February 28th, 2010 by rob white
Burt finally rid himself of the attitude of confusion and defeat that would grip him almost every morning when he would go to work. He’d look at his cluttered desk and feel defeated before the day began. He’d mutter to himself, “the business world is just ‘too confusing’ for me to handle.”
What happened that changed Burt’s attitude? One day he was talking to a neighbor who not only owned a very successful business, but also spent a lot of extra time playing golf. He asked the neighbor, “Don’t you ever feel confused and defeated?” The neighbor advised, “Learning to feel confident and in control begins with clarity. Take a look around you and rid your life of everything that reminds you of clutter – clean it up immediately. Maybe it’s your garage space or a closet in the cellar; perhaps it’s your office desk – clean it up. You will be startled at how quickly your attitude will change.”
This was all that Burt had to hear. He immediately went to his office and took all day cleaning up his desk, organizing his files and neatly putting away all the things in his office that reminded him of clutter and confusion. By the end of the day, he could feel the difference.
Burt is now a firm believer that if you want your life to run smoothly (be it business or any other area of your life), you must clean up everything in your environment so it reminds you of clarity, not clutter … of control, not defeat.
1. What is your cluttered desk?
2. What makes you feel confused and defeated?
It can be something as simple as the cabinet space beneath the kitchen sink or even the trunk of your car. What will you clean up so that you may feel more in control of your life?
Hey, are you reading my mind. My glove compartment has chewing gum wrappers from a year ago along side a pair of glasses that lord knows who owns. Any time I open it, I get bugged!
I have controlled chaos at my desk — its a bit daunting. Maybe I will start with my sock drawer.
My cluttered desk is my clothes closet. It reminds me daily of how hectic I can make life. It’s not necessary.
My cluttered desk is my purse. Anytime I feel confused, I just throw everything in my purse helter skelter. When I try to find something in there, I remember the confusing experience. I clean it out periodically and start over.
I can see where I felt unclear and the result was that I lacked confidence. I did that with my new job; once I was clear about what I had to do, I felt much more secure about my job.
This concept is challenging me right now! I wasn’t ready to part with all my treasures (yes that clutter big picture is made of little gems and treasures and memories I can’t part with..yet) so I have tried making a new space and leaving the clutter behind, thinking that I will be less attached with space. The clutter is a distraction from the real issues and it is a very telling experiment about how little I can really “blame” on environment and a powerful proof that “where ever I go, there I am”…
So, like always it’s
up to me if it is to be
i learn to live it clutter free !
Nice one Dawn, ‘If it is to be it is up to thee, and you plan to live clutter- free’ …. I love it!
My life week is running a lot smoother now that I have cleaned out the kitchen cabinets of clutter – clearly that was a sign of my cluttered mind. Thanks.
I cleaned out my kitchen cabinets. I feel much better. I can see how cleaning things up clears things up.
I can see it when confusion grips me in the morning. When I return from work that evening, my breakfast dishes are still in the sink (reminding me of the clutter I left behind because of the clutter I had in my mind).
Clarity gives confidence. I can see that. I was feeling very insecure when I went to Russia for an assignment. When I got there, I became very clear about the project, and it was amazing how quickly my old confidence came back.
My sock drawer tells me my state of mind – when it is disheveled, my life is most likely in a state of confusion. When it’s nice and neat, I have my life in order.
I feel confused and defeated after I argue with my wife – it shows up with how I take care of myself. I stop shaving and start wearing the same clothes for days at a time.
Cleaning up my art studio (after promising myself for six months that I’d do it) has been such a freeing experience. Wow, I can see clearly, now!
Indeed, Noreen, we can all rejoice, “I can see clearly now” after we clean the clutter in our material world.
I know when my mind is cluttered because I start muttering. It is the thoughts in the attic in my mental house that I need to clean out, then it gets easy to clean up the mess in the attic in my house on Webster Way.
I know what it feels like to mutter because of mental clutter. I also know what it looks like when I clutter my desk because of mental muttering. Not good.
