.  Sometimes, we need a really hefty emptying out session:  in our homes, our cars, our work space, and in our minds. Oftentimes, it’s easier work to clean out our living spaces than it is to clean out our minds, but the work of rectifying what’s in our minds gives us the most mileage.

We all have the events of our childhood to deal with and clear out.  We sometimes get so busy with our careers and the acquisition of cars, homes, and hundreds of other “things,” we forget the more important work. St. Paul gave us a clue about this when he said “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” I’d like to think he corrected the perceptions from his childhood days.

A child views material things with a mentality that is immature, and because of this, that child mind often comes to erroneous conclusions.  These conclusions turn into excess emotional baggage that has to be viewed from an adult point of view and let go of. If you are an adult who hurts over your childhood experiences, no amount of a collection of things will kiss that boo-boo away.  Ask any millionaire. That collection of material things does not satisfy your deepest longings.

Are you someone who feels fearful at the thought of getting rid of your collection of “things?”  Do you think that whoever gave you the thing might be offended if you get rid of it? Are you afraid in some way of having too many empty spaces around you?  These are all indicators that some ideas you’ve formed are not on track and need looking into and corrected.

Truly, dear readers, nature abhors a vacuum. If you create some emptiness in your mind, your home, etc., new things will always move into your experience to replace what you let go of.  I recommend you think of one thing that’s really in the way, you don’t want or like, but you have some “really good reason” for not getting rid of it.  Take the risk; get rid of it and see what happens. I hope you try this and I hope it’s the first step of many more like it. This is the way you clear the path for new things in your life, keep you away from staleness, and stop living in the past, particularly about childhood issues. Please consider crafting an emptying out process for yourself.

When you clean out the material things in your life leaving only those things you really like, always use, or really enjoy, you’ll discover you have much more energy, more clear thinking, even a better memory. More positive things will begin to happen to you, and you’ll relish the life of your choosing.

The sage does not hoard. Having bestowed all he has on others, he has yet more; having given all he has to others, he is richer still. ~ Lao Tzu