Years ago I was trying to be more prosperous, and I read a story with a heart stopping line: “Wealthy people don’t live in filth.” My first thought was, “Ouch!” But as I re-read it, it started to make sense. I knew instinctively that experiencing more abundance meant changing my habits. Sounds like a perfect topic for this month’s theme, Back to Basics.
I can hear what you’re thinking. “Give me a break! What does that have to do with anything?!” A lot, it turns out. It’s a perfect demonstration of how everything in our lives is related. Compartmentalizing is out of the question. You can’t have a disastrous kitchen or car filled with trash and also have a checking account in pristine condition. They simply don’t go together.
Maybe you’re interested in the prosperity part, but can’t get yourself motivated, let alone excited, about cleaning your house. Try a playful idea from a great couple I know – they power clean once a month. I asked the wife what she meant and she said, “We make ourselves get up one Saturday at 6:00 AM. We split the chores in half, and with two of us working, it only takes a couple of hours. Then we take ourselves out to our favorite breakfast place! By the time we’re done eating, it’s only 9:30 or 10. It sounds unorthodox, but we love it. By 10 AM, the house is immaculate and we have the rest of the weekend to go have fun.”
If you don’t have a partner, or your partner won’t participate, find the pleasure in cleaning the house anyway…and make sure you do something nice for yourself later, even if it’s just a quick trip to the corner bakery for a chocolate croissant. Whenever I get annoyed about everyday chores, I remind myself, “I love having my home in Divine Order. Completing these tasks is a pleasure.” Or you can use one of Louise Hay’s affirmations, “I put love into every corner of my home.”
It may not sound like you can change your life simply by cleaning up your bathroom, but you can. After a while, you’ll find that you understand your monthly expenses instead of shaking your head and saying, “I have no idea where it all goes.” Your mind won’t be buzzing with random, frantic thoughts, so it will be easier to calmly make sound decisions. And you’ll naturally and easily start to clean up other areas of your life, like your diet or the words you speak. It’s true that “as you do one thing, so you do everything.”
We still have half the month to go. Is your clean streak starting today? Better yet, is your wealth streak starting today? I’ll leave you with a beautiful affirmation from Catherine Ponder: “I now let go of worn out things, worn out conditions, and worn out relationships. Divine Order is now established and maintained in me and my world.”