My front hall is filled with my kids roller skates, bikes, skateboards. It upsets me everytime I come home. Is it my clutter or theirs? Does it mean I’m confused or they are?
I have a roommate, Merriam, that is an absolute slob. I cannot be held responsible for that, but I certainly did attract him into my life – I have to hold myself responsible for that. Wow.
The telltale sign that my mind is getting cluttered is the back porch. It matches my mind perfectly. When it is a mess with stuff, you can be sure my lfe is a mess with stuff.
Wow, my closet is the big indicator of whether or not my mind is cluttered. It can look like a bomb blew up in the closet when I am getting stressed out.
The world is cluttered with people running helter skelter when the collective consciousness of mankind is cluttered with thoughts of separation and lack. I can see that bigger picture.
I become very slobby when I get all muddled about things that are happening to me. The first thing I learn to do to unmuddle my mind is to clean up my house. It’s a great first step.
My cluttered desk; that which shows that I am cluttering my mind with unnecessary thoughts … is my bed. What a mess!
If my disorganized office files are any indication of me having a disorganized mind, then I am in big trouble.
My name is Burt. I wish I was ‘the Burt’ who has learned to clean up his environment so he can think clearly. I am the Burt that still lives in a messy environment and has a cluttered mind.
I don’t know if the whole world is too confusing for me, but I do know that when i allow myself to get confused I do add to my problems. That’s a great suggestion – clean your desk and your confusion dwindles.
I agree with Yanni, that when I allow myself to get confused, I, too, find more problems showing up in my life. Clarity is power.
Clarity indeed is power, Benson. The person who takes the time to look into the rigorous light of truth clearly finds what he is seeking.
It took looking into the rigorous light of truth for me to see that my boyfriend was cheating on me. Now I can do what I need to do to rid myself of this kind of treatment.
Golf makes me feel confused and defeated
Every Monday I begin my week by cleaning up my desk. Perhaps I am also cleaning up the clutter in my mind so I can be more productive. I never thought of it that way.
My supervisor tells me that I like to act confused because that way I avoid being responsible for getting my work done on time. I am beginning to understand what he means, now.
I still have not cleaned up my act. I think it works for me. I prefer to launch into my day and be productive as possible. Cleaning slows me down
I tell my son that he avoids being responsible for his household chores by acting confused, Linda. I don’t know if it’s the case with you, but it is with my son.
I feel confused and defeated every time my monthly bank statement comes – I can never match it to my checkbook ledger. I am now taking a simple course at adult education at the local high school on how to balance your monthly accounts – how easy is that!
I think the world is too confusing for all of us these days.
The world is not too confusing for me. I get what I want because I keep my eye on the target and do not let other things distract me.
The world is confusing if you let it confuse you. Every generation thinks they grew up in confused times. I certainly have things I need to work on, but have always been good at living simply and deliberately.
“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”
Henry David Thoreau
Karn told me about this blog site. I see you people are interested in improving your lives. It takes work. Let’s see what this guy rob has to say.
My computer desktop is my signal that my mind is muddled. When I clean it up I find my mind feels less muddled.
My desktop has too many valuable matters to disturb it (so I think) Lena. Perhaps I have the same idea about my mind!
Right now I think the world is too much for anyone to understand. It is moving too quickly in the wrong direction.
A confusing mind, a confusing world, a confusing life. A clear mind, a clear world, a clear life. Makes sense.
Perhaps the world is not too confusing but this health care bill is.
Thanks for that idea about the health care bill being too confusing, Henry. I’ve used it in my next blog.
When things go too fast, they do get confusing. When we simplify them, it seems like things slow down. Maybe we are manipulating time that way.
I just had a confusing phone call. I don’t know who was confused, me or my brother. The miscommunication stirred tempers. What a cluttered mess it became. I called him back and cleared it up. Now I can get on with my day.
It seems that miscommunication often stirs tempers, Barry. When communication is confusing, folks dig in to be right.