“Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all.” ~~~Author Nathan W. Morris
As an editor and writer, I pour over pages of text with a focus on removing what does not add to the thought being expressed. I’m not that precise when I edit my own work, as my mind sees what is intended, not necessarily what ends up on the page.
Overall, my life poses the same issue. It’s difficult to look objectively at my life and decide what no longer represents or supports who I am now. It’s difficult to let go of objects that have sentimental value in the service of making space for the present and future, and allowing my eye to move on from the past. Since I am continuing a serious decluttering effort this year, it struck me that if I think of it as editing, it brings a different energy into my awareness.
Editing feels so much clearer to me when I look around my home. It is easy using the lens of the editor-self to see the repetitive items, to see the fine layer of dust on small tchotchkes. Isn’t tchotchke a wonderful word? Thanks to Yiddish for giving us many wonderful words that express an idea in such a unique way.
I very much agree with another of Nathan W. Morris’ statements:
“I’ve found that the less stuff I own, the less my stuff owns me.”
Editing the physical stuff is relatively easy compared to editing my time, my attention and my energy. I know that what I give my energy to, if ruthlessly edited, would radically change how I spend my time. And perhaps that is exactly what I need to do. Thinking of my energy as a precious and not inexhaustible resource, how I choose to allocate it, is much more than an exercise in productivity.
It is making a radical choice to prioritize those actions that align with my desire to live a life that is as joyful as possible. To do so, I need to figure out what contributes to that in body, mind, heart and spirit. As I edit out what needs to go, hopefully what is left is what was written on my soul when I came into the world.
Editing my life is about more than decluttering a closet (though I am doing exactly that this week). It’s about decluttering my mind to remove limiting thoughts about what is possible for me, at any age. It’s about discovery and the belief that as I discover more about who I am and honor that, I become more aligned with the luminous light inside me that is my essence.
It’s your essence too.
With love,
Cathleen
Cathleen , every week I look forward to your articles and found this one to be extremely helpful for me as your words resonate so much and you are helping me to prioritize what is important in my life and on a daily basis . This week , when I return home from my trip out west visit family I will be setting up a schedule to be more productive and will be quality time on my creative side and less time doom scrolling . I feel there are pluses to social media though like marketing one’s work .
And yes love this Yiddish word tchotchke.