Got Talent? Use It or Lose It!

Out of clutter, find simplicity. Albert Einstein

You’ve heard it before. Cherishing and holding on to something and never using it is a milder form of hoarding. You can be a functional hoarder accompanied by a host of disorders associated with OCD and a variety of fears and emotional anxieties. So here're the tests:
Ask yourself: “Do I have ... Cluttered spaces that I plan to organize one day? Items unused visible, hidden or somewhere collecting dust? Piles upon piles of clothing in closets, floors, in boxes? Overstock of beauty and make-up items that you seldom use? Items you’ve been saving for a rainy day for more than two years? An ‘I’m going to get to it’ to-do-list, and nothing gets checked off as completed? What about obsessing over ‘something for special occasions’ year after year, yet that special occasion never happens?

And the list goes on. If you recognize any subtleties, then you are secretly suffering from a mild to extreme case of hoarding. What’s the point or purpose? YOLO.
So it became clear to me, the other morning I was rushing to get dressed for a meeting when I accidentally bumped into a tri-fold sundry travel case that has been hanging from my bathroom cabinet over three years. It has become a fixture and contains some of the same items since I hung it there. The bag contained some precious perfume samples and other items that I had been saving for a special occasion that I had completely forgotten about. I unintentionally bumped into the bag, and all the glass bottles fell on to the tile and broke releasing the most delightful and pleasant aroma. It frustrated me, because I never got a chance to use it for that special occasion. All I have now is the beautiful aroma each time I enter my bed and bathroom all over the bathroom.

A switch went off. This experience came to me as a reminder that we too often and unsuspectingly slip into the hoarding zone that is not restricted to material possessions. We also become hoarders of gifts that get smoldered over time by fears, work, kids, and more excuses. What a waste! Clean out the closets, dump that crap you’ve been holding on to forever or use it; like the signature purple plates you listed on your first wedding registry. So what, you’re not married any longer, use it or get rid of it.

Got talent? Your gifts and talents are more important that the crap collecting dust in under your bed or the miserable job; where you've been stagnated. Get rid of the crap that blocks you from being you or fulfilling your divine purpose. Make a drastic change now. Go full force. Clean out the cobwebs. Often, hoarding is just another way to avoid finding happiness. It allows you to stay stuck in a state of unhappiness. Don't waste time. Stop making excuses, do something about it today. Dare to initiate change. Be fearless. Have a brave heart. Use it or lose it.

Sonja Brooks, H3