This week's been slow for me work-wise, so I'm enjoying sharing some of my personal clutter-busting moments as blog posts.
I remember when I was 18, the summer before going off to college. I suddenly got really sick with allergies. I went to doctors and they gave me drugs which either knocked me out or put me in the hyper-sphere.
The low point was going to the hospital to get a spinal tap. A friend came to the hospital to visit me and saw how tired and pale I looked and asked me when I was going to die.
Some months and doctors later I'd had enough. My body had symptoms of being sick, but deep down I didn't sense I was ill. I felt like something was wrong, and I was curious to find out what was up.
This lead to my talking with a counselor. We met in private and he started asking me questions about my life. This woke me up to the power of asking questions. I think for years I'd thought that life is as it was and wasn't to be questioned. I never saw my parents questioning their lives. My friends weren't prone to inquiry. I was enthralled.
I heard myself saying things I never knew I felt.
I realized I didn't like college. It didn't suit me. I didn't care for studying law and politics. I didn't want to hear anybody tell me about the things they knew. I wanted to hear what I had to say. I felt there was a wealth of creativity and information in me. I'm an artist and writer. I realized that my work is to see what comes out of me creatively and then share it with other people.
I sensed my body had shut down down because I wanted to do something other than what I was doing.
I also realized that I had come from an unaffectionate family. We never hugged. We didn't talk about our feelings. I thought that was the way to be. I was trying to live that way and it was making me ill because I knew my nature was to be affectionate. I saw that I'm naturally loving. I like to hug people. I like to say what I'm feeling.
As a result of this short burst of inquiry, I decided to quit school and start living a loving life. I went to the admissions office and officially quit. And I made a decision to get a minimum of 15 hugs a day. I either went to friends or asked strangers. I was surprised that people were so accepting.
Out of this came a desire to start eating better. My previous diet of junk food was okay when I trying to be numb. But now I wanted to feel better.
I let go of an immense amount of clutter and I felt as if my life came back to life. I started feeling healthier right away. My allergy symptoms started to fade.
This whole process inspired me to take a deeper look at myself when things are going awry. It's the same approach I use with my clients, and it's one I encourage you to take right now.
What questions would you like to ask of your life right now?