Are You a Liberated Woman?

You may be thinking that you are a liberated woman. That of course depends on what you mean by liberated. If you go back to the 70s it’s everything from choosing to work out of the house, not having to be defined by marriage and breaking the glass ceiling. None of these definitions are what I mean.  

A couple of recent experiences inspired me to become a liberated woman. One was a visit to a friend’s home.  I hadn’t casually dropped over there in a while. I had been to this lovely home many times for parties or for dessert after going out for dinner.  Imagine my surprise. The house looked completely different.

As I walked through the den I noticed that on every horizontal surface there were either newspapers, magazines or books.  They were stacked pretty high, too. In the kitchen, the counter that had been cleared for desserts when we were there now had a bread maker, a juicer, an electric skillet and a toaster over. If I didn’t know where I was I would swear I was in the small electrics department of Macy’s.  The counter next to the sink had dirty dishes stacked. There were pots on the stove. Her office was a mess as well.

Then I realized, that’s how she lived.  Can you imagine living in clutter like this?  I couldn’t.  Thinking of the chaos was a jolt to my system.  As soon as I returned home, I went immediately to my office and cleaned off my desk. I threw out papers and filed what was left.  Then I went to my clothes closet and got a pile of clothes together that I hadn’t worn in too long. I put them in a box to donate.  

I felt liberated.  If you work hard and come home to chaos, it is taking a toll on your spirit. If you’ve got so much stuff that you can’t put it away then you have two problems. The first is that you have too much stuff. The second is why do you accumulate so much stuff?

At a recent lunch with another businesswoman she told me she recently went through her closets and took things she hadn’t worn in a while to a consignment shop. She had several items that she had worn just once.  I’ll bet she’s not alone, either. What is it with women who think that the clothing we have just won’t work and they have to buy more stuff?  

I challenge you to live more simply.  I challenge you to go through your closets and get rid of things you don’t need. I challenge you to live more neatly so that you have a sense of calm at home.  That calmness will give you more energy at work.  

Then I challenge you to not replenish what you give away.

That’s the best way I know of to be truly liberated.  Here’s what I’ve been doing. I informed my husband that I didn’t want any more stuff for presents. Gifts from now on must either be really small or require no storage.  It’s working, too. For Mother’s day my husband got me the best present.  

He bought me six gourmet cupcakes.  I loved every calorie. My daughter got me a promise to clean out her closet when she comes home to visit. Are you envious? I hope you are.  

Even more, I hope I’ve made you uncomfortable. Uncomfortable enough to want your life to be free of too much stuff and uncomfortable enough to do something about it.  Now you can be liberated, too.
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Maura Schreier-Fleming is a sales strategist and founder of Best@Selling, a sales training and consulting company. She wrote Monday Morning Sales Tips and works with sales professionals who want to sell more and close more business.