Make a New Year's Resolution to Unclutter Your Mind

The following is an excerpt from Unclutter Your Mind: 500 Ways to Focus on What's Important by Donna Smallin.

Choose Authenticity.

To make emotionally rewarding, authentic choices in life, you must know who you are and what's important to you. People who are face to face with death learn quickly what's important. But you don't have to wait for a crisis to figure out what really matters. Do it now.

When you choose to live according to your values, you will have more time, less stress, and a sense of personal freedom. And that is what uncluttering your life is all about.

• So often we make choices without thinking about what our needs are, or we do things in a particular way because that's the way we learned to do it. We do things our usual way, and we never question our motives.
To live authentically, you must ask yourself: Am I doing things my way, for my own reasons, or because that's what everyone else is doing?

• Make a list of things that make you happy. Write them as they occur to you or as you notice your enjoyment in an activity. Challenge yourself to come up with at least a hundred ideas. Then resolve to do at least three of those things each day for the next 3 weeks.

• If you believe that you are a capable, talented person, then you will become that person. If you believe that people are helpful, you will find yourself in the company of helpful people. What you believe about yourself and your life will become true. You might feel that you are only acting or pretending, but faking it is the easiest way to change your life. Fake it until you can make it.

• Eliminate the words should and have to from your vocabulary and your mind. Replace them with “want” and “choose to.” If you don't believe that you want to do something, then why are you doing it?