All Apologies

I have clients who sometimes apologize as we go through the decluttering process. And I would love to say this once and for all, though I’m positive I will have to repeat it often throughout my career: there is no need to apologize for your clutter.

We are all different. Some can draw beautiful pictures from memory. I cannot. Would I apologize for that. No. That would be silly. Now, with some advice, training, I likely would be able to learn how to draw. And at that point, I would learn some fundamentals that could get me to the next level. Maybe I would never be a masterful artist, but, hey, I may be able to knock out a bowl of fruit well enough that could you actually tell the difference between the apples and bananas.

By the same token, why feel apologetic about not being organized? If it doesn’t come naturally to you, that’s okay! It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. And letting go of that feeling is the first step, not just to creating the organized space you were hoping for, but to learning how to maintain it.

I have met so many creative, amazing people in my work as an organizer. Not once have I ever felt like someone was flawed for having a cluttered environment, just like they would not think I was flawed for not being able to draw a bowl of fruit. Don’t look at decluttering and organizing abilities as a strength or flaw. We are all different. No apologies necessary.