← Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast
Clutterbug - Real-Life Hacks and Tips to Declutter, Organize and Clean your Home Fast
46 Life Lessons: Decluttering, Mindset, Money, and Peace (for my birthday!) | Clutterbug Podcast #306
00:42:15
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:00]
A
Guess what today is? It's my birthday, and I can cry if I want to for the past maybe five years or so. I never remember how old I am, and here's why. I started in my late 30s, actually. Kind of exaggerating my age, so saying I was a few years older or at least one year older. When you tell someone your actual age and they say nothing, that feels in my brain, like they're like, oh, you look terrible. When someone asks how old you are and you say almost 50, they're like, oh, you look good. You just got a free compliment. So that's what I started doing, like, exaggerating my age. And then I did it so much and so often, I literally can never remember how old I am. But today I looked it up. I did some math because I was born in 1979. I am 46 years old, which is cool. So I thought I would share with you the 46 life lessons I've learned on my almost half century on this rock. In honor of my birthday, I would love you to just find 29 things. One, because I look 29? No, no, because I'm born on the 29th. This is a good number. Usually I love 21. I feel like that's a good number. We all love 21, but 29 things, it can be gum wrappers. It can be absolute trash. I know for a fact you have a shampoo bottle that is completely empty in your shower. I know you do. And you have salad, dress has expired, but maybe even go a little bit further in that shirt that makes you feel bad about yourself. Don't make a mess. Don't pull things out. Just wander around your home with a bag or a box and find 29 things as a birthday gift to moi. Hey, and welcome to the Clutterbug podcast. I'm so excited to have you here. We're gonna celebrate my birthday together. This is gonna be super fun. Buckle up. It's also gonna be weird because I'm sharing, like, my wisdom with you. This is what happens when, as you grow old, you get saggy, wrinkly, and wise. So, like, sharing that, the good thing with you, the wisdom number one, what you think you become. And I know you've heard this a bazillion times, but it's true. It's like, if you think you're good at organizing, you will be good at organizing. That's just the reality. Everybody says it, but they say it because it's true. So what negative thoughts are you having? And how can you turn those Positive, like, start thinking you're amazing. And if you don't think you're amazing, fake it. Lie to yourself. Trust me, it'll work. I actually just had a call with a client who I'm going to be real was definitely Hoarder esque. And her whole life, she's felt disorganized, and she was so stressed and she wanted help with organizing. And I looked at her progress over the last month and was like, this is great. You. You are organized. You're doing a great job. And her jaw dropp. She was shocked because she just didn't see herself that way. And I. I saw, like, the light in her eyes. She was like, oh, I am organized. And it is. It's that change of how you look at yourself that will change everything. You build confidence and skills when you just start talking positively to yourself. There are incredible life lessons I've learned that I wish I knew sooner, and I am so excited to share them with you. Number two, the best way to declutter fast is to rent a dumpster. If I could go back in time to my messiest self, that's the one thing I would change. I would rent a dumpster and I would get it over within a weekend. There is nothing more motivating, There is nothing easier than just having it delivered to your driveway or your yard or the road and just running around your house and trying to fill it. Because the thing about a dumpster is you only have it for a short amount of time. It's expensive. So you have this extra set of motivation to get stuff out. And plus, it takes all the pressure off. We're not worried about donations. We're not. We're just. We're saying enough is enough. I'm ripping off the band aid and I'm starting fresh. And that is what a dumpster can do for you. Oh, my gosh. I don't even know who the first client I used a dumpster with. I used a dumpster for myself when we were moving, but I had a virtual client. I do. It was. Yep, it was Karen. I had a virtual client who was really struggling with a lot of stuff, and I just sent her a dumpster to her house. And then we had the garage lady that we did a dumpster to. Her name is escaping me. And that was amazing, too. In two days, she had like, four garages. She completely cleared them out because she had the dumpster, even though she struggled to declutter anything at all. Yeah, it's powerful. I. I've seen how powerful it Is my mom. We rented a dumpster for her. Same thing. She's like, I don't think I have any. She's like, I should have got two. It's powerful. Using a dumpster with a client is a recent development. I would say three or four years ago was the first time. And I instantly wished I would have been doing it the whole time. Like, it is. This is why. It's this life lesson. It. If I could go back in time, this is, like, the one thing I would change in my business. Not just for my own decluttering journey, but for everyone else I've worked with, too, because it's. It's nuts. Number three, you cannot plan your way to success, no matter what you want to do. You want to start a business, you want to have a new