1 DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS REALLY IN YOUR CLOSET?
Answer this question: “WHO ARE YOU?” Who are you really? Beneath your physical appearance, what is inside? What makes you happy, sad, scared or angry? The horoscope tells us that if you are born under this star, your personality will be this and that. The Chinese zodiac tells that if you are born in the year of certain animals, you have certain characteristics. Does this means that we all are clones based on the timing of our birth.
But we are totally aware that this cannot be so. Each of us is unique; we have different genetic makeup as individuals in the whole wide world and we are not stereotyped categories of clones. We are wonderfully and fearfully created by God with our own individuality. Have you taken time off to sit down and think about what makes you unique and different?
Who am I? Who are you? Knowing exactly who we really are is very important. Imagine not knowing what is available inside our closets.
Our frame of mind is made up of our experiences, thoughts and emotions. With time, habits will form and, today, you are the outcome of those choices you have made at different points in your life – some good and some bad. Remember, our attitudes are actually habits of thoughts and not part of our genetic makeup.
Life experiences are not always sweet; your attitude determines how you perceive a challenge, your level of confidence and how you see opportunities.
Who you are today is the result of the choices/decisions you have made yesterday; who you will be tomorrow depends on the choices/decisions you are making today.
So, stop dragging the same tired camels from oasis to oasis. What do I mean? Are we dragging the same E-baggage with us everywhere we go, in everything that we do, all these years? E-baggage – as in emotional baggage.
Are we living today’s experiences through yesterday’s mind filters? Our mindset determines how happy, sad, scared, angry, worried, stressed we are today.
Who you want to be tomorrow should depend on where you really want to go in life. Do you have a life vision – a purpose in life? Destination determines direction – if you do not know where you are heading, you may arrive and find that it is not the right destination.
Life is a journey; understanding what the true scenario behind our closed closet doors is enables us to manage this journey in a better way. Understanding your real inner self is a powerful energy booster in life’s journey. Identifying the destination is essential, it is the compass you have in your hand, especially during the times when you are lost in the jungle of today’s busy world.
2 WHAT ARE THE THINGS OF VALUE IN YOUR CLOSET TODAY?
Spring-cleaning is a good practice. You find things of value that you want to keep and things that are of no use to you. What are the things of value in your closet today? Did that jacket served its purpose for you or was it just decorating your closet? When you search your closet, was there something that you had loved but had forgotten lately? So, what are the things of value in your life? What events/episodes have you gone through in life that had molded you into the person that you are today? What past experiences have influenced your thoughts and feelings all these years, gradually conditioning you into the personality you have become today? And, most importantly, do you like what you have now?
Sometimes, we are so modest (especially when talking to ourselves)! We tell ourselves that there isn’t anything worthy at all in our lives. We are so ordinary, maybe mediocre but definitely nothing of significant worth. We convince ourselves that everything in our closet is not good enough for the occasion. We have no outstanding strengths, talents or capabilities.
Let me introduce you to an exciting word – EMBELLISH. This is the process where people add-on extras to make something ordinary into something extraordinary. A few beads, sequins, lace or embroidery stitches will make a simple blouse look good enough for a gala dinner. You do not need to be Einstein to have a successful and fulfilling life! Your regular, ordinary, normal abilities can be embellished to suit the occasion.
Therefore, the first step you must take is to find out what are your very ordinary abilities. I have some very ordinary abilities too but they are different from yours.
The next step will be to consider what is the occasion (example, what is my life’s vision) and then sit down to plan. What happens next?
- What ordinary abilities do I have?
- How do these non-spectacular abilities relate or link-up with my life’s vision?
- Is there any opportunity of enhancing these abilities so that it can give more powerful contributions in my life journey?
- If I am not able to do this on my own, who can I turn to for help and support?
Sometimes, cleaning out your closet needs help from others! This is the time we enlist the help of others to share our task. We need not bear the entire burden alone.
3 WHAT IS THE UNPLEASANT STUFF IN YOUR CLOSET?
Spring-cleaning is not always fun and exciting. You can get downright disgusted when you find some awful stuff like – a forgotten and rotting chocolate bar in your favorite jacket’s pocket. Checking-out your identity code (your real self) may reveal some things that are not pleasant. What should you do?
