A Year to Clear
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DAY 361
YOUR TEACHERS
Use today to reflect on the lessons and clearing practices from this book that you found most challenging. Perhaps you wrote in your journal about the tasks that rattled your cage. That would be the place to start. These are your teachers.
Explore
Some of the lessons and clearing practices I found most challenging this year are . . .
I would like to (re-)declare my resolve to . . .
DAY 362
SHAKE IT UP
Think of your life as a sudsy bottle: The more you shake it up, the more suds come to the surface to be loved up and healed.
Sometimes you have to shake things up to uncover the shimmering essence of your true self.
What needs shaking up for next year? Today? Right now?
Explore
What is shaking up for next year . . .
What needs shaking up right now . . .
DAY 363
THIS IS IT
If there is one piece that summarizes the work of becoming our spacious selves, it would be this beauty by Lao Tzu:
Always we hope
Someone else has the answer.
Some other place will be better,
some other time
it will turn out.
This is it.
No one else has the answer.
No other place will be better,
and it has already turned out.
At the center of your being
you have the answer;
you know who you are
and you know what you want.
There is no need
to run outside
for better seeing.
Nor to peer from a window.
Rather abide at the center of your being;
for the more you leave it, the less you learn.
Search your heart
and see
the way to do
is to be.
Explore
What I get from Lao Tzu's message . . . (and how it applies to me . . .)
How I know that all the answers are within me . . . (Name and feel the part that still isn't so sure.)
After nearly a year, these are some of the ways I have learned to be more and do less . . .
DAY 364
WISDOM FOR THE ROAD
As you journey forward into the heart of your own being, I offer you these parting reminders:
Clutter is not the problem. It's how you relate to it that needs your love and attention.
The only thing that is real—and really juicy—is happening right this second.
Every moment is an opportunity to let go.
You do not need fixing; the essence of who you are is not broken.
Simplicity is the pathway to lasting change.
Awareness changes everything.
Which of these truths speaks to you most right now? What can you do today to “bring it home”?
Explore
The wisdom that most speaks to me right now . . .
One thing I can do today to anchor it even more . . .
DAY 365
HAPPY NEW YOU!
Exactly a year ago, as I was finishing the online course on which this book is based, my husband came into my office and said, “Wow, Stephanie. Your eyes are really sparkly and clear!”
Guess what? This material has been working its magic on me too!
Whether it is through writing down words and/or acting on them, clearing has a way of doing that. When we slowly drip, drip, drip compassionate awareness into the places in our homes and lives that are stuck and out of balance, we change. For good.
I hope that you feel inspired to keep clearing every day in whatever small ways you can. Remember that consistency, not quantity, is the key to freedom and lasting change.
Consider these simple ways to continue the journey of cultivating a clear home and a spacious life:
Go back to Day 1. The more clearing you do, the more layers you'll peel away, and the more insights you'll gain. Though the messages will be the same, you won't be. Some of the messages may even feel completely new. That's because your internal lenses and filters are clearer!
Connect with others. Gather one or more friends, or invite your book group to join you in a six-week “clearing circle.” Use this book as your guide and the interactive companion website, AYearToClear.com. If you need help starting a group, follow the steps in the appendix of Your Spacious Self, which offers simple guidelines and sample meeting agendas.
Take an online course. I have two courses on DailyOM that will guide you day to day. What you get there that you don't get in my books is a daily nudge in your email inbox, audio meditations, and an opportunity to connect with others in the comment thread.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to join you on this pilgrimage. As we close this chapter for now, I leave you with a short contemplation:
When we tend our homes and lives in small ways, we take care of ourselves.
When we nourish ourselves, we bring ourselves back into balance.
When we restore balance, we bring peace to the world.
Happy trails, everyone! I'll see you on the path.
Acknowledgments
There are no words that adequately express how grateful I am. This book would simply not exist without the amazing beings who have inspired, supported, and walked with me on this journey.
