Anyone who’s been around here for more than two seconds can tell I’m obsessed with the theme of beautiful, loved and useful.
As a litmus test for what to keep or allow into your life, it’s pure gold. Having this threshold for the type of possessions you want to own, the relationships you want to have, the things you do with your time and the habits you cultivate, is a crucial tool in sorting through the myriad of options that bombard us day in and day out.
But I’ll be the first to admit—when you ask the same question over and over again it can lose its meaning, like repeating a word over and over until you stop comprehending the meaning and start wondering about the funny sound it makes.
And while you’re not focusing on the meaning, you start to lose intention about what you do or do not allow into your precious life. As you slip into autopilot, the clutter gets in…and stays. The stagnant unanswered questions sit in a corner, weighing on your mind and on your to do list, while you try unsuccessfully to muster the motivation to do something about it…because you know you should. (Oh, hello, guilt.)
Sometimes simply attacking a pile with a new question in mind is the only thing you need to push you out of a rut and truly make some new space, with ease.
Fortunately, there are many ways to ask the question of whether something is beautiful, loved and useful.
They’re all asking the same thing, really, but at different times in your life or day or mood, the words will strike you differently.
One question might make your eyes glaze over, but another question makes you straighten up, and think, “That’s what I’m after. I want to answer that!”
Choose something stagnant you’ve been procrastinating on dealing with. A box in the guest room, the overflowing pile of cookbooks in the kitchen, the prospect of staring down a week with more engagements and obligations than one person could possibly satisfy, let alone enjoy.
Choose the one question that resonates with you, right now.
Remember the questions ask for a simple yes or no, and trust the answer that feels most honest. Let it be easy.
Taking each decision one by one, ask the question. Trust the answer that feels most honest, and make the decision, once and for all. Don’t second-guess yourself. Seize what matters to you right now, and let go of the rest with peace, trusting that you will be more without them, and will always have what you need.
- Does this make me feel like more of myself?
- Is this supporting who I am becoming, and who I want to be?
- Is this serving me?
- Is this moving me and my love story forward?
- Is it useful? Do I love it? Is it beautiful?
- Does it sing to me? Does it make my heart sing? (You know what if feels like, when a person or a color or a picture makes your heart sing.)
In the comments below, tell me which question is speaking the loudest to you right now—and what’s one decision it can help you make?
// image via Death to the Stock Photo
