“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo Da Vinci.

Whilst doing some gardening last week, I noticed that the leaves are starting to fall off some of the trees in our garden. It’s also a time where many bushes and trees need to be pruned and dead wood cut away. This encourages and makes room for new growth in the future.

I had the thought that we can all learn much from nature. It provides us with so many beautiful scenes and images that we can admire. It also gives us valuable insights if we take the time to notice. In our own lives we can shed what we no longer need and let go of things to make room for new growth and experiences.

Autumn is just around the corner in the UK. This can be a season of transformation for us. I believe that it’s the perfect time to take some time to reflect, evaluate and plan. We can consider how we are doing against the various goals and desires that we set for the year.

We can determine if outstanding personal and professional goals are still relevant. If they aren’t then we can decide to let them go. Alternatively if we feel that they’re still appropriate we can formulate a plan of action to re-energise them and achieve them by the year end.

Essentially, it’s a good time to take stock and get clear on where we are in life. Once we have done this we can start to turn our attention to what we would like to create and experience in the New Year. This helps to start the planning process. We can also plant seeds that can blossom in the spring.

We can think about how we can bring greater balance to our life and what action we can take to increase our happiness.

We can also contemplate if anything needs to change with regard to our job/business, diet, general health and fitness, sleep or relationships?

To help you with this process, I suggest that you ask yourself “What am I no longer willing to tolerate in my life?”

You may conclude that some of your habits or routines need to be changed or let go of. Once you have done this you can then turn your attention to deciding what healthy habits you would like to create in your life.

You may feel that you have some mental clutter that needs to be sorted and reduced. You may feel overwhelmed or that you’re over thinking things. You might think that you’re spending too much time locked in your head.

There may be some physical clutter that you need to dispose of. Clutter is defined in the Oxford dictionary “as a crowded and untidy collection of things.” Clutter can also be described as to things that are no longer needed or used, disorganised and untidy or crammed into a small space. It’s also anything that is unfinished or incomplete.

In summary, like trees shedding their leaves, autumn is a great time for us to shed anything that we no longer need, no longer serves us or weighs us down.

We can let go of things both mentally and physically. Letting go of mental clutter makes us feel lighter and provides some clarity. When we purge physical clutter, it creates space in our life to experience new things and adventures. We simplify our life when we let go of stuff.

When we commit to change and decide to let go of things it requires some effort, discipline and determination. We also need to be consistent in our actions to embed new behaviours and habits.

Letting go of things isn’t always easy to do. Beginning the process and taking the first step is often the hardest one to take. However once we get into action, we can start to create some momentum and embrace a new way of being.

This particularly applies if we are looking to change a long held habit or behaviour. In such circumstances, it’s good to remind ourselves what the long term benefits of the transformation will be.  Having clarity on how the sacrifice will be worthwhile in the long run will motivate us to take action and overcome procrastination.

This week, why not take a few moments to reflect and ask yourself if there is something that you need to let go of. You can also decide what healthy habits you would like to work on creating.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk