LifeCrap

Just back from vacation, and there’s a lot of stuff going on in my brain. Indulge me for a moment, while I get a little biblical and talk about coincidences.

See I woke up this morning -first day back in my own bed – and fell right into my morning routine again: meditation, prayer, and a bit of “bible divination” to start my day. For those of you not familiar with the practice, it’s kind of like using the Bible as a “Magic 8 ball” I ask a question, and open the book to a random page for an “answer.” While I generally take such guidance with a grain of salt, I have to share what happened today.

Many of you know I recently sold my car and publicly declared my willingness to “let it all go” in an effort to release myself from a bunch of energy-draining encumbrances. There’s a lot of spiritual stuff behind why I’m doing it, but the crux of the matter was that I was still holding on to a lot of stuff for no apparent reason other than I just hadn’t let go yet.

I should also add that before I left for vacation, I made a point of barricading the ground-floor windows so that none of that stuff would disappear while we were gone.

Ironic, no?

So this morning, I asked a generic “what should I do?” kind of question, and this was my “answer”:

“When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”

- Luke 18:22 (NIV)

Well, isn’t that special. I just sold the car, the laptop died (and was resurrected!), they lowered the price of our house to $15k (not a typo), and I finally gave my assistant her notice (that was the hardest “thing” for me to let go of, truly).

What more did I really have to sell?

So I come downstairs this morning, and my neighbor is walking down the street. He asks me if I’m interested in holding a yard sale this weekend (starting tomorrow).

Wha…?

I know, there’s a lot of you that will shake your heads in disbelief that this coincidence is the subject of a “lifestyle-business” oriented blog.

But regardless of your religious proclivities, this was too good to ignore.

So as I write this, he’s downtown trying to get a permit. I’m gathering up stuff to sell. I’ve got some furniture and some antiques that no one else in the family wanted – and I certainly don’t want to pack them up and cart them off to wherever we end up living (another vacation story I may share sometime). So I’ve got some pricing to do, I suppose.

“Lifecrap” is a term I coined kind of like the popular “infocrap” now floating around. Whereas infocrap is someone’s idea of compiling what could have been useful information into a poorly designed product, lifecrap is someone’s idea of compiling what could have been powerful living into a poorly designed life.

For example, it’s great to want to have kids, a nice house, a happy marriage and a wonderful career building a life of your dreams, but when your best laid plans fall victim to carpool, grumpy in-laws, bad attitudes, and other stuff over which you have no control, you’ve got a bad case of lifecrap.

And like infocrap, there’s little you can do to salvage it. There may be some wonderful gems in there, but you’ve really got to clear the crap and get down to the basics again.

It means saying “no” at least twice as often as you say “yes” (and probably much more often).
It means clearing bookshelves, wallets, pockets, purses, bags, briefcases, and other containers.

It means removing the encumbrances so you can not only feel free, but be free from anything that might be trying to slow you down.

So one day back from vacation, and I’m already clearing out the lifecrap. I have no idea where this part of my journey is taking me. It’s all at once scary and thrilling. A bunch of other crazy stuff has happened in the last week, too, including my first ever Zumba session, which really kicked my pants. But I shall save that fun for another day.

Today, I want you to think about what lifecrap you’ve got piled up around you. What just needs to go? It seemed great fora  while, but now, it’s a 10-pound ball and chain around your ankle that’s slowing you down, dragging you down, and holding you back? Believe me, it’s hard to part with some of this – my mom’s hand-made antique oak buffet, my great-grandmother’s china hutch. Dad’s bedroom set. Some of it I even kinda feel like I “neeeeeeeed” and don’t want to part with it.

But Leesa Barnes said something to me that really stuck in my head the last time we talked. She said “God will use your god to get your attention.” Whether or not you believe in God, I just can’t imagine letting anything around me have that kind of control over me – especially not lifecrap.

And I know I’ve let it happen. I’ve carried around an extra 100 pounds or so to insulate me from some of my lifecrap. It’s become some of my lifecrap in the process.

And it’s time to part ways. The musical instruments I don’t use anymore, the three dining room tables we have in storage, boxes of clothes and toys we never got around to donating. It all must go.

And I guess starting at 10am tomorrow, you can take possession of some of it for a very reasonable price. Or you can make an offer.

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What say you? Am I a crazy lunatic for letting my neighbor get all “Larry Crowne” on me and have a big ol’ yard sale to clear my lifecrap? What are you going to do to make space in your life for what really matters to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

If you’re ready to step-up and get moving, I invite you to join us for the “Be Your Own Guru” blog series. August 15-September 15, I’ve got a bunch of super smart folks set to help us all make fast progress on this success journey. Registration is free, and includes a bonus daily action e-course to help you build momentum and see results sooner, rather than later. Learn more about #BYOG and reserve your space today.