project. Everybody's first instinct is to, like, map it out and start creating these, like, crazy detailed plans. And they never work out. Like, life's always getting lifey, and things are always changing and adjusting. And we spend so much time working on this plan that when things start to fail, we feel overwhelmed. So what I would say is a rough guide is important. No. Having a vision, having a goal, so important. But the details get. Like getting in the weeds with step by step by step that sometimes can sabotage success. It isn't the way to, like, reach it. Number four is a big one. And that is there are lots of different kinds of intelligence. I have felt like a moron my entire life. I did not do well in school. I still don't know what 6 times 7 is. That's not true. It's 42, because 42 is the answer to life. But I couldn't tell you what nine times six is not. That's 54, because my mom is born on the 9th. But I have to have these. The point is seven times eight. No idea about that one. Not a clue. My point is, I've always felt really dumb, but as I've gotten older, I've. I've realized I have skills that my genius husband does not. And there isn't just one kind of intelligence. And just because you're bad at something doesn't make you stupid because there's other things that you are super smart at. That's all I'm gonna say about that. Number five, everything you own is work. I just recently really got this. But it's true. Whether it's a new shirt you buy or any, like, everything you own is work. But this really became apparent when I got a hot tub. Joe's like, hot Tubs are a lot of work. My brain is like, ooh, something new, man. You gotta check the chemicals. You gotta drain it. You gotta everything. You want a trailer now, you gotta empty it. You gotta maintain it. You want a P.O. now you got to scoop it, you got to vacuum it. Like, everything, from the smallest thing to the biggest, it's work. And that is a relatively new discovery in my life. So when I get the impulse to buy chickens, I'm like, cass, no, chickens are work. That stray cat, work your dog work. Every child is work. But also, like. Like a remote control even needs to be cleaned. And is work. All of it? All of it. Is it worth it? That's what you gotta ask. This applies to the tiny things, too. Even that gum wrapper is work. It honestly is. And it's all friction. It's getting in the way. It's something you have to move to get what you need. Every single thing you own is work. So right now, you're eliminating 29 things from your home as you're listening to this podcast, because you're not allowed to just sit and get up, get up. 29 things. It's my birthday gift. And this is making life easier because it's making less work work for you. Number six is. I mean, it's the truth. But you might think it's a little controversial, and that is Happiness is a choice. On your worst day, you can still find a little sliver of joy. And I think a lot of people get stuck in the victim mentality. Like, life's kicked them in the groin, and then they just, like, lay down and cry about it. And then everything seems awful. And it's like, you gotta choose to find the good. You gotta choose happiness every single day. And I believe that with all of me. Here's an example. My kids have recently crashed all of our vehicles. So that was awful. Izzy crashed one car. Complete write off. So then we were down to just the truck, and then Abby ran it into a Range Rover, and that was all of our Christmas budget going to fix somebody else else's car. And then Joe and I realized we had to give up our 20th wedding anniversary trip that's been on my vision board to go to the Galapagos Island. Okay, we have dreamed of this our entire life. We cannot go because we now have to pay to fix vehicles. We also have just one scratched up, dang dinged vehicle that we have to drive all the kids around, and life isn't great. Okay, When? In this instant. And my husband's been, like, really Just like, he can't. Oh, he's got no motivation. It's just, of course it's a horrible thing. And I'm like, I can let that make me just cry or I can say, that's going to make both of them a better driver. Neither of them got hurt. And going forward, they're not going to make those mistakes again. They learned a lesson and it. Maybe that'll keep them alive, you know, like, maybe that saved their life. Maybe now they, they. They'll think twice. Hopefully they'll think twice before they run that stop sign or park too close to another car. Like, like a mistake is not always bad. And yeah, this is expensive and, and whatever, but I choose to see the positive in this because. Because. Because choosing to be sad just sucks. Number seven is a little bit depressing. There is no top of the mountain. And what I mean by that is every time we think I'll be happy when there's just another thing we are striving towards. So this started young as, like, I can't wait to get married. I can't wait to have a kid. I can't wait to buy our first house. I can't wait to get this dream job. I can't wait till I hit a hundred thousand subscribers. I can't wait till I publish my first book. I can't wait too. I get a TV show. You, the minute you get there, there's another peak. And, and when you, when you think that you'll be happy when. Or you'll feel fulfilled when you get to this certain point, that is like the life's biggest lie, man. Because there, it's never ending. It's about the journey. There is no top. Enjoy every freaking step. And that's where we have to go back to number six, that happiness is a choice. Number