“Throw Out 50 Things” by Gail Blanke

One of my good friends Tami gave me a book on CD to listen to called Throw Out 50 Things by Gail Blanke. It’s not just referring to tangible things. It also refers to emotional things, spiritual things, feelings, everything that can be a negative influence on your life. It really helps you to clear the clutter in your life and redefine who you are. It shows the importance of exuding (I think that’s the right word) who you are. Making sure that when someone walks into your house or your life that they know who you are. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. I’ve listened to the whole CD and I started to throw stuff out, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish. I kept “having something else to do”. I don’t know why. I know it will make me feel better. Not to mention all the unnecessary stuff in my life will be gone and my house (and perhaps my car) will look better.

There is a workbook that goes with the CD. While I can’t sum up the entire CD, the workbook did a great job of it for me. It takes you from room to room walking you through HOW to go through your stuff, tangible or not, and really be able to think about it and therefore able to LET… IT… GO! Here’s my summary of the workbook’s summary.

Getting Started:
Are you ready to throw out fifty things? You must be if you’ve
downloaded THE BIG LETTING-GO WORKBOOK. You’ve taken
the first big step to clearing the clutter from your life, and I promise
that you’ll start feeling “lighter” immediately. Because remember,
“You can’t grow if you don’t let go.”

In THROW OUT FIFTY THINGS, I told you stories from my life
and stories of people I’ve worked with. In this workbook (or
journal,) it’s your chance to tell your own stories as you write down
all your throw-outs. Note all your feelings - your misgivings, your
fears and your elation as you make your way to fifty. Who knows?
Maybe you’ll have a bestseller—or at least a good stand-up comedy
routine—when you’re finished. At the very least, this book will be
your badge of honor. It will commemorate your step by step journey
from cluttered to clear – from overwhelmed to energized. And then
you’ll be ready to step forward into the next great segment of your
life - with all flags flying.

So turn the page, and let’s get started. This is the beginning of the Big
Letting Go.

THE RULES OF DISENGAGEMENT:
#1. If it—the thing, the belief or conviction, the memory, the job, even
the person—weighs you down, clogs you up, or just plain makes you
feel bad about yourself, throw it out, give it away, sell it, let it go,
move on.
#2. If it (see above!) just sits there, taking up room and contributing
nothing positive to your life, throw it out, give it away, sell it, let it
go, move on. If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving
backward. Throwing out what’s negative helps you rediscover
what’s positive.
#3. Don’t make the decision—whether to toss or keep it—a hard one.
If you have to weigh the pros and cons for too long or agonize about
the right thing to do, throw it out.
#4. Don’t be afraid. This is your life we’re talking about. The only
one you’ve got for sure. You don’t have the time, energy or room for
physical or psychic waste.

Part One: Getting Rid of the Physical Stuff

(This part isn’t hard for me, it’s just the “doing it” that’s hard.)

Chapter 1: Your Bedroom (NOTE: I’m only putting the details for this first room so you can understand how detailed this can get. For the rest of the rooms I’ll just be listing what areas are covered.)

This might sound funny, but I want you to try something. Leave
your bedroom and shut the door. Now before you open the door
again, I want you to forget that it’s your bedroom. I want you to
imagine it’s the first time you’ve ever seen it.
Now open the door and go in. What do you see? How does it feel?
What kind of energy does the room have? List some of the first
throw out candidates that come to mind:
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Walk into your closet. Open all of your drawers. Take a look inside
your jewelry box. Examine all the knickknacks and decorations. Sit,
lie, stand, on the furniture. (Hey, it’s your bedroom.) Do all of these
things represent who you are, how you feel about the world? Which
things just don’t make the grade?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

How did it feel to get rid of all that clutter?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

How many things have you thrown out so far? Keep track on your
master list, as well as in each section as you go.

Your Total: __________

Is your energy starting to build? The more you do, the more you’ll
want to do. And although throwing stuff out is a little scary at first,
eventually, you’ll find you don’t want to stop. On to the bathroom!

Chapter 2: Your Bathroom
Chapter 3: Your Kitchen
Chapters 4 & 5: Your Living and Dining Rooms
Chapter 6 & 7: Your Attic and Your Garage:

Part Two: Your Office: Paring Down the Professional Clutter

(This part didn’t really pertain to me since I don’t work out of the house, but we do have a home office, so I plan on using the same ideas/concepts as if I had a work space in the “professional world. I believe that it will help me to feel more important in the role I play in the office at home.)

