closets. clutter chaos to clarity.

Closets are screaming to be decluttered and organized so what is inside can help you live your best version of yourself.

How do you want to present yourself to the world? What is your unique style? What items authentically reflect the Truth.Love.Meaning.Purpose. of who you are?

I believe that the closet can be a sacred space which houses the clothes you wear, an authentic physical expression of your inner soul & spirit: life-affirming, uplifting, and wonderfully positive! However, the closet can also become a negative space when neglected that de-energizes you, sucks the life force out of you, and robs you of your enthusiasm for life.

Does your closet contain the past, present and/or future?

The past. Clothes from the past, not worn today but held on to for memories, are what I lovingly refer to as Memorabilia.

The present. Clothes that are ready to be worn with no repairs or alterations, that fit you perfectly and are in alignment with the best version of your authentic self of today.

The future. Clothes you hope to wear some day, any day, one day. You hope to lose weight. You hope to find the courage to express yourself in a new way. Perhaps somebody convinced you to buy it — to go outside your comfort zone. Perhaps it’s been sitting because you spent a lot of money on it – and you want to max out the potential of that item and wear it any day soon. Are these the idealized versions we hold of ourselves? And, can these items and the associated mental and spiritual clutter be just as burdensome as those items from the past?

Do you find yourself standing in front of your closet day after day bemoaning, “I have nothing to wear!” Do you find yourself trying on item after item and leaving a heap of clothes on the floor because nothing feels right today or for that special occasion?

Is it easy for you to get ready in the morning to present your best self to the world? Do you have what you need at your fingertips? Or are you fighting a battle with the clothes you do possess — some true loves and some not?

I get it.

You’re not alone!

I vulnerably shared the intimate details of what’s behind my own closet clutter in my book Behind the Clutter: Truth.Love.Meaning.Purpose., while I tossed the ‘stuck items’ from the Give Away pile to the Keep pile back to Give Away, again and again and again.

In fact, the number one and often controversial question I’m asked all the time is:

Why do people find it hard to let go?

Most of the time people are holding onto symbols of hope, faith and love.

In a closet, you give yourself physical permission to hold on to those pants because you hope to one day lose weight. You hold onto the dress because you hope to be married some day. You hold on to the baby clothes as a symbol of faith because any day now, you will have children. Even that bright shirt hanging amidst a sea of black and white can contain the hope you will muster up the courage to express yourself differently.

One day, any day, some day … today might be that actual day when all your dreams come true …. so why would I take that dream away from you?

The closet now has become this giant vessel containing all your hopes, dreams, desires, and visions of your ideal self-ideal life actualized.

However, when dead energy is sitting in the closet you go to day after day, having it filled with the stuff you don’t truthfully wear, because it is truthfully too small, too big, too dirty or raggedy, then the closet becomes a mausoleum and museum to the past.

The negative life force confuses you every time you walk to the closet and you can no longer distinguish what’s for your highest good. You can no longer wrap your head and heart around what’s you and/or not.

The stuff wants to mess you up and confuse you so you don’t throw it out. The stuff wants you to hold onto it because don’t you remember the good ol’ times years ago when you were the bomb and you wore that? You go down memory lane and now you have no more energy to touch another item.

You lose the zest and just want to run away from the cluttered chaos of the closet.

Clarity comes though when you take the time to once and for all, let go of the mediocre kinda sorta likes, meh meh, and blahs.

You know deep inside what I’m talking about–if you take the time to touch each item and check in. You know.

So the most liberating place to be–and the only place you want to be–is where you are feeling on top of the world, loving your life and every single day, wearing items that accurately reflect your Truth Love Meaning Purpose of today, symbolizing the best versions of yourself.

“Let go with courage of what is no longer serving you, paving clear pathways to the miracles that await you.”

I have another criterion I have added in the past years when it comes to clothes!

WHAT IF??????

What if…. your significant other or mother or father or best friend decided to secretly whisk you off to somewhere fun or bring you to your surprise party, and they picked outfits for you from what is hanging in your now current closet? Would you be mortified to find that they built an outfit with the least favorite items in your closet?

LOL This actually happened to me many years ago, when Mr. M planned a surprise retreat to a new spa – and he packed not only my bathing suit but also two outfits for a surprise date night. I hated everything he picked and wondered why he had chosen those items.

After that experience, I continued to use the criteria of Truth.Love.Meaning.Purpose. but also the additional one for closets – how would you like to have somebody pick this for a surprise party for you – or would you like to be seen wearing this when you run into your ex?

Applying this additional layer of questioning will make even the most cynical believe that there can be a deeper layer of meaning applied to your closets — where you can get profound answers to the pressing question of how best to let go.

Closet clearing can lead to a spiritual awakening – and be a powerful tool to get to know yourself better.

Yes, indeed, all the clothes in your closet should be true loves and make you feel amazing and elevate you to your best version of yourself!

Rather than lament the clothes you have or can’t wear for whatever reason you deem it to be, why not use this time to, once and for all, make peace with what you have been blessed with today? Why not forgive yourself for buying this or that, forgive yourself for not losing weight, forgive yourself for going on somebody else’s ride with what might look best on you.

Just like your spirit and soul often yearns to make the most of your time here on Earth–and possibly to fulfill your greatest potential here on Earth in this lifetime–the spaces in your home or office want to do the same—to serve with a purity of intention.

And, so do those clothes you have hanging in your closet.

Don’t let them just hang there or get crushed or smashed or become unbreathable.

Let them breathe. Breathe new fresh air into the clothing you are not truthfully wearing, and give it away to somebody else who will cherish it and wear it with love and joy.

Lastly, don’t just move stuff out of your closet and move back in — just so you can see the fabulous before and after – doing an extreme makeover and simply making things look pretty, neat and tidy.

But rather, perform the best makeover of all—an inside makeover truly reflected within the exterior makeover —which will lead to long and lasting permanent change.

If you are closet clearing, please use your precious time to touch every single item and let go of those items that are no longer a TRUE LOVE.

Let go of the tattered, beaten up, tired, too small, too big stuff.

Create space in your life for new beginnings and new journeys.

Begin today an epic and joyful journey with the clothing you love, love, love – where there’s a pep in your step or a twinkle in your eye when you wear it!

Can you imagine the love you would spread just radiating from the inside out with this kind of love?

Sending you clarity as you clear your closets. Let go of the chaos, not just physically, but within yourself spiritually, mentally and emotionally — the competing versions of yourself — and let the one that brings you joy shine through and reign free!

Expect miracles on your journey!

p.s. ICYMI, click here to watch how I transformed a messy closet into an organized one recently on GMA Day….

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p.p.s. Thank you so much to the photo contributors in this post:

Photo 1 – White dresses – Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash

Photo 3 – Organized closet – Photo by Roberto Nickson (@g) on Unsplash

Photo 4 – One pant – Photo by Sylvie Tittel on Unsplash

Photo 2 and 5 – June on GMA Set by Assistant