Energy Suckers Stealing Your Joy? | Tolerate No More!

I did a little thing today that brought me so much joy.  Such a little thing it was, you wouldn't think it would be a big deal.  But a Blast o' Joy it surely was.  As the saying goes...sometimes it's the little things that make a big, big difference.  Remember the story of the Princess who couldn't sleep because of a pea under her mattress??

One of the biggest things we as dream-pursuers can do for ourselves is all about energy.  Cleaning it, clearing it, building it, reserving it...some days I think that's literally all I do, and if I do it well, everything else works fine.  So when I did this little thing today I realized it might be time to do some Spring Energy Cleaning.  And I wanted to share the idea with you.

It all started with wearing a different pair of shorts last week, because, hurray, it's Spring up here in Canada, finally.  And guess what, my spring shorts have a tiny pocket.  So tiny my regular set of keys and cell phone don't even begin to fit.  Annoying!  And annoying again the next day, the day after that, and again today.

So what was the little thing you did Andrea?  Well you should ask! I came right home and de-cluttered my keychain.  Wow, it was like getting a stain off a favorite shirt after five years. Or declogging an antique sink.  It released a whole bunch of energy and now everything about leaving the house is lighter. My purse. My hand-filled-with-keys.  My shorts pocket.

There's only two smart questions at a moment like this.

(1) Why oh why didn't I do this before?

I can't even remember what these other 10 keys are for.  And who needs three cute keychain thingies anyway? I kept the smallest one - a cute wee thing from Maui earlier this year.

(2) What else am I tolerating? What else - like the keychain - can I de-clutter?

Tolerations are actually a word a lot of coaches use.  In fact, even though coaching can seem like a really mystical thing that happens, a lot of times you can get a lot of great coaching done just by focussing on getting rid of tolerations. 

Once they are gone, so many of the other challenges and opportunites in life become effortless because you now have the energy to pay them their due.  Simple.  Sometimes really deep tolerations can take some time to zap, but the principle is simple, really.

So, my Joyful Friend, shall we cut to the nitty gritty?  Can you think of 10 things you are putting up with, gritting your teeth and ignoring?  Make a list now and one by one, scratch them off your list. 

Here are a few more of my tolerations which I've just dispatched...

(1) A shoerack in the mudroom that was too small for my hubby's hiking boots.  Hiking boots all over the floor creating a stubbed-toe zone for months.  Solution: An old bookshelf and no more stray shoes!

(2) Beautiful new makeup brushes rolling around on my sink, not drying properly and hard to pick up.  Slowly but surely ruining a not-so-small makeup investment.  Solution: A lovely stray red wine glass plucked from the kitchen, now doing duty in its second life as a makeup brush holder.  And so pretty and arty looking too. Phew.

(3) A piano with one broken key...doesn't it always seem like the note that's critical to your current favorite song?  Solution: Get the nice old piano guy in to fix.  Bring on those arpeggios!

Tolerations can fall into many categories. Here are just a few more to get you thinking:

- clothes that don't fit, you hate ironing or are stained and unwearable

- burnt out light bulbs, a dishwasher that doesn't clean properly

- an overflowing email inbox, junk mail, unbalanced checkbook

- a sore tooth, dry skin, haircut overdue or even a hangnail

As you can see, when the word Tolerations was born, a really great tool was created to help us increase life energy for those important things.  And all it takes is the first step.

Simply put, to release more joy, and more energy for your dream, your goal is to put up with less and less. 

Won't you make your list of tolerations now?  Post it below with your plan to zap them - choose some easy peasy ones first and feel your shoulders drop in relief, your breath deepen with pleasure and your joy-tank fill up with primo fuel that doesn't cost you by the gallon.  Yay! :-)

And hey, don't put up with any confusion or questions on this topic either okay?  We want FEWER tolerations not more, hehe.  So just submit your mullings below and we'll be happy to post back.  No question too small or silly!

Comments

[Christine Sweet-Hart]

Thank you for reminding me to really look at things instead of tolerating them. I had an oversized shower curtain rod for YEARS that I could never find hooks for. The plastic ones didn't fit and the metal ones scraped along very loudly. It was screwed into the wall so it didn't dawn on me to take it down. This was my "aha" moment. I have TWO spring-loaded shower curtain rods downstairs unused. Why am I tolerating years of aggrivation with this oversized rod? Because I can't unscrew it? What a difference it made taking the darn thing down! Now the curtain slides quietly and quickly. Off to declutter my gigantic key ring that is pulling my ignition out of the steering column...

[Angelina]

I am tired of clutter...I am cleaing my room and decluttering when I see your post here. Thank you for validating my actions now. I am also decluttering because of my pending trip to India in 20 days...to be with my fiance....therefore, it is my goal to fit all that I own in 4 suitcases......been there, done that>>>>a home with clutter...I want to travel and see the world and return home with just my whole life in these suitcases ready to jump on a plance at a moments notice....tell me, your comment is appreciated...I am so happy you are showing me JOY in my life...Angie

[Ivon]

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