The ART of Letting Go ~ Trust

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Trust is the most important part of letting go.

After Acceptance and Release comes the last step on your journey of freedom from clutter…Trust! We know clearing clutter can be overwhelming.  We hope these three steps have made it simpler.  We want to help free you to be present in your life now.

Let me bring these together for you.

  • Clutter is transformed by clearing.
  • You can choose to hold on or let go.
  • Do you want to stay stuck or start moving?
  • Is your body in a state or panic or peace?
  • Are you coming from a place of fear or trust?

In reality, all your choices come down to choosing FEAR or TRUST. I encourage you to take this journey from a place of Trust, and when Fear comes up, acknowledge it and let it go. Just for now, be willing to explore your own story and step into change.

Wishing you sweet peace in your life. Marla Dee

**This is an excerpt from Marla’s book, The ART of Letting Go. Download it now as a free gift to read all of the wisdom, knowledge and support of releasing many kinds of stuff in life.

The ART of Letting Go ~ Release

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Start with the willingness to surrender. Take a deep breath and exhale. What are you ready to let go of right now?

The first step in ART was Acceptance. Now you are ready for the Release. When you have accepted where you are in present time, you are free to let go of what is stopping you from moving forward.

It is freeing to release the old, the block, and the struggle. Whereas the acceptance step is like breathing in and receiving air, new life, and oxygen, the release is a long exhale; a way to let go and give back to the Universe what your body no longer needs. It can be that simple. Sometimes life is about surrender. Most of the time, holding on, trying harder, pushing, or struggling are not the answers. How long can you hold your breath before you hurt yourself?  In the same way, bodies and creative energies can be damaged after holding on to stuff for too long. Sometimes it is just time to let go.

I say, start with the willingness to surrender. Take a deep breath and exhale. What are you ready to let go of right now?

It is natural after the surrender to be ready for action. I can imagine you worrying and wondering: “But how do I do this?  I’ve tried for years and it doesn’t work, I can’t get it right. It’s just too hard.”  I realize that you have the desire to let go but you were never taught how. I can desire to play the piano, but without some level of teaching, all I can do is plop out notes, a long way from playing a beautiful melody.

Here are my top three tips for making the release simpler:

1 – You will want to start with a small project or area such as the top of your purse, your dresser, or your junk drawer.  Take everything out and sort first, then toss what you don’t need, and them put it back together. If you want help download my eBook, The ART of Letting Go.

2 – You can also try our simple, yet powerful 30 Day Clutter Clear Out – Let go of one thing a day for 30 days. Get our guide and more support on our Clutter Clear Out page. This will start the energy of things leaving your space and you will be amazed how fun it can be.

3 – For the bigger projects, you will want to use the all the Clear & Simple Steps, starting with the Foundation Steps of SEE IT, MAP IT, DO IT© and then the Action Steps of STACKS©.

*Download your handy STEPS Guide by going here.

**This is an excerpt from Marla’s book, The ART of Letting Go. Download it now as a free gift to read all of the wisdom, knowledge and support of releasing all types of stuff.

The ART of Letting Go ~ Acceptance

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All change begins with ACCEPTANCE…

The first step in letting go is accepting the story your clutter tells. All clutter tells a story and everyone has clutter in some area of his or her life. Accept that your environment is simply a reflection of your life up until now, a reflection of what’s happened to you and what’s going on inside you. There’s no shame or blame in looking at this picture; that would only keep you in the role of a victim. In order to step into the power of change and growth, you must be willing to open your eyes and see it. There is no healthy payoff in focusing on the clutter itself, on staying locked up in guilt—not for you or for others. However, great power is arises when you accept that you are the creator of your life and of your environment. Your old things, your old patterns, your old relationships reflect who you have been and what you have built or what you have avoided—it is YOUR PAST!

By accepting the full story in front of you, you can step into present time. There is a famous line in the Alcoholics Anonymous book that says “Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today.”  I believe this is true. Acceptance is the beginning of any change. Acceptance brings peace. Acceptance opens the door for support to come in.

