Hi, there, 2021! So, we are 3 weeks into FEBRUARY & I am only now getting back into the swing of things. My bad, everyone! I had a few loose ends to tend to for me to “close” 2020 properly. You never want to bring over the old muck from the previous “whatever-fill-in-the-blank-you-want-to-insert-here” (ie: place, job, year, relationship, etc) into the new one.
Ya, clean starts are always refreshing. Although, I don’t want to mislead you nor get you off the hook. A clean start doesn’t mean simply leaving everything as is behind or a free pass to mess things up again. It means that we need to clean up our mess permanently.
I’m actually, really excited to write about this today because I know it’s going to make a few people upset enough to actually do something good for themselves. I’m going to make a massive assumption that everyone wants to leave 2020 in the rearview mirror (alongside all of life’s mistakes, lol). So much so, that you are completely open to just walking away from all its consequences, newness, hurts, struggles, uncertainties, and solitude. Trust me. I totally get it. I’m right there with you, but there’s a right way to leave things behind.
Over the past several months, I’ve spoken to a lot of different people about a lot of the same things: “here’s what life gave me, what should I do with it?”
Clean up the mess that you’ve made!! For good.
I think, for most people, it’s easier to just sweep things under the rug, rather than acknowledging the mess and cleaning it up right then and there. We’re all going to make mistakes, but growth only happens when you can admit that you’ve made a mistake and then correct it.
Let me share an example with you.
- I incur a debt
- I miss a payment
- I know I’ve missed this payment and now I not only have the original debt, but the added interest to pay
- I leave it be, not wanting to deal with it (this is when you “make a mess”)
- Time passes and now I’m freaking out because I’m guessing what I owe has doubled in size and I don’t have the money
- I leave it be, not wanting to deal with it (this is how you “make the mess” bigger)
You know … our fear is usually driven by the unknown. Since I continue to ignore cleaning up after myself and paying down the debt, I freak myself out about the negative possibilities without any actual facts. Then I make myself become stuck in my mess. So what should I do now?
Remove your hands from over your eyes and ears!!
- Acknowledging the debt or issue is key
- Get all the facts
- Come up with a plan to fix / pay / reconcile / clean up whatever it is that needs cleaning up
- Start cleaning up your mess
It’s actually not that hard. We just have to get over ourselves and our pride and commit to healing / cleaning / fixing / correcting the situation. Once you have everything laid out in front of you, it’ll be easier for you to process your next steps. I hope that seeing how simple the clean up could be, helps you face the unknowns that you’re dealing with. Now, the process may be difficult, but it’s a process nonetheless, and you’re committed to doing it.
I wrote about debt but I know that there are so many other things that everyone is dealing with, as well. This clean up process is applicable to most any of it. Regardless of how painful it is to remove your hands from over your eyes and ears and see or hear about the hurt you’ve caused others or the mess you’ve created for yourself, it’s imperative that we do it.
I’m hoping that you’re coming into this year with boldness and trust … trust in your process. Embrace your progress. Give yourself a running start by laying everything you need to deal with, out in front of you. With eyes wide open, start the clean up process.
LIVING YOUR FULLEST LIFE 