What is self-esteem?

There are a number of definitions of what self-esteem is or

isn't.  My definition is that self-esteem is how we fully 

acknowledge, appreciate, accept and value ourselves.  

Because we are conditioned to look outwardly to feel better

about ourselves, we confuse our self-worth with what we have

or what we do.  Having high self-esteem doesn't depend on

external circumstances, but resides within.

Self-esteem is recognising that we don't have value, but that

we are value - just because we exist.  We may not always feel

that value, but it is always there.  

--Cut the Clutter, Jump for Joy

Clutter is nerve-wracking. It clogs your home, your

computer, your time and your brain. You definitely don't

need this stress in your life. Get rid of your clutter, and

live a more joyful, peaceful life.

1. Decide that you've had enough.

Once you've made the decision that you've really had it up

to your eyeballs with clutter, you've taken the most

important step to getting rid of it.

2. Make distinctions.

If you don't use it, or you don't love it, it's clutter.

Make two piles. a) I use it or I love it and b) I don't use

it or I don't care about it.

3. Get it out of your sight.

For 10 minutes each day, choose a room. Pick up two items

and decide whether or not it's clutter. (See number 2

above.) The second you decide it's clutter, get it out of

your sight. Either put it into a Donation or Rummage sale

box if it's good enough to be used by someone else, or put

it in your trash container. Out of sight -- out of mind.

4. Delete, delete ,delete.

Just like physical clutter, virtual clutter is taking up

valuable space on your computer. Again, decide whether or

not it's clutter, and use your delete key steadfastly. For

example, generally jokes and other email forwards can be

deleted once you've read them, or even before you've read

them if you're not interested. Another example would be

computer files on your hard drive and disks that you no

longer use.

5. Take the squeeze out of your schedule.

If you're constantly running around from one place to the

next, hardly taking a second to breathe, your schedule most

likely has too much stuff squeezed into it. Prioritize and

streamline. If you're involved in too many activities,

choose the most important ones and eliminate the rest.

Spending too much time running errands? Determine if you can

run these same errands every two weeks, versus each week, or

do all of your errands in one run, rather than running an

errand or two each day. The more time you save each day,

the more free time you can have on your schedule.