The Art of Deculttering - The Experience

Well I did it! Used the 'KonMari' method and de-cluttered everything. Got rid of almost 30 pieces of clothing and several garbage bags full of paper..... and my mind is at peace :)

Marie Kondo....Thank you!

P.S.And Thank you to my brother for ordering that book!

The Art of Decluttering

Finished reading the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up:The Japanese Art of Decuttering and Organizing. The way she sees the art of tidying is quite fascinating!

After several attempts of organizing the house and failing miserably, I thought this is something i'm gonna try since 'KonMari' method keeps the house tidy (forever!- well she claims that twice a year cleaning is enough). The Main points I got from the book..

1. Always clean up according to category (clothes, books, mementos), not by room
2. Always focus on what you want to keep instead on what you want to throw away
3. Always keep things that "sparks joy"
4. Surround yourself with things that you love and sparks joy

What really struck me was as a result of cleaning up, some lost weight, got clearer about life choices and even started to do more things that give them joy. It does make sense, you become more decisive when you decide what you want to surround yourself with, and when that is "what sparks joy", life is indeed joyful.

Trying it out this weekend! Starting off with clothes.

Perfect Start for 2016

These just arrived today!

2015 Recap

Went through what I have been writing in 'recap posts'  for the past five years and I have to say I really am proud of the journey.

Now for the recap...

• Birthday was quite wonderful, sky-lanterns and flowers. The year started off quite well.
• I gained about 10kg :D Enjoyed food quite a lot and allowed myself to 'let loose'
• In terms of marriage it has been a very challenging year, my emotional capacity to deal with events was stretched to the maximum and I'm truly proud of the person I have become.
• Restarted my long lost reading habit
• Coloured my hair for the first time 
• Got my roots done for the first time ( what I usually do is cut my hair very short and straighten it )
• Decided to keep my hair long and stick to one hairstyle instead of getting a haircut every time I get upset 
• Went whitewater rafting for the first time, It was so great!
• Left my highly prestigious cooperate job to the surprise and shock of many because I felt so trapped and felt like that place was sucking the life out of me. I gave my resignation without getting a confirmation from any other job. I was hired by another company which allowed me to try a completely different role. This was one of the biggest risks I have taken in my life and it paid off.
• Started a monthly donation for Off-road feeding program
• Stayed in a suite for the first time on my own (Ah the Jacuzzi)
• My friend decided to end her marriage, which gave me quite a lot to think about

              What I've learned

• When your worst fears come true, you realize that even when you loose everything you will be ok and the right kind of people will walk into your life at the right time when you need them the most
• Learned quite a lot from listening to and reading posts of Elizabeth Gilbert, one of the best quotes was 'our history is what we tell our-self, you can make it sound depressing or you can tell a good story'. That's what I do now, I interpret all of my challenging experiences as opportunities that helped me grow.
• I learned that I will always be taken care of in times of need, by family, strangers , friends and most importantly by myself, I will always be ok.
• Reading 'Awaken the Giant Within' by Anthony Robbins has been truly amazing, I learned so much about myself and life.
• I realized the importance of the effect I have on how i make others feel
• Learned that I should never sacrifice my happiness and I should always put myself first, That keeps me happy and satisfied and strong. That enables me to be a better human being and be of service to others
• Learned that sometimes things  I thought I wanted are not what I want at all, life is all about trying out and finding what you want
• Learned to follow the signs and trust that i'm always in the right path

Goals for 2016

• Become a fitness fanatic
• Start fostering puppies
• Be involved at a much higher level with charities
• Continue 'CANI-Continuous And Never ending Improvement'
• Reserve daily 30 min 'me time'
• Be on the path of becoming a partner/owner of a company
• Become involved in building an animal shelter 
• To go on trips with the entire extended family and enjoy it
• And my wish for every year- inner peace (i'm somewhat there already, but need to practice calmness and continuing to maintain the inner peace regardless of the outside events)

I guess that sums it up.

Merry X'mas and a Happy New year to everyone out there!

Conflicted

Voice #1- I don`t feel a thing

Voice #2- Its a good thing to not feel  because that means you have grown beyond getting involved in                 drama and have gone past attachment

Voice #3- Not feeling anything is good, but is that how you want to continue to live?

30 mns

I discovered Elizabeth Gilbert by accident, I can`t remember how but after reading her book 'committed' and listening to her interviews, I realized that everything she said touched my inner self. At a time when I was so 'disconnected' with myself , it was refreshing  getting to know myself once again (deciding to get married/getting married/moving/switching jobs/starting MBA within one year was enough to lose myself). In one of her blog posts she mentioned having a minimum of 30 mins everyday to follow your passion/feed your soul.... since daily we often forget about ourselves getting lost in routine work or serving other people.

I have been trying it out for few days now....... started doing yoga, simple meditative practices and re-started watching old TV series during 'my time' as well. I have to say, doing all of it brought me closer to myself and provided a bit more clarity about what I truly want to do in life. I think this 'disconnectedness with onself' is something many women go through since women have a tendency to be 'carers'.
Anyway I decided that the '30 min' advice is something I will definitely follow for the rest of my life.

On Forgiveness

Being a huge Oprah fan, I was browsing through several super soul Sunday episodes when I came across this definition of forgiveness; "forgiveness is the acceptance that it happened,not that it is ok that it happened, but accepting that it happened and move on from it".

Just listening to it lifted a huge weight off my chest, I have been battling with deep regrets and 'what ifs' for such a long time and building up inner rage because I was hoping that things could have been different. The fact that I had to accept all that happened to me,already happened and that I had to move on in order to gain peace, was something that never crossed my mind, because I kept telling myself I should have known better.

Well sometimes we plan things, take risks and it doesn`t go our way.....and its really ok...

Grateful for you tube, Oprah and everyone who share their stories of self discovery and living a full life....