Letting Go of Guilt Gifts

“If there is anything in your life that takes away your happiness, you have all the power you need to change it. You don’t have to live with anger, or sadness, or jealousy. You don’t have to judge yourself, make yourself guilty, and punish yourself." Don Miguel Ruiz - Prayers

A big Upside to Downsizing is the opportunity to rid yourself of Guilt Gifts. What are Guilt Gifts, you ask? They're the things that make you feel lousy because they cost more than you could afford, they were never used, they would hurt someone's feelings if you got rid of them, they're broken but expensive, they're emotionally valuable because you inherited them, but you'll never use them.

Your home reflects your life and your life is reflected in your home. If anything in the home evokes negative feelings such as guilt, it can energetically weigh you down and hold you back from attaining your goals.

So my challenge to you is to locate anything in your home that triggers feelings that lower your energy.

• The ugly gift from your aunt who looks for it when she visits so she can remind you how heavy it was to carry it all the way home from the rainforest.
• The framed photos of the spring break trip with friends you stopped speaking to (for good reason) years ago.
• The collection of kitty motif items from your mom who doesn't get the fact that you stopped collecting them at age 15.
• That blouse you bought yourself as a special treat. Yeah, the one with the tags.
• And the cigarette jeans you swore years ago you'll fit into again someday.

Swap 'em, recycle 'em, donate 'em...do what must be done. This is your opportunity to start fresh. The freedom you can feel from this is a big Upside.