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It's not about the stuff
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In 1935, a less than successful stock broker named Bill Wilson and his friend Dr Bob Smith started Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) in an effort to help other alcoholics maintain sobriety. Their lives were unmanageable, they had lost everything. They were controlled by their need to drink. There seemed to be no solution to what is now a disease defined as an allergy of the body and an obsession of the mind.
Earlier that decade, Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, unsuccessfully treated Roland H for alcoho
lism but did convince Roland upon his departure in 1930 that his last hope was a spiritual change. The chain of recovery from Jung to Roland and ultimately to the founders of AA, Bill W and Dr Bob, would forever change the way the world deals with addiction.
There are similarities in Bill’s work to that of the work around clutter and disorganization. From the hoarder who literally dies beneath the collections they cannot part with, to the mom on the verge of a breakdown trying to manage a job, a home and a family, to the business owner whose success is just out of reach because they cannot find the phone numbers to return the calls to get the business.
It’s not about the stuff is the correlation to alcohol having very little to do with alcoholism. Clutter and disorganization is often the symptom much like alcohol is the symptom.
We are just beginning to really study and understand the hoarder lifestyle. Much speculation is made that some of this comes from depression era thinking, "I might be able to use this one day" is a common comment. The truth is that much of it really comes down to living everywhere except in the moment and/or trying to fill a space within. The further truth about the space is that it can never be filled with material things.
Then there’s the busy mom trying to do it all, maybe unwilling, or more commonly, unable to ask for help. The perfectionism that often comes from our own unrealistic definition of what a "good" mom, wife, and woman should do. We do and do. We give and give. We sacrifice our physical and mental health to keep up with the Jones’. Even the most organized person needs a healthy balance to avoid meltdown. The business owner is much like the mom.
The solution, like Bill W and Dr Bob found out, resides within. The 12 step program of AA is based on spiritual principles that encourage introspection and a relationship with a power greater than ourselves. The spiritual experience gained by living these principles serves to fill the void that was unsuccessfully filled with alcohol, drugs, shopping, and "stuff".
When spiritual care becomes first priority it tends to patch that invisible hole in the bottom of the spirit that seemed to keep it hungry for something. The insatiable void is finally filled from the inside through spiritual principles and no longer craves for things to complete the feelings. Feed spirit first and all else falls almost effortlessly into place!
About the author
Organizing expert Kelli Wilson works with clients at a deeper level to get to the heart of their clutter issues. The fresh perspective in her articles addresses the inside job of dealing with clutter and disorganization. With a more manageable life as the goal, Kelli guides clients through the steps to getting their life back. Kelli lives in Sacramento but works with clients all over the country. She can be reached at www.asimpleplanconsulting.com or 916/765-6104.
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