How to “Kondo” Your Spirit and Bring it Joy
By Manna Ko
You might have heard of the Netflix phenomenon, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” that’s been taking the country by storm lately.
Marie is an organizational consultant, and bestselling author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” who has a method to help people create an environment that better serves them at home, in the office, or wherever needs tidying. Her motto is “tidy your space, transform your life.”
What I love about her method is that she asks her clients to pick up their belongings and only keep the ones that “spark joy” in their heart. If it doesn’t spark joy, it’s probably time to get rid of it. She also starts each tidying session with a moment of gratitude. Everyone sits in silence and thanks the home or the office for what it brings every day.
After a few sessions with Marie, the transformation is not only in the space, but within the client as well. You can tell they feel lighter, more energized, and more focused once they have de-cluttered their space and allowed it to breathe.
It got me thinking. This may seem obvious when tidying up your space, but what about tidying up your spirit? When was the last time you did that?
What do I mean? Just like in your home, your spirit needs a regular purging of the junk, gratitude for the good stuff, and organization of the things you want to keep.
Our spirits can easily become so cluttered that we feel too heavy to function sometimes. We are carrying too much weight – weight we were never meant to carry in the first place.
This weight might come from your daily responsibilities, a troubling relationship, the stress of motherhood, sickness, debt, marriage problems, depression, doubt, lack of purpose, and the list goes on.
Maybe you feel like it’s been a really long time since anything has truly “sparked joy” in your life?
Well my friend, it could be time to de-clutter your spirit!
How do you do this? Here are some great places to start…
Forgive yourself.
We all make mistakes because we’re all imperfect beings. It’s time to stop being so hard on yourself and receive a little grace. Take off the burden of perfection and of trying to be so much for other people. Forgive, forgive, forgive, my friend! We all know the importance of forgiving others, but we need to also forgive ourselves! Look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I forgive myself for ________________.” And then say this, “I am beautiful. I am wonderfully created. I am valued. I make a difference with my unique gifts.”
Purge your mind of stinking thinking.
There’s a famous quote by Martin Luther that says, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” Just like step one above, release yourself from any shame of negative thoughts that enter your mind. When you notice “stinking thinking” happening, decide right then and there what you want to do with those thoughts. Yes, you have that power! What you feed will grow, and what you starve will die. Choose to water positive thoughts and watch the fruit grow over time.
“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things… and the God of peace will be with you.”
(Philippians 4:8-9 NKJV)
Do a fast.
Fasting is a great way to clear your mind, body, and spirit of toxins and negativity – and give yourself a clean slate. You could start by doing an intermittent fast, a three-day water or juice fast, or just cutting out some core foods from your diet. Health benefits include weight loss, reduced inflammation, improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improved brain functioning and even cancer prevention to name a few. Please check with your licensed medical professional first though, and only do a fast with his/her permission and under their guidance.
If a food fast won’t work for you, try fasting from negativity, TV, social media, etc. You’ll be amazed at how much lighter and better you’ll feel!
Take a moment of gratitude.
We can work ourselves up about all the things we don’t have – I wrote about this last week in my post about the “thief” of comparison. Please take a little time to read it. We got so many great emails about how much it helped our readers.
Our preoccupation with what we don’t have (and who we “aren’t”) can so dominate our thought life, it can eat away at our spirits.
When was the last time you took a moment to be thankful for everything you have? Your family, your pets, your home, food on the table, clothes on your back, a job, a bank account, your health, or even just another day you get to be alive?
When was the last time you took a moment to be thankful for YOU?!
Starting each day with gratitude may be a total paradigm shift from the way you have operated (and the way the world operates).
Gratitude is free, opens your world to miracles, and is totally transferable! Give it a try and watch not only your world expand and blossom, but see the lives of everyone around you transform too!
These are just a few places to start, but there is much more to uncover!