A FRESH START
Three weeks ago I moved! It's the farthest I've lived away from my hometown in 5+ years, but still relatively close. It's been amazing to have a fresh start and it has been easy to have an optimistic mindset.
The move has gotten me thinking about how I've been craving a fresh start for so long. What is it about a fresh start that makes it so easy to feel motivated & inspired? How can I simulate a fresh start in the future without having to go through the time, effort and expense of moving?
I think for me the new environment has been essential. Getting to explore a new city, new shops & restaurants and decorate my new apartment has all been rather exciting.
Thinning out and organizing my things has been rewarding. Before we moved I did a massive de-clutter.. Got rid of a lot of things we had been hoarding & donated stuff we weren't using anymore. It was so freeing to pare down our stuff to the essentials and to remove the excess clutter. After moving I've spent a lot of time organizing our stuff into the new space. We brought a lot of our furniture with us, however, coming up with more creative ways to use it and filling in the gaps with some new (to us) pieces has been great. I get so much satisfaction out of a good organizing session.
Getting to be a new person, while a bit odd to admit to, has been really freeing. I don't really know anyone in my new city so there is less expectation of who I am when I'm out and about. Meeting new people allows me to lean into who I really am and I'm not as worried about being the consistent friend that many know me as from my past. I've overcome a lot of people pleasing over the years, but I still find it easiest to slip back into old identities when I'm around people I've known forever vs. strangers and potential new friends.
So now for some ideas on how I can simulate a fresh start in the future…
New Environment- I want to be intentional about seeking out new spaces to work in, whether that be new coffee shops, the local library, a nice park. Just getting myself into an unfamiliar environment can feel so fresh and inspiring.
Organizing & de-cluttering more regularly- There is nothing like a well organized space to make me feel like I've had a somewhat fresh-start. I'm hoping to make re-organizing everything (almost like unpacking again) a more regular task in this new place so I can keep things well organized, but also so I can mix it up a bit for a fresh feel.
Meeting new people- whether it's in person or online, meeting new people is always an opportunity to add something new to life. I really want to seek out people who inspire me and who are like-minded and be intentional with who I allow into my life. I've got some pure gold long-time friends, but a new person to chat to allows me to embrace new identities just that much easier.
Do you like the feeling of a fresh start? How have you managed to simulate this in your life?
Now onto buying the rest of my furniture.. First up- a couch!