To my Hierophant family: I could not have asked for a better publishing team to bring my 365-day “slow drip” vision into reality. Thank you, Randy Davila, for your generous spirit and willingness to take the long view with a book like this that can change the way people relate to clutter and clearing in their homes and hearts.
To my editor, Susie Pitzen: I am in awe of your ability to see and “clear” with eagle eyes. With a few strokes of your magic wand (I mean pen), you have smoothed out many rough edges, and brought out the spacious best of each lesson. To Allison Jacob: thank you for reading my manuscript in its infancy and sharing your valuable insights. To Emma Smith, what can I say? The cover is gorgeous.
To my friends and colleagues who have supported me in my quest to change the world one drawer at a time, thank you for your love and belief in me. A special thank you to Meg Hirshberg for your willingness to dig deeper into that thing you call a purse, and for suggesting that I devote a whole week on the subject. It was really fun deconstructing it! To April Eberhardt, my literary angel, thank you for your giddy enthusiasm and generous offerings of advice and inspiration. If every book had a favorite auntie, for this “baby,” it would be you! To my San Miguel spirit sister, Nancy G. Shapiro, I am grateful for the girlfriend support, photos, e-cards, and beautiful reminders “to breathe, stretch, look out at the garden now and then, feed and hydrate [my] body so that I can feed and hydrate the world.”
To all my readers and students: Thank you for trusting in a process that doesn't always add up, make sense, or go in a straight line. Your stories and testimonials are living proof that “going slow to let go” is infinitely more effective and satisfying (if not more fun) than going for the quick (fix).
To the students of my DailyOM online courses, “Clear Your Home, Clear Your Life” and “A Year to Clear What's Holding You Back!”: You have moved me (often to tears) with your courage to clear what's holding you back and cultivate what is calling you forward. I am expanded and enriched every time I scroll down the comment thread to read your posts. Your stories, questions, fresh perspectives, and support of each other are a treasure: They inspire hope, lighten our load, and remind us that we are not alone in this journey. Thank you for being my teachers.
A special appreciation goes to these writers and teachers, artists and poets, thought leaders and messengers, who have inspired me, and whose wisdom graces the pages of this book: Abraham-Hicks, Brené Brown, Sophie Chiche, Pema Chödrön, Wayne Dyer, Elizabeth Gilbert, Seth Godin, Thich Nhat Hanh, Maira Kalman, Anne Lamott, Geri Larkin, Dr. Robert Maurer, Lynne McTa
ggart, Gunilla Norris, Madisyn Taylor, Iyanla Vanzant, Oprah Winfrey, and Desda Zuckerman. Thank you for helping us to slow down, think outside the box, see the beauty in all things, open up to creativity, embrace courage and imperfection, cultivate self-care, and become our best selves.
The stories I share in this book from my own life experience would be flat and colorless without the presence (presents) and participation of the two big loves in my life. To my beautiful redhead, Camilla: Your creativity, curiosity, and enthusiasm for life (and great food) inspires and lifts me every day. The world is a brighter place since you came into it twenty-four years ago. Thank you for reminding me how to play. To my beloved hubby, honey, and best friend of thirty years, JV: I am grateful every day for the opportunity to share this life with you. Thank you for making me laugh, being there when I cry, talking things through when I'm stuck, cheering me on when I'm strong. I could not have asked for a better partner to grow with and join me on this ride of a lifetime!
In the end, it is the personal stories woven into these pages, I believe, that give clearing its heart. It is our stories that connect and humanize us, that help us laugh and heal. Thank you everyone for shining your light and being a part of this great human adventure!
Further Inspiration
Books
Brown, Brené. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. New York: Gotham, 2012.
——. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2010.
Chödrön, Pema. When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 2002.
——. Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears. Boston, MA: Shambhala, 2010.
Kalman, Maira. My Favorite Things. New York: Harper Design, 2014.
