If you’re new here, welcome!  On Tuesdays, we use the clothes we choose to wear and the way you set up our digs as a tool to:

1. continuously reconnect with who we really are — and being fully who we are is how to rock that that thing we do, out there, in the world, and
2. check out what’s really going on in our world – the outside reflects the inside.

Let’s Have Higher (highest!) Standards Edition

It’s the change of seasons where I live, which is a very good reevaluating time for life.  I feel natural about cleaning out the clutter during this time of year.

This cleaning out the clutter, of course, includes my closet, which – truth be told! – is actually kind of a disaster… I think we can all read something into that…

And I move a lot, so I’m kind of surprised to look into my closet this morning and see so much freaking stuff.  Last spring, I Goodwilled nearly 7 trash bags full of clothing.

Usually, I clean out my closet based on “does this fit me well” or “do I even wear this“, because, in my belief system, clothes deserve to be worn. If I’m not wearing it, I’m giving it to someone who will love it like it’s their signature item.

Have some respect for your clothes, man.

But this year, I’m going off the reservation.  I’ve got another, higher standard that feels really right to me. It could be really cool for you, too.

Dum da da dum!  Does it add JOY to my life?

I’m going through my clothing and saying to myself,

Self, does owning and wearing this bring joy into my life?

And if it doesn’t it’s getting sold on eBay (eBay! I love selling stuff under my super-secret name — okay, so I told my best friend from law school, but that’s as far as I go) it goes to Goodwill.

I actually started doing this two weeks ago — and being honest about what does not bring joy into your life is kind of scary, because it’s a LOT of stuff.

But the results, already – and I’m not fully done, because, like I said, somehow my closet runneth over — have been awesome.

Just imagine:

• You wake up, maybe go to the gym or take a shower, or both. You go to your closet, and no matter what you choose from it to put on your body, it will make you feel happy, because that’s the only kind of stuff you let into your life.

That’s right. You may have guessed this already, but this post is merely masquerading as Tuesday Styles. It’s actually all about boundaries.

Boundaries are sexy.

Remember in high school (or, last weekend), when there was that guy/girl that everyone thought was the coolest/cutest/most desirable? And how there was something about that guy/girl, like he/she was just doing his/her own thing, and was comfortable in his/her own skin?

That girl or guy would (or, did) go home early sometimes, wouldn’t feel like he/she had to go to every meet up, or please everyone.

That girl/guy has a certain allure, you know what I mean?  Not in a “too cool” way, because he/she is a good and nice human being.

Our fictitious person (that surely mirrors someone you know, if not you) has some good boundaries.  Good things get in, bad things stay out.  And, as we see with our example person… boundaries are really sexy.

Alarms and Reminders

What if we started our boundaries with something concrete and visual, like the clothes we let into our lives?  For me, this is already doing crazy and cool stuff.

• It means not wearing stuff for how it will look to other people… it’s all about how it feels to you. And this leads to doing the stuff that feels right to you, not to impress someone else.
• It means saying NO to stuff that’s not right for you… start with your closet, and it may not be that scary anymore to say NO to needy friends, to a jerk of a boss, to a bad relationship. I know that’s been true for me.
• It  means keeping your standards high and tuned into what you think and feel, not arbitrarily high because of what the others will think. High standards, honestly, just attracts really high quality people and things, while low standards attracts low quality. Who wants crap around? Nooooooot me.

You guys! I’m getting chills just writing this stuff.  My heart’s on fire. Because, how cool would it be if we really, really did the stuff that felt right, and ONLY that stuff?  That would mean so much big, big, BIG success and good, good stuff.

… and all as a result of a closet clean-out. Not bad for a Tuesday.

If you liked this post, take a look at these posts.

1. Tuesday Styles #2: Coming Out of the Closet Edition
2. Tuesday Styles #3: Time Travel Edition
3. Tuesday Styles #7: Total nothing burger edition.