Emotions from Purging Free
I stood by my car looking at the dark Hefty trash bags and boxes I had removed from my trunk. Unexpectedly I felt my eyes get watery. No tears fell, yet certainly some type of emotion had fallen over me. After each bag (14) and box (4) had been taken into the Goodwill, I stood still for a few moments, motionless. I paused for a second longer trying to get a handle of why I had water in my eyes, then I turned, got in the car and said to Kelly, “I feel like my life has been purged.” Kelly responded, “Yes, you're literally putting all of that behind you.”
Indeed my emotional roller coaster of gaining weight, then losing weight, then gaining it to lose it again was behind me, but there was something more happening. Letting loose of years worth of clothing of various sizes had been removed from my life for good, but I also realized I was leaving behind a different person. Left behind, closed up in those bags and boxes, was sadness, self-doubt, self-loathing, fear and the person who frequently compared herself to others believing she was not as good or as smart.
Purging Free of What Keeps You Stuck
As we drove out of the Goodwill parking lot I thought about how we hold onto what needs to be purged from our lives for way too long. It is that thought that led me to say, “I am going to write a blog post about purging our lives.”
What I would like you to think about, then do something about, are the people, the emotions, the situations and circumstances, that you have been holding onto for a second too long.
Purging exercise: Where to Begin
I will get you started with key areas in our lives where we should perform a purging exercise. Know this: by no means am I suggesting that this purging will be easy or that – poof! – the purging will happen overnight. Like most of what is worth doing, purging is a process that will take time. Embrace the process.
Purging people: If there is a person or people in your life who have no ambitions, who are making choices that keep them stuck where they are, who show no effort to be challenged and to grow, such people are not benefiting you. Or if you have people where every single word is an excuse, a complaint, or negative, that is a bug you do not want to catch. You can ask that they take the purging with you to be different, but if they continue to not show change, it is time to purge such people out of your life. Use your energy on what you need to do in order to grow yourself.
Purging your language: Do you pay attention to the language that you use? I am not talking about having a potty-mouth here. I am referring to what I call self-chatter. Those are the words that you speak into the universe about yourself. If you are using deflating language, you will live your life like that deflating language. For example, “I'm fat,” “I'll try,” “She's better than me. There is no way I can do that,” “I'm only the assistant.” Such words have no power. In fact, those words keep you stuck. Start purging this deflating language. Instead, replace that language with, “I will become healthier,” “I will do my best, then continue to work on improving,” “I will focus on my strengths,” or “These are skills that help me stand out as an assistant.”
Purging your thoughts: The idea of purging your thoughts is much like purging your language. What you think, you will do. If your life is in need of you doing differently, then you must begin by purging your thoughts to allow you to think differently. Replace your self-defeating thoughts with thoughts that will build you up. Your new way of thinking may make you uncomfortable, but it is working through the discomfort that helps you to grow. Always remember, if what you do is not challenging you, then it is not changing you. If you are not changing, you are not growing. Begin purging your thoughts to allow yourself to grow.
What from Your Life Needs to be Purged?
As I said previously, purging is not easy. Start your purging gradually. Put into practice one area, one thought, or one set of language to begin the purging process. The more you practice purging, the stronger you will become. Who knows, you may find yourself with tears of joy as you literally put the old you behind you.
Start the Discussion: What areas of your life have you been purging and how have you managed to do it? Start the discussion in the post comments. Share on Facebook or Twitter.