Chapter 8: Clarifying Your Brand
Chapter 9: Keeping What Works, Eliminating What Doesn’t
Chapter 10: The Phoenix Rises from the Ashes

Part Three: Attacking the Mental Mess

(Okay, she got me. THIS is by far the hardest part for me. It’s an area I think a lot of women struggle with. Men too. Even if we aren’t willing to admit it. I’ve copied in not all, but most, of what’s in the workbook.)

“When we throw out the physical clutter, we clear our minds.
When we throw out the mental clutter, we clear our souls.”

You’ve read about the different categories of emotional clutter that I,
my friends, and my clients have struggled with. I hope that you’ll
use the book as a springboard to dig deeply into the negative and
irrelevant things that you’re holding on to—or that might be holding
on to you! And once and for all, let them go.

Remember to keep track of what you’re tossing. We’re on our way to
fifty, my friend.

Chapter 11: Letting Go of Feeling Inadequate, Irrelevant, and Just Plain Not Good Enough

“Review this statement every morning: I will not compare myself with
others, nor them with me. I will appreciate myself and others for what I and they contribute.”
___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 12: Letting Go of the Type of Person You Think You Are — or Aren’t
“You and you alone get to decide and design who you are, what
you’re good at, and even how others perceive you.”
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 13: Letting Go of the Regrets and Mistakes of the Past

“Perfectionism, like martyrdom, is highly overrated. Take a look at the
people you like best, respect most, or just like to hang out with. Are
they perfect? I doubt it.”

___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 14: Letting Go of Being Right About How Wrong
Everybody and Everything Is

“We can get so focused on the small win…that we totally lose sight of
what might have been a thousand times more important.”

___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 15: Letting Go of the Need to Have Everyone Like You

“No matter how terrific we are, not everyone will buy our act. It’s
just not possible. And it doesn’t matter. So let’s throw out thinking
we’re just not good enough if even one person thinks we’re mediocre.
Okay? That’s a deal.”
___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 16: Letting Go of Thinking the Worst

“Look back into your life; look back to yesterday or this morning.
Something happened; somebody said something; what did you make
it mean? Probably not something good, right? Take a look at the
times when you made yourself needlessly unhappy--all because of
the negative interpretations you made up about whatever situation
you were in. From now on, you’re going to assume the best, not the
worst. And I promise you’ll have a much better chance of getting
what you truly want, no matter how big or small it is.” ___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 17: Letting Go of Waiting for the Right Moment

“Now is the time for us to let go of thinking that we’re just not ready;
‘Maybe I’d better wait for…’ – hold it right there. Speak up anyway.
Present your plan, declare our passion, walk up to the plate anyway.
Remember, courage comes with action. And you’re ready to act.” ___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 18: Letting Go of Needing to Feel Secure

“Our choices are to hunker down, wrap ourselves in what we already
know, and wait for things to go back to the way they were, or step
into the unknown with all flags flying—and grow, adapt, and
flourish.” It’s time to move forward.
___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 19: Letting Go of Thinking You Have to Do Everything
Yourself

“Abandon your old conviction that you’re alone, that the only one
who can get it done is you, that you have to figure out everything
yourself.” Make a list of those situations where you’ve always
thought you had to do it all by yourself. Throw them all out. Make a
list of the “angels” who have shown up in your life. Anticipate that
there will be more. Be an angel.
___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Chapter 20: Making It to Fifty: The Celebration

(And chances are more than 50 “things” have already been thrown out.)

Part Four: Stepping Into the Clearing

Chapter 21: Your Vision for the Future
Chapter 22: Taking Energy from Your Defining Moments
Chapter 23: Being Unforgettable
Chapter 24: Find Your Song—and Sing It!

Now the only questions are: Who are you now? Who would you like
to become? What’s your vision for the next great segment of your life?
And, what song are you going to sing to help you get there?
“A defining moment is an occasion when found something in
yourself you didn’t know you had, or got you had, and pulled it out.
And as a result, you changed an outcome from negative to positive…
It’s always a moment after which you never think of yourself in quite
the same way again. We all have them.” Take a look back into your
life for those moments and write them down. You’ll see that a pattern
will emerge. And the pattern is called, “courage.”

Share your moments with someone you’re close to. Listen to theirs.

Chapter 25: Your Declaration to the World

On the last page of the book, you’ll see an invitation to make your
declaration to the world. It’s time for you to do it – and it’s time for
you to complete these sentences - and say them out loud.

· I’m _____________ and I’m the one who ________________
__________________________________________nobody does it better.
· My vision for myself and for the world is ___________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
· The toughest and most important thing I’m going to let go of to
make sure to make sure that happens is _____________________
________________________________________.
· And my song is __________________________________________.