I spent an afternoon last week cleaning out my closet. It was high time I did. I had shirts, pants, shoes, and hats that I had not worn in months\u2014in some cases, years. When I thought about it after, the whole experience became a kind of a metaphor for improvement.<\/p>\n\n
It occurred to me that if we want more of what we want, we have to get rid of what we don\u2019t want. It\u2019s the necessary but sometimes painful process called pruning.<\/p>\n
I was happy to lighten the load but pruning even clothes can be hard for some people. We might think \u201cThat shirt holds sentimental value!\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ll fit in those pants again, soon,\u201d or \u201cThat jacket will come back in style, right?\u201d So we have a hard time letting go of them.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s even more difficult to get rid of habits, projects, and even in some cases relationships that are no longer doing anything good for us.<\/p>\n
But remember that what is true in our closets is true of so much else in life: We fill up all the existing spaces pretty quick. Until we let it go of some of that \u201cstuff,\u201d we don\u2019t have room for anything else.<\/p>\n
In other words, sometimes our short-sighted attachment to what we have is what\u2019s holding us back from growing. Thus, pruning is necessary.<\/p>\n\n
That it\u2019s necessary never means it\u2019s easy. You can see what you have, not what you don\u2019t have, so it can seem like you\u2019re giving up something for nothing.<\/p>\n
This is the challenge of pruning. It requires faith\u2014and perhaps even more fundamental, a mindset of abundance. The truth that you have to keep reminding yourself of is there\u2019s much more where that came from.<\/p>\n
Here are three steps for how to prune now, and thrive after:<\/p>\n
Some things were useful at one time but no longer serve to help you now. Other things, well, you thought they would be useful, but that never panned out. You kept them around out of habit or the hope that they would be useful one day.<\/p>\n
Now is a good time to take stock. Ask yourself, \u201cIs this still of any use to me?\u201d and answer honestly. Items on the pruning block could include an old shirt, a pair of pants, smoking, or even a difficult, unprofitable client<\/a>. Figure out what you need to cut back on in your business and life.<\/p>\n This is the faith part of the equation. You have to let go of the things you have now to make room for things that you trust will come later. Have a garage sale or take those things to Goodwill, make that difficult phone call<\/a>, or begin the steps to kick unproductive habits.<\/p>\n When you want to second guess yourself, remember that you already decided that these things hold no value to you. By getting rid of them, in most cases, you\u2019re letting other people who might find them more valuable acquire them, and everybody ends up better off.<\/p>\n Now, unencumbered, you have the space, the time, or the energy to devote to getting what you truly want. Be intentional, be prudent, but by all means go out and get them.<\/p>\n Always wanted to prospect for more clients? You have the time now that you don\u2019t have to deal with the draining ones. Want that jacket? Now you have room for it. Have in itch to garden? Put raised beds where your never-used badminton set used to be.<\/p>\n\t\t2. Get Rid of It, Even if You Don\u2019t Have a Replacement<\/h4>\n
3. Identify What You Want, and Go for It<\/h4>\n