I think there are three approaches to Spring Cleaning: 1. Looking forward to it with anticipation, 2. Dreading it like the plague, or 3. Ignore it completely. I happen to fall into the category where I can’t wait for a warm day to tackle the chaos in that stuffed closet and the sweet satisfaction of slumping down in a chair at the end of the day with neatly packed shelves, nothing falling on you when you ease open the door and a whole pile of garbage and give-away. There’s something refreshing in the revived newness.

Do you know where the tradition of “Spring Cleaning” came from? The first homes had to be sealed tight to ward off the cold winters and the only source of heat and light in those dark months was coal, oil and wood. After a long winter of burning those for sustenance things in the house were looking a bit black with the layers of soot, ashes and wax. The sweet sun of springtime would break through and the family would haul out all of the furniture, clothing and everything else and then, together, would scrub that house sparkling clean again[1].

As we begin this “Spring Cleaning” journey this month at The Authenticity Project - this inward-looking at what might need dusting off, throwing away or giving away in order to free yourself to dream big and step forward without dragging the setbacks of the past along with you - keep these few things in mind:

What camp do you find yourself in? Looking forward to a fresh sprucing-up? Don’t want to even open that ‘closet door’ for the flood of stuff that will cascade out, or so terrified you’ll pretend there’s nothing behind the ‘closet door’?
It’s going to take some serious work. Cleaning out the a messy closet is demanding and causes you to sweat, and scrub and stick to it with determined endurance until every pile is sorted, stacked, scrubbed. But internal scrubbing might encounter emotions and memories that are thick as molasses to trudge through, but it’s also amazing when after that hard work you step back with a fresh perspective and a little more peace than before.
Let’s take a hint from our ancestors, they cleaned the entire house together, so who are you going to invite into this journey with you? Having support is essential!

This process takes courage. Courage to start, courage to be present throughout and courage to realize what you just don’t need to carry around anymore. And don’t worry; we will be with you each step of the way as we turn to our own dust-bunnies that need some attention!

-Jennifer Anderson is Content Director of The Authenticity Project, you can contact Jennifer at TheAuthenticityProject@gmail.com.

[1] Taken from the infographic: “Personal and Financial Benefits to Spring Cleaning”.