eight, good enough is always better than perfect. And a lot of people are like, but perfect's pretty great. And. And I'm just gonna say, what the heck is perfect? There's always gonna be people out there who do things better than you. You will never be the best at anything ever, Period. So stop trying. There's like, what, 8 billion people in the world? There's people better than you. So, like, why are we striving for like, the best of the best when again, there's no top of the mountain friends good enough, Good enough to done, and we're moving on to something else because life is too short to worry about perfection. Number nine. It's probably the best. I'd rather have the money. All that crap we buy. I'd rather have the money. Especially when I start looking back over my 46 years on this planet and think about all the junk I bought over all of the. I'd be a bazillionaire, okay? I. I'd be like, rich, rich. When we add up all the Starbucks coffees and the $20 thing here and the clothes and the. And the kids toys, like, what are we doing? If you're going to trade your hard earned money for something, make sure it's worth it. Because the money in your pocket today is worth double or triple 15 years from now. So make sure the thing you're buying is worth that. I don't want to work forever. My, my. The end game here is there's going to come a point in your life where you don't want to work anymore and you shouldn't have to and you're going to need hella bank, okay? There's going to come a point in your life where I want you to, like, be free. I want to be free. I don't want to have to work. Maybe I want to work. That's very different. And the only way to get to that point is to stop trading our money that we need then for stuff Now. I'd rather have the money. Number 10. Number 10. Number 10. Change my life. Do good, feel good. Do good, feel good. Listen, I'm just. Let's go back in time a little bit to the hood rat. Hood, hood. Hood rat Cass, who was shoplifting, stealing, doing bank fraud, doing every drug, sleeping with strangers. Horrible thinking that. That was like this excitement in this high. And then I ended up falling into this weird JCP government program job where I was working at United Way and I was giving free furniture to people in need. And I remember showing up one day at this warehouse where we had all these donations and this woman with cancer, she was at the women's center. Her. Oh, God, stop. See? Oh. Feeling emotional. I was like maybe 24 at the time. And I was still. I was. I was trying my best, but I was miserable in life, okay? Because I was like craving all the bad stuff that I had given up. The point is, I gave her like an old couch and some gross things and some sheets, like literal old things that were not nice. She was crying with joy about. And I was like, oh, my God, this. I'd never felt such joy. I did a lot of drugs, okay? I had never felt this bliss that I felt in helping someone else. And then that changed it for me, man. My whole life I'm just like, if. If you want to feel great, do something great for someone else. If you. If you want to, like, be happy, give happiness to someone else. That's the secret. Number 11. I just said secret. But there's another secret, which is a little bit. Every day is the secret to getting a lot of stuff done. You know what I mean? Like, waiting until you can do it all in one chunk seems like you're going to get further ahead. But the reality is, it's these little baby steps that add up to a greater distance in anything and cleaning and decluttering and saving money. All of it. All of it doesn't matter. Any. Any aspect of your life. It's small, consistent steps will add up to you getting further ahead than any giant leaps ever will. You ready for 12? Critics are in the stands. They're never on the field. Okay? The people who are judging, the people who are saying the nasty things, the people who are, like, they're watching you play. They're not down there with you being awesome. They're in the stands. You know when you go to the sports game and there's that obese, disgusting guy with, like, he dropped his hot dog on his shirt and he's got his beer and he's. The guy's out of breath walking up the steps, and he's like, you suck. You can't even catch a ball. And I'm like, bro, you can't even touch your toes. If people are criticizing you, just think of that. It's that idiot in the stands while you're on the field being the freaking quarterback. Sure. I don't know sports. I was, like, doing the sports thing, being the. Being the sporty person. 13. I'm working on this one. But people treat you the way that you let them treat you. So if someone's, like, rude to you and mean to you and. And it continues on, that's because you're letting them. You have a choice to say bye. Like, I don't care if it's your mother. You do not have to have a relationship with someone just because they birthed you. You. You can stand up and have boundaries and push back and say, you're not allowed to talk to me like that. And if you talk to me like that again, I'm done with you. Like, that's. That was a hard lesson to learn, and I'm learning it still. Okay, number 14. Nothing is ever as bad or as good as you think. Five years from now, none of it'll matter. 15. I'm not a passenger in this life. I am driving the freaking bus stop just like, oh, it's out of my control. Everything's in your control. You're at the steering wheel. If you don't like the road you're on, take a turn. Okay. 16. A tidy home supports a tidy mind. Ain't that the truth. I don't need to elaborate. I do that every single podcast. 