Yes, you have some options. You can choose not to spring-clean your closet because of the fear of finding unpleasant stuff. Daily in your lifetime, you just keep cramming new stuff (new experiences, thoughts and feelings) until one day the closet doors just burst and you are crushed by the avalanche.
Or you can choose to spring-clean your closet before the situation becomes too big for you to manage. Many of us experience serious energy drainers in the numerous unresolved issues of our past. If you wonder why sometimes you have little or no energy, no passion, no excitement and no enthusiasm in your life, it is time to spring-clean and clear out the excess baggage.
The best outcome in spring-cleaning our cluttered closet is being able to nail down those hidden, silent nagging unresolved issues:
- Identify what it is.
- Accept that it is real and not just a nightmare. Don’t hide your head like an ostrich running from danger!
- Acknowledge it as a learning experience.
- Discard the “small stuff” that are not relevant to your life’s vision.
- Treasure the “big stuff” – how this lesson relates to your life’s vision
Then, after surfacing these issues – MOVE ON!
4 WHAT IS MISSING FROM YOUR CLOSET?
There is another aspect of closet spring-cleaning that we may not be aware. What is missing from our closet? Do we have the essentials to face the needs of summer, spring, autumn and winter? If you are planning a trip to the Antarctica, you will need some really warm thermal clothing! When we know where we are heading to, it is time to look at what is missing from our closet so that we can prepare in advance.
Life’s journey will takes us through many areas. Broadly, let us narrow these down to 7 major areas:
- Career
- Health
- Love & romance
- Family relationships
- Social relationships
- Personal development
- Spirituality & beliefs
In each of these areas, what are we looking for – what are our goals? When these goals are defined, you move on to find out what is not in your closet right now. The things that are missing from your closet are the critical components in helping you achieving these goals.
This should be the time to confront ourselves and take a hard long look at what we are willing to do (or sacrifice) to get to where you want to go.
You may not be able to achieve all your goals at the same time. Rate the priority level of these 7 areas in your life today. Develop progressive goals, one at a time, depending on what may be your greatest need now.
5 WHAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR CLOSET?
Humans are more focused on what they WANT rather then what they NEED in life. At this point, we should review “what is missing from the closet” and seriously consider “what should be there in the closet”.
In the deep recess of your inner self, what is it that you really want in life? If you know that you only have a few months to live, what will be the 3 things that you want to do before death?
Be honest with yourself, you will know that although there are 7 major areas in our life, there are some areas that must be “in place” before the others.
In your closet there are essential items that you need every day and these must always be organized in the most accessible part of the closet.
6 KEY SUMMARY
The story of the closet can be summarized into 2 words – SELF AWARENESS.
Without it, we are not able to optimize our potentials.
Without it, we live a life driven by others.
Without it, we cannot taste the sweetness of fulfilling success.
Without it, we do not know why we are here.
It cannot be given to you; you find it through your own efforts.
WITHOUT SELF-AWARENESS,
WE ARE TRULY ORDINARY!
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Your closet represents YOU. Know that you are a special person, uniquely created by God. There is nobody in the world like you.
- The skeletons are the left-over flavours of some of the lessons you had in life and you can still taste those flavours in your memory. Bitter, sour, salty, spicy or sweet – are you still tasting the same stale flavours from your yesterday’s stories?
- The things of value in your closet are your strengths – everyday skills, abilities, talents, attributes, etc. Your ordinary and insignificant attributes are precious to He who created you.
- The unpleasant stuff are the weaker areas in your personality – your fears, character flaws, inadequate capabilities, etc. You can choose either to manage them or let them manage you.
- The missing items are those that are necessary to you succeeding in your life journey. If you know where you are heading to (in life ultimately), what are the things that you need to make it to that destination?
- The essential things next to the closet door are the critical basics that sustain you through the daily hustle and bustle – it gives you peace of mind. The strength of a person lies in the soul – not in the trimmings or accessories that adorn the outer self; it is not your abilities that make you strong.
7 WHAT IS FULFILLMENT IN LIFE ALL ABOUT?
Everyone wants fulfillment in life. To experience the most powerful energy in life, there must be total alignment of mind, body and soul towards the same direction in its journey.
What will you do about getting fulfillment in your life? And what does fulfillment mean? How do we know when it is achieved? How can we measure fulfillment?
What are you seeking?
Have you placed the most important stuff in the most reachable part of your closet?
Do you really know what is in your closet?
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The Purpose Coach 