A few months ago, I was so tired of all the clothes I had in my closet. I would look at them and complain that I simply had nothing to wear. My husband, Tim, would laugh at me and say, “Really? You don’t have anything to wear? Your closet it packed with clothes!” He was right. My closet was indeed packed with clothes. So saying that I didn’t have anything to wear wasn’t really the truth. The truth was that there were clothes I had worn out, no longer wore or just didn’t like anymore. And even though I wanted new clothes to show up, they couldn’t because there wasn’t room.
And so it is with your business, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
So, I started to tear my closet apart. I put the old, worn clothes in one pile (some of them I had literally worn out) and I put the clothes I no longer liked or wore into a donation pile. As I pulled those clothes out of my closet, I felt a surge of relief and peace come over me. I felt calmer. I started to get excited about the new clothes that I knew were coming!
See, the thing is, my closet was just an analogy for other areas of my life and business I needed to clean up. I needed to do some serious “letting go” of physical stuff, guilt, limiting beliefs and fears, and relationships (business and personal) that no longer “fit.”
As I let go of the physical stuff in my life, I felt lighter and excited about the new possibilities in my life. I was shocked at how letting go of the physical extras shifted my energy to make room for prosperity to show up in other ways. Now, I know this isn’t news to Feng Sui experts, and it wasn’t the first time I’d heard this, but reading about it or being told are very different from experiencing it.
So what do you need to let go of? What is weighing you down and preventing you from feeling great about your business and your life?
I want to help you clean house a little bit. You wouldn’t be reading this article if it wasn’t time to let go of some of these things and make room for what’s trying to get to you. Plus, I cannot think of a better time of year to do this–before we move into the New Year and also right before the holidays, when your donations will make the biggest impact in the lives of others.
As I mentioned, there are typically four major areas where I notice my clients have room to let go of things: stuff, limiting beliefs and fears, guilt, and relationships. Most people get stuck, though, and don’t even know where to begin. My intention is to give you a few easy tips on how to let go.
So, grab your pen and favorite journal and let’s go!
How to easily let go and make room for more:
Stuff:
While this seems like the “easy one” to begin with, I find it can be the most difficult. If you’ve ever watched the TV show, “Hoarders,” you can see how attached people can become to their belongings because there are so many memories involved. You have to begin with getting rid of “stuff” because it’s weighing you down. You might not be conscious of how it is stopping you, but it is.
Make a list of the ten things you could get rid of, even if ten sounds like a lot. I promise you that as you release the stuff, you will get excited and be determined to release more and more!
Fear and Limiting Beliefs:
This is one I talk about A LOT because I know that when my clients release their fear and limiting beliefs, they can operate from a place of strength in their business.
One of the main fears I see is a fear of rejection in sales. The belief underneath the fear is that they are “not good enough.” Even if that only rings true for you a little bit, I want you to write the following in your journal: “I am not enough.” Then, next to it, write down what you are most afraid of if you “aren’t enough.” Then write down what you really want.
For example, you might write that you fear rejection. Next to it, you might write that you believe you might not be able to answer all of your prospects questions because you don’t know “enough”–because you don’t believe you “are enough.”
Cross out your fear and write down all of the reasons the fear isn’t true (they aren’t really rejecting you, they might be busy, etc.). Next to it, write down what you really want, “To be a problem solver, help as many clients as possible, and get paid very well.” Now, post that new belief somewhere you will see it regularly. It WILL get lodged in your mind and you will start operating from that belief instead!
Guilt:
Oh, this is a big one. In my experience, I find that people carry around loads of guilt and its close cousin, shame. On the day I was writing this article, I saw this powerful post by Dr. Wayne Dyer on guilt: “Releasing guilt is like removing a huge weight from your shoulders. Guilt is released through the empowering thought of love and respect for yourself. Let go of standards of perfection and refuse to use up the precious currency of your life, the now, with thoughts that continue to frustrate and weaken you. Instead, vow to be better than you used to be, which is the true test of nobility.” He is a genius, isn’t he? That says it all. Release the guilt, the “standards of perfection,” and just be the best version of you.
Relationships:
Now, I’m not saying you should let go of every relationship that irritates you. However, I am suggesting that there are some relationships (personal and business) that you have outgrown.
How do you know? You can tell because your values, beliefs and thoughts are no longer in alignment with them. When you get together you feel like you have nothing to talk about anymore or you might feel like they want to be friends with you for the wrong reasons (for their gain).
In addition, there are prospects and clients who no longer fit your offerings. Let go and I promise you that there are relationships and clients that are a much better fit right around the corner.
Now that you’ve let go of those things that no longer fit, what did you make room for? Take time to write down your sales goals, personal goals and more. Perhaps you could even take another step and create a powerful vision board that highlights visually what you are working toward. It’s time to bring your vision to life.
After I cleaned my closet, I easily filled several programs and new business relationships showed up for me. Now, whenever I feel like my business is stagnating, I release stuff, limiting beliefs and fears, guilt and relationships that no longer serve me. As you grow, not everyone is going to grow with you, and that’s okay. Honor their path. But most of all, honor yours.