17. No one is perfect. Everyone is messed up in their own way. Like everyone. They're super freaks. Everyone's a freak. 18. Gratitude is a game changer. Being grateful for things, it will just every aspect of your life will be better. So, like, get a journal right now. Not right now. You're decluttering 29 things tonight before you go to bed and write down three things you're grateful for. You'll feel better, I promise. Number 19. This is a Dave Ramsey thing. And other financial gurus that changed. Changed everything about my finances. Pay yourself first. So whenever you get a paycheck, set up an automatic transfer for every time. So like every two weeks or every week, whatever, your pay schedule Is to take 10% and automatically send it the same exact day, you get paid to a savings account. So before you can buy stupid crap with it, it's sucked out into savings land. And that savings is not attached to your bank card. You have to go to the physical bank to take it out. You will be a gazillionaire. Not really, but you'll have lots of money saved before you know it. And you won't even. You'll forget you're even doing it. Like, you know what I mean? You forget that you're even taking. It's just like now you got 10% less money, but you adjust. You adjust. Please try this 20. This is another one of my favorites. Mistakes make masters. Like, failure is a good thing. Think of it as you go into university. Some people go and pay a bazillion dollars. You don't have to pay. You just have to make one little crappy mistake. That is how you really learn and how you grow and you know what works and what doesn't. Failure is a blessing. 21 is pretty much the only diet advice that ever worked for me. And I learned this while I was going through, like, this whole weight loss surgery and I was working with nutritionists. And she's like, giving me all this advice and I'm like, it's all horrible. And she's like, why don't you just pair it with a protein? So anything you eat, you want to eat potato chips. Fine, but you have to have protein too. And I was like, okay, I could do that. I could eat ice cream. She's like, eat what you want, but make sure you also have protein. So apples and peanut butter. If I want to eat chips, fine. I got to eat a pepperette. And I know this sounds, like, weird and counterintuitive, but this amazing thing happened because protein fills you up for longer, right? And so it, like, sustained me, and I wasn't star as hungry, and I was getting stronger, and I was building muscle. The point is, everything pair with protein, a little bit of protein. It's not a real diet, but it'll change. It'll change your. It'll change things. Stuff. Promise number 22, be your own hero, because no one's coming to save you. And that might sound awful, but it isn't, because guess what? You're the freaking superhero who's gonna save your dang self, right? Like, stop. That goes with the passenger thing. You're not a passenger, princess. You're the freaking driver of your own life. So when we do this whole, like, oh, I need my husband to help me back up the car into the garage. What the heck are you talking about? Mostly talking to myself there because my husband used to back up the car. Now I back up fire trucks. Who's got the biggest? Who's got the. I got the biggest. I got a DZ license now. That's right, girls. Number 23 is lame, but true. Sleep is the most important thing that you can do for your health and your mood and your happiness. And I'm like, meh. I like to stay up late because I'm a toddler, and then I have to get up early. But when I get a good night's sleep, I'm a better human. I'm just. Everything's better. So sleep should be your number one priority. 24. Goals need ink to grow. If you really want to accomplish a goal, you have to write it down. You do it. It. I don't know, science. Writing down a goal takes it from a dream and a wish and makes it a reality. Makes it concrete, and that does something in your brain that makes you start taking the steps towards it. It makes it real. So, yeah, goals need ink to grow. 25. Never take advice from people who are not where you want to be. And all the people who want to give you unsolicited advice, they need it the most. Isn't that true? You know when people are like, you know what your problem is? Do you know what you should do? Do you want their life? Do you look at their life and think, yes, I want to listen to you and be where you are, probably freaking not. And if the answer is no, if ignore it. You don't have to be rude, but honestly, you're. You're your own bus driver there. We're gonna. God, we keep coming back to that one, but it's, it's true. On the other hand, 26. Do take advice from people who are where you want to be. There are people out there who have worked hard to master a skill or are 46 years old and have learned lessons the hard way. Like, if you, if you, if somebody is, like, dedicated their life to getting great at something, take their advice, because that's a shortcut. You don't have to, like, do the trudging yourself. You can jump ahead with the knowledge that they've gained. So if somebody is like, if somebody is where you want to be, absolutely, you should look to them for advice. You. You can learn things the easy way and the hard way. Like, making mistakes is great. It's a great way to learn. But, but, but the 10% thing, like saving the 10%, I got that from Dave Ramsey and other financial gurus. Maybe I could have struggled with my finances for another 10 years, but