Kondo, Marie. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2014.
Lamott, Anne. Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace. New York: Riverhead, 2014.
Maurer, Robert. One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way. New York: Workman, 2004.
Norris, Gunilla. Being Home: A Book of Meditations. Photographs by Greta D. Sibley. New York: Bell Tower, 1991.
Rumi, Jalal al-Din, The Essential Rumi, New Expanded Edition. Translations by Coleman Barks and John Moyne. New York: HarperOne, Reprint edition, 2004.
Tzu, Lao. Tao Te Ching. New York: Penguin, 1963.
Vogt, Stephanie Bennett. Your Spacious Self: Clear the Clutter and Discover Who You Are. San Antonio, TX: Hierophant Publishing, 2012.
Web Essays and Blog Posts
Seth Godin (editor), What Matters Now: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/what-matters-now-get-the-free-ebook.html/.
Geri Larkin, “Close to the Ground: Just Stuff.” Spirituality & Health, http://spiritualityhealth.com/articles/close-ground-just-stuff#main-content-top, July-August, 2014.
Anne Lamott, “Becoming the Person You Were Meant To Be: Where to Start.” O, The Oprah Magazine, http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-To-Find-Out-Who-You-Really-Are-by-Anne-Lamott.
Madisyn Taylor, “Your Comfort Zone: Create a Soft Place to Land” DailyOM, http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2007/6733.html.
Arianna Huffington, “Sleep Your Way to the Top.” Inc., http://www.inc.com/ari-anna-huffington/sleep-your-way-to-the-top.html.
Alice Park, “The Power of Sleep.” Time, http://time.com/3326565/the-power-of-sleep.
Stephanie Bennett Vogt, “Lost and Found in Letting Go,” SpaceClear, http://www.spaceclear.com/2010/04/lost-and-found-in-letting-go/.
Elizabeth Gilbert, “Ego vs. Soul.” Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/GilbertLiz.
Online
A Year to Clear What's Holding You Back!; 365-Day Online Course by Stephanie Bennett Vogt; www.dailyom.com
Clear Your Home, Clear Your Life; 28-Day Online Course by Stephanie Bennett Vogt; www.dailyom.com
Svaroopa® yoga: Programs that develop a whole new capacity for movement, breath, and aliveness; http://svaroopa.org/yoga
Spacious images: www.pinterest.com/SpaceClear/
Stephanie Bennett Vogt; www.spaceclear.com
Videos
Kuenne, Kurt (writer, director, composer). “Validation.” http://youtu.be/Cbk980jV7Ao?list=PLifyoA8MG3-6YPZKmagYHO_rDY8dKWe7V.
Stelar, Parov, “All Night.” http://youtu.be/5uej4-lTa1s
Higa, Ryan. “First World Problems.” http://youtu.be/vN2WzQzxuoA
“Do Nothing for 2 Minutes.” http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/
Resources
Visit the A Year to Clear website for updates and to connect with others on this journey:
www.AYearToClear.com
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and receive daily inspirational messages:
www.facebook.com/SpaceClear
www.facebook.com/StephanieBennettVogt
www.twitter.com/SpaciousSelf
Learn more about Stephanie, her books, and inspirational programs designed to cultivate a clear home and a spacious life:
www.SpaceClear.com
About the Author
Stephanie Bennett Vogt is a leading space-clearing expert, international speaker, and the author of Your Spacious Self: Clear the Clutter and Discover Who You Are. She has taught her inspirational clearing programs at centers including Kripalu and the New England School of Feng Shui, and her work on simplifying, self-discovery, and letting go has appeared on the Huffington Post and DailyOM and in two anthologies: Pearls of Wisdom and The Thought That Changed My Life Forever. Stephanie and her husband divide their time between Concord, Massachusetts, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
8301 Broadway, Suite 219
San Antonio, TX 78209
888-800-4240
www.hierophantpublishing.com