Today's phone client was living with two homes worth of stuff in one home. She and her husband had been trying for two years to buy a second home near her family in another state but had no luck. Meanwhile she'd been buying things for the future second home and storing them in boxes in her current home.
She said, "All this stuff is driving me crazy. I'm just a mess. It makes me feel bad about myself. I don't even have a life." She started crying.
I said that it was like she was living in a future museum of her life. She was surrounded by things that were supposed to be for a life that hadn't happened yet. Meanwhile it was negatively affecting her current life.
She understood what I was saying, but she said she couldn't get rid of any of the future home stuff. She said, "I cling on to this stuff. I'm attached to these things. I can only think of the money that I spent on them."
I said that anything in your life that makes you miserable is valueless. Nothing is more valuable than your peace of mind. I said that she'd probably gotten used to living in pain and that the only way out of this mess would come through her being completely honest with herself about how living this way was making her feel terrible.
My client thought about it and said, "This stuff will never mean more than life itself. It will never be more important than my family."
She decided to have an honest talk with her husband about the clutter situation. She figured she would either get rid of the second home stuff, or put the stuff in storage (after a thorough clutter busting) until they got their second home. She was determined to have her peace of mind back.
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I've really enjoyed working with phone clients all week. I've decided to extend the phone clutter busting sessions sale for one more week. It's also my way of thanking you for all the support you gave me this year while I was having health problems.
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