he's a financial expert. He's. He's mastered finances. I would be so dumb to not take his advice, right, because, because he's already put the work in, so I don't have to. To learn the best strategy. Number 27 is so unfortunately true. And that is you are a combination of the five people you spend the most time with. Whether you like it or not, the people around you influence you. They change your thoughts, they change your personality, they change your mood. If you are around someone who's always negative and they're a victim and name it, you will be more negative. Period. My dad said this when I was a kid. He said, if you swim in a sewer, you'll smell like shit. And he wasn't wrong. And he said that because all my friends were doing drugs and being bad. And I was not like that at first, but I very quickly became that you are who you associate with. Period. I'm going to rapid fire the next three. And 28 is. Every action echoes. Whether it's positive or negative, it has rippling effects. So make sure your echoes are positive. Number 29. Be your own best friend. Seriously, your own best friend. Treat you like you would your very, very bestest person you love the most. Number 30. Huh? This one's Tough. You don't have to be liked by everyone. And no matter how hard you try, there are still going to be people who hate you for no reason. And that's fine. That's their problem. Number 31, take up space. I think a lot of the times we're told, like, what we should do and how we should act, and we're always. Especially women, it's like, oh, we need to kind of, oh, I don't want to step on any toes. I don't want to hurt people's feelings. And I want to. What are you? Be yourself. Stop masking. Ask the questions. Be big. Take up space. Be the boss. Number 32. This is tough for me. I'm dealing with this one right now. If someone thinks you're too much, tell them to go find less. So I tend to be slightly obnoxious, kind of annoying. I'm very competitive, and when I play a game, I get really into it, okay? And I'm like, in your face. I'm gonna beat you. And I'm like, suck it. And that's just how I am. I'm intense. And last Christmas, we were playing a family board game with my extended family. So, like, my dad's family, my aunts and uncles and cousins and my brother and I, my little brother, we got, like, into it. We were like, oh, I'm gonna. You're going down. And we were like, really? We were having fun, and we were, like, really excited. And this year, I was told that Christmas is canceled because Cassandra ruined it last year. And at first, I literally burst into tears because I'm like, oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry. I do need to learn to, like, be quieter. Just shouldn't get so excited, and I shouldn't be so competitive. And I wasn't being rude. I just was like, you know what I mean? They're very, like, subdued, quiet people. And then I'm like, all those other people. Now everybody's missing out because I'm so annoying. And then I thought, wait a minute. I don't even like them. Like, I know I'm related to them, but I dread going. And they're not my tribe, and I play game night with my other friends all the time, and I am obnoxious, and I am, like, competitive, and I'm loud, and they'd. I don't mind. And so they're my people, and even though this is my blood, they're just not my people, and that's okay. And I'm not criticizing them in any way. They can have Less. I'm too much. That's okay. They can have less. And. And, yeah, this is like, whoa. Hard lesson to learn, because I don't need to be smaller around people. I just need to find people who don't mind me being big. I'm competitive. I want to win. I want to win. I'll do anything to win. Okay, number 33, you will not remember 99% of the stuff that's stressing you out right now. I'll probably remember that my kids crashed the cars, sure. But I'm not going to remember that I'm behind on Christmas and I haven't wrapped anything yet. You know what I mean? Like, all these little things that become big in the moment and are really stressing us out. When we can zoom out and say, is this going to matter in five years? Is this even going to matter a year from now? If the answer is no, can we just let that stress go? Can we just say, this isn't is this? And. And what's really helpful for me is, like, on a scale of 1 to 10. So I try to scale all my catastrophes on a scale of 1 to 10. 10 being like, I just got decapitated kind of thing. Oh, my God, that's. Or like, my husband got decapitated. Right? One is like, I have a hangnail. Like, where is this on a level of 1 to 10? Knowing that 10 is like, your house is burning down and your family's inside. Is this that? Probably not. So, like, gauge your stress level accordingly. 