Many people, including myself, take advantage of the start of a new year to make some changes and get your life back on track. Want a sure fire way to beat the January blues? Junking out will not only revitalize your energy, it will create space for what you really want in life.

To start with, find a large sturdy box into which you can collect items that can be donated to a local charity. Then consider the following:

1. Apply the “new in, old out” adage. If you got a new pair of boots for Christmas, chances are the old ones are now at the back of the closet. Drop them in the donation box and let someone else get some use out of them.
2. Friends of the Library are encouraging people to donate old books, magazines, records, puzzles and audio and video tapes to your local library branch. Items will be sold at the upcoming Library Book Sale to raise funds.
3. Do a walk about throughout your home. Honestly assess your artwork and knick knacks (a.k.a. dust collectors). If you don’t feel positive when you look at them (if they remind you, for example, of the trip to Mexico that you spent on the toilet), put them in the donation box as well.
4. Think “less is more”. Sometimes people’s “collections” grow so large that no one object stands out, thus making it difficult to appreciate any of them. Choose your favourites and release the others for someone else to find in a thrift store and treasure.
5. Scan your kitchen cupboards for duplicates. Over the years it is natural to accumulate extra potato peelers, coffee grinders, wooden spoons. Start a box for your teenagers so that when they move out, they don’t have to start from scratch. If your kids are only 3 and 5, use the donation box!
6. If something is buried under a layer of dust (a bread maker), chances are you haven’t used it in a while (and like me, you don’t like to dust!). You know the answer by now.

Essentially, if you have items that you no longer use or love, they contribute to stale, stagnant energy which can leave people feeling lethargic. Release them back into the community. Chances are there is someone who really needs that item or will appreciate it. By creating space in your environment, you make room for what you really want: a new mate, more money, a promotion, improved health.

Junk out in January and watch the magic happen!