Spring cleaning your mind!

Flowers are blooming, birds are singing, the days are brighter, and there is even an extra pep in your step.  The seasons have changed. It is officially springtime.

The first sign of shoots poking through the soil are a great motivator after all if nature can renew itself of course you can too!

Spring-cleaning is an annual tradition associated with this time of year encouraging us to freshen up our homes and get a head start on the hectic seasons of spring and summer.

Sounds like a great process to apply to our lives in general and what better place to start than with our minds. In fact this is probably the only place to start as like it or not it has ultimate control over everything we do.

Our minds become cluttered with old ideas, old attitudes, old conversations, old hurts etc. and until we get rid of the things that no longer work for our good we do not have space for new ideas, dreams or desires.

Just like spring-cleaning your home, spring-cleaning your mind requires dedication and purpose.

Here are some ideas courtesy of Life Coach Kathy to get you started on spring cleaning your mind:
Enjoy the person you are.  If you don’t like yourself, find out why, and start working on becoming a person you do enjoy and that others will enjoy also.  The returns will be worth it.

1. Clean out the anger, hatred, jealousy, and self-doubt. If you need to apologize, bite the bullet and do it.  If you’re still angry and waiting on an apology from someone who won’t or can’t give you one, decide to let it go.  It’s not contributing to your life — in fact it’s contaminating it — so it needs to go to the junk heap at the curb.  Only then can you put something POSITIVE in it’s place.  Make some room for happiness.
2. Wash away delay and procrastination. Delay and procrastination set you up for frustration after frustration. You’ll find yourself constantly in the past, trying to catch up, scrambling around trying not to get caught.  Is that really how you want to live?  Get into the present!  You’re missing your life by living yesterday over and over.
3. Dust off your attitude and put on a fresh coat of positive.  A positive attitude begins with gratitude. For just one day, practice giving instead of taking, practice sharing as much love, help, care, concern, and gratitude as possible. It’ll change your perspective.
4. Throw out misunderstanding, and lack of patience. Sweep out the dirt of gossip or lies.  Open the shades and let in the warmth of friendship. True friendships take work, time, energy, thoughtfulness. True friendships require forgiveness, and understanding.
5. Lighten up your thoughts with humor and fun. Yes life is difficult and the world can be a scary tiresome place. But in your own world, you are in charge of every day. You decide what to think about.  You decide when to laugh, you decide what to read, what to listen to, what to think about. Choose to insert laughter into each day; choose to have a little fun every day.
6. Open the windows of your mind to new ideas and a fresh perspective on living a happier, better, easier life. Change takes action.  There’s no silver bullet, no magic pill.  But if you’ll open your mind to some different ways of doing things, if you’ll try some new habits, if you’ll work your mind muscles and your organizational skills in a different way, you’ll find that you’ll create the life that you truly want, not just the one that you end up with.
7. Clean up your language. There is a Chinese proverb that says “If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.”  What words do you use to describe yourself or your life? Does this language help to keeping you feeling optimistic about life and help you to move forward? If not now would be a good time to think more carefully about your choice of language and only choose to use those words that help you to move forward.

Kathy Gates, www.reallifecoach.com, specializes in helping people who are ready to create a simpler, less stressful, more meaningful lifestyle.

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1. A Mind made up!