My client said, "I used to think I was clever to get things on sale. I became obsessed. Now I realize I'm not willing to waste my time on that crap...For so long I haven't been listening to that voice in me that says, 'enough.' There's much in my house that I don't care about anymore. At the same time, I love a lot of things and part of me stays in chaos, because I'm sad I can't do it all."
I said that she was over-thinking. The mind likes to take charge and conceptually understand and figure out the situation as a means of solution. But knowing why doesn't lead to action. Too much thinking exhausts us. It's much easier to do something than to think about it.
I got my client to begin asking questions of items in a box. She came across a Monet print. I asked her if she loved it or could she let it go. She said, "It's nice. I have a lot of these prints in boxes." I asked if she loved the Monet print enough to hang it on her wall. She said seemed stuck and frustrated. She half-heartedly said, "It's nice."
I said to her, "You're looking for the simple yes. When we love something we immediately find a way to include it in our life. If we are unclear, then it's clutter. Otherwise you'll hang on to everything and be surrounded by piles of things like you are now."
She put the Monet print in the donation box with the power of certainty. She smiled and said, "When I feel strong, I don't care much about anything."