Here are some simple exercises to support you in coming to a place of acceptance:

Answer the following questions:

– What am I having a hard time accepting?

– Why am I having a hard time accepting where I am today?

– What am I telling myself about why I am stuck?

– What is the story I want to get out before I can move on?

– Am I willing to accept what is in front of me?

Acknowledge your feelings:

– I accept that I am scared.

– I accept that I feel hopeless.

– I accept that I have created this situation.

– What would acceptance feel like?

Then answer:

– Where can I begin my acceptance?

– If I accept what is in front of me, how will I be set free?

– By accepting my situation, what can I let go of that is dragging me down or holding me back?

– What would acceptance look like?

Another method for getting out and accepting your old story is to tell it out loud. The key is to find a person you trust who is willing to listen with heart and attention. I have found many people hold on to their stuff because they feel they need it in order to share their life story with another human being.

This is an excerpt from Marla’s book The ART of Letting Go, which you can download now as a gift from her.

Clutter Clearing can be simple & fun!

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Ready to have some fun clearing clutter?

We know, we know… “FUN – REALLY?”  Yes, fun! With a simple plan, a support group of people honoring each other, fabulous resources and inspiration along the way; it can be fun to clear out the stuff! You’ll get all of this with our 30 Day Clutter Clear Out Event.

Simple Plan: The invitation is to simply commit to releasing one thing each day for 30 days. It can be anything – a broken toy, old dress, extra gadget, or old pile of paper. We will give you a simple guide to follow or you can choose each day.

Strong Support Group: Join our Facebook Group to connect with the crew and see other’s postings about their journey.

Fabulous Resources: Jump on our website page clearsimple.com/clutterclearout/ for gifts and experts to help make it simple.

Inspiration: Weekly blogs, weekly Q&A and daily postings on Facebook will keep you moving and excited. Marla will also be sharing her journey throughout the month on Facebook Live giving you her best guidance.

See Marla on TV How to Clear the Clutter for some jump start encouragement!


Clear & SIMPLE, Marla Dee, KUTV Fresh Living, How to Clear Clutter

We can’t wait to hear all your stories, support you and celebrate together! Marla, Kate & Team.

Time for Slow. Time for Simple.

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We could all use a little big dose of slow and simple.

Recently, I was sitting outside my son’s basketball practice reading and enjoying a new book. I overheard two parents reconnecting after being away for the summer. “How was your summer?” The woman asked politely. “It was great, but went by so fast! How was yours?” The man inquired. “Oh my gosh, so fast. I think it was the fastest summer ever and I was not ready for school to start.” She replied.

I sighed deeply in empathy for I have also experienced just how fast life goes by. On the other hand I also felt grateful for Our Simple Summer that rolled by at a sweet pace; something I know was very intentional on my part.

As I lamented over the “too fast” culture we live in, I continued to notice scenarios before me as parents zipped in and out of the parking lot, some dropping kids off and some picking kids up.

  • One mom talked aggressively on her phone as her son climbed in the car and they drove away. Been there.
  • A father was urging his son to hurry up and tie his shoes to get into practice. Been there.
  • Another woman pulled into a spot, tapped her fingers impatiently while watching the school door. After about 15 seconds she jumped out and ran into the school to retrieve her son. Been there too.

After many layers of simplifying our stuff, our time and our lives, my family’s approach looks very different than what I witnessed. We leave the house with more than enough time to get there. Our phones are put away so that we can be present with each other to talk, sing and laugh all the way. We arrive early giving us a bit more time to connect. As my son hops joyfully out of the car and saunters into the gym, I push the driver’s seat back, kick my feet out the window and dive into a book.

This particular day I was reading a fantastic book called In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed and was on chapter 8, Work: The Benefits of Working Less Hard. Over the last 6 months my soul has been begging me to bring my work life into alignment with our minimalist energy. The combination of this book, a couple of months of summer sweetness and experiencing the fast-paced madness of my fellow humans, has created a great urgency in me to make this happen right away.

Barely making it through the day over-stressed, overly disconnected, under-nourished and under-inspired is certainly NOT the kind of life I want to live. How about you?

With lots of love,
Kate