How Clearing the Promises From My Past Opened the Door to Happiness

Life is so much more — especially in my mind.

Recently, I began noticing all the stuff tucked into out-of-the-way nooks and corners in my home.

Piles of paper, old mail, and accumulated coupons had taken up residence on nightstands, end tables, and countertops. I’d even converted a few chair seats into makeshift collection sites.

For months, I’d been looking at growing stacks of unimportant, energy-sucking irritations scattered throughout my home. Admittedly, I had willingly allowed them to invade my space and corrupt my personal energy.

But now, it was time to take action.

Tired of being surrounded by chaotic debris, I designed a strategic plan.

My initial intention focused on reducing unwanted clutter down to specific items that were actually important — or immediately useful.

But as I sorted through faded coupons for half-price cups of coffee and two-for-one movie tickets, I felt a reluctance to part with their paper promises, unable to shake the feeling that, someday — if I held onto them long enough — they’d return some value.

Surely, I’d eventually make an appointment for the free exam and x-rays from the new dentist who just opened her office, or succumb to the urge to redeem the offer of a free donut with any beverage from Dunkin Donuts.

But I rarely do — act on it, that is. And judging from confessions offered by friends and neighbors, I’m not alone. The stark reality of my habit became clear.

It was time to light the sage and exorcise the unwanted intruders.

Despite my determined mindset, a question continued to nag at me.

Why do we continue to hang on to useless attention-grabbers from the past?

Do we really plan to cash in every time-bound teaser successfully baiting us with colorful pictures and headlines, believing we’ll eventually take advantage of a potentially disappointing offer?

I don’t know about you, but in our house the junk has been quietly waiting for a long time. And all those piles of needful things have been unwilling to give up their sacred space without a fight.

Glancing at the long-untouched crap, I wondered what purpose all that paper was intended to fulfill.

So I decided to find out.

Starting with a five-inch thick collection of who-knows-what jammed between two kitchen canisters, I flipped through each piece, one-by-one.

Carefully checking coupon expiration dates, the sorting began. Frankly, it was hard to remain neutral while reviewing all the irresistible offers.

Two piles formed, and my motives came into question when I found an offer for new set of tires at a 30% discount. I couldn’t justify why this particular scrap of paper would be important to a person owning a 1-year-new car with low mileage.

The pace quickened.

As the process continued, I felt a sense of relief — even a hint of exhilaration — at how easy it was to purge all those useless treasures from the past.

Ditching the irrelevant brought back the mental release I’d experienced last month after deleting two-hundred-plus emails from the spammer offering a “life-changing” eBook in exchange for my email address.

Granted, there were a few keepers in the pile — mostly current coupons from local restaurants I recognized and had previously vetted. They still contained some degree of value.

At least that’s what I told myself.

Tossing away that first heap of trash brought a life-altering realization.

With simple removal of the long-expired paper clog, I had an expanded vision of my small, contained world.

That first step encouraged me to continue the process with guilt-free purpose — and a new sense of abandon.

My now uncluttered countertops and visually open spaces encourage a clear mind, promoting fertile ground for new thoughts and ideas.

Suddenly, my home is a welcoming refuge, inviting constructive input, positive feelings, and new possibilities — all waiting for an audition.

Personally, I underestimated the payoff.

Tossing out those depressing piles of forgotten debris allowed the recovered space to again contribute to an energetic environment. And the resulting boost in creativity left me with just one question:

What took me so long?

Need a little inspiration? Here’s a story about establishing balance through honest negotiation — and finding peace and harmony in the process.

© 2020 Jill Reid. All Rights Reserved.

Jill Reid is the author of Real Life: We breathe, We sleep, We eat … And in-between, We Live

Jill Reid is the founder of Pathway to Personal Growth and author of Real Life . Her books and articles explore life, happiness, self-improvement, health, productivity, relationships, and personal success strategies.