34. Bullies are usually sad people who are really hurting. It's never about you. Like, I feel so sorry for mean bullies, because I'm just like, oh, their life must be such crap. I got those snot beat out of me by Becky Kitchen in grade nine. I still have. See this? See this part of my hair that tufts? That's because she ripped out a chunk. And I have scar tissue. Every morning I look at this and I think, oh, Becky. Becky's life is a dumpster fire still to this day. Is it karma? Perhaps. But poor Becky was obviously a dumpster fire then, too. That brings me to number 35. Karma is real. I have a disclaimer. I am not saying if someone has cancer or something awful happens, that they are bad people. That is not what I'm talking about at all. Bad stuff happens to good people all the time. That is not karma. What karma is is whatever you put out in the universe, it comes back to you threefold. It just does. And if something awful is happening, it's how you react to that that, again, just. I believe this with all of my being. So the more good that I try to do, I feel like I get so much good back. And it's probably just my perception, like, I'm a more positive, happy person, so I notice more positive, happy things, and people around me treat me more positively and happy. I don't know. But I believe this. So I try to avoid negative bad karma at all costs. And honestly, it's working out. And Becky Kitchen. Well, maybe don't be such a terrible human. Which leads me to number 36. Give more than you take in this world, and you will end up further ahead than the average person. So, like, how can you make this world a better place every single day? What can you do to make other people's lives better? How can you. How can you give more than you take? And. And I swear, I don't know how, but it works out that your life will be amazing. Except maybe Mother Teresa. Her life did not sound great, but, like, who's gonna give that much? 37 is a lesson I'm learning right now. Your children will never be as young as they are today. Cherish every moment. I found myself lately, like, yearning for little kids who still believed in Christmas magic or, like, oh, when they played dress up or they actually wanted to spend time with me now that I have teenagers that don't. But my children will never be at this age again. Like, this time will also pass, and in 10 years from now, I'll yearn for these teenage years, you know? So I just. I'm trying to always remember that. And speaking of that, the same goes for you. When you're looking in the mirror and you're like, oh, remember, you will never be as young and as hot as you are right now. Cherish your body. You will never be like, this is the youngest you'll ever be. And so when you're like, oh, my knees are a little achy, or my back's twinged, or, like, all of those things, man, you are going to wish you were feeling like you are today 20 years from now. Cherish it. Be grateful for today. I'm 46, and I still. I believe that because the alternative is, like, I'm not here, man. Or I'm like, you know, decrepit. I'm. I can touch my toes. This is amazing. I'm 46, and I think it's the best age I've ever been. 39 is so good. Okay. No matter how weird you are, your tribe is out There. I have never fit in with anyone, ever. My whole life, everyone's thought I was just a weirdo. I have the most amazing group of friends. They're all autistic and neurodivergent, and they are the weirdest people, and I love them. And I never have to mask around them, and I. I never have to be smaller, and I can be just totally myself at all times, and they love me anyways. And they don't even have to. They don't even have to. They just do. If you feel like this, like, you haven't met the people who are like, oh, you. They're out there. Keep looking. Number 40. Caring what other people think is life's biggest roadblock. And I see this in my own life now. Like, I talk to really talented, brilliant people who are like, I wish I could do a podcast, but I hate the sound of my own voice. I wish I could do, but I. You know, I'm like, dude, why do you care what other people think? But I also see this with my kids, who are maybe a little embarrassed, and they're like, I don't want to try out for the play. What if I don't, you know, get the part? And you're missing out on opportunities because you're afraid to be embarrassed or you're afraid what other people might think about you. What are you talking about? This big, insane, amazing world is out there, and you are missing it because you care about the people who are in the stands. That fat idiot with ketchup on his shirt. You're afraid what he's going to think. What are you talking about? If you're afraid to play the game because of what the are going to say about you, then you might as well be in the stands with them with freaking spilled beer on your clothes. I'm getting intense. Let's go with 41. Get a dog. I never knew I could love another thing. Like, I love my dog. I mean, I love my children. I never knew I could love an animal like, I love my dog. My dog is my best friend, man. I love my dog. Get a dog. Get a dog. Number 42, the meaning of life. This one's good. You will not miss 99% of the stuff that you declutter, but you will regret and miss what clutter has cost you because it's costing you money you could have had. It's costing you relationships. It's costing you just experiences that you could have had in your own home. Because of the clutter. You will not miss the stuff. But you will super regret what you missed out of by keeping the stuff. I. I just. That is just the meaning of life. 42, 42, 43. Trends change faster than your underwear. When I was a kid, I really wanted drop crotch pants. MC Hammer was like all the rage. And all the other kids at school had these stupid drop crotch pants that like were so. And I wanted them so bad. But we did not have a lot of money. And I saved and saved and saved. I was like, like grooming dogs and cutting grass and I saved up. It was grade six. I was 10 years old for drop crotch pants. By the time I bought them, they were already out of style. And I got laughed at for wearing them. You know, like, whether it's all of it. The trends of your house. Remember we all sponge painted back in the freaking 90s. What are you talking? Like when we focus on being cool and keeping up with the trends, whether it's clothