"Start from where you are, not from where you wish you were. The work you're doing becomes your path." –Ram Dass Hi everyone,  Some of you may remember the story I shared a few newsletters ago of how small steps can lead to big changes. In it I described what my husband and I did to clear out 30 years of stuff from our 1875 attic to make room for a more eco-friendly heating and cooling system.  Like opening up an Egyptian tomb, the job took time, was messy, and required a lot of patience. It also proved to deliver many pleasant and not so pleasant surprises, as you can see from my fun little one-minute video recap below.   That madcap journey, which began two summers ago, ended last week.  Well... sort of.  As far as the heavy lifting part goes, we are done! We celebrated when our beloved air conditioners found their way to new homes: two window units that we (royal we) will never again have to drag up and down from the
bowels of our 1975 basement.  As for the “light lifting,” that part of the journey will likely never end. As long as I keep making memories, there will always be drib drabs, keepsakes, and mementos from the past to process. The trick is to stay ahead of them and never
let them get lost, or squirreled into dark spaces ever again. Â Happy endings-non-endings aside, the real story
I want to tell here, though, is not so much what we managed to accomplish, but how we did it. How did we approach a task as daunting as this?  The short answer: small bites. We did it by setting clear doable goals, taking small
action steps every day, practicing mindful detachment, and giving ourselves lots of space to feel into the experience and appreciate the treasures that emerged from our past.  If these steps seem like too much to spend on clearing out "things," consider that
things themselves are not ultimately the problem. It is our attachments to them that keep them, and us, locked in place. Â There are ways to play the long game with your clearing; ways that will not send you into spasms of
overwhelm; ways that will not only feel effortless, but make you want to keep going! Keep scrolling to see what that might look like. Â Until next time, enjoy this fun one-minute video romp. May it inspire you to clear something
today! You got this.  Happy clearing! Stephanie
The Four Keys Clearing’s secret sauceÂ
The basic principles that my husband and adopted to clear our attic boil down to four keys: Intention, Action, Witnessing, and Compassion.  These keys apply to any issue or task – from the tiniest drawer to the biggest rat's nest in your closet, attic, or basement. They will work their magic no matter what you throw at them.  Their secret lies in how you apply them;
how you get them working in concert to create the changes you want.
|
|
And how you do that exactly is all laid out in Your Spacious Self. Now in its revised and expanded 10th Anniversary edition, it will guide you every step of the way.  These keys will open secret doors you never knew you even had!  Preorder your copy and play a much bigger game with clearing –– be it physical, mental, emotional, or energetic.Â
|
|
On the Blog "Clearing out years of stuff: How we did it"
|
Curious to know what the actual steps were that we took to get our attic to look like this? I lay it all out in my blog post here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@spaciousway has a second home. If you could use some “small bites” of clearing inspiration, wisdom, and nudges in real time, I invite you to join me on “Threads” the new app by Meta. This page will be dedicated to my “small steps, big changes” of reducing stress, overwhelm, and clutter for good.  I’m making it up as I go along, hoping this new dedicated space is what I
think it can be: a slow-drip oasis for those wanting to go the distance. Â
|
Stephanie Bennett Vogt is a leading space clearing expert, teacher, and author of five books and four online courses which have attracted over 275,000 participants. She brings forty years of experience to SpaceClear, a practice she founded in 1996 helping homes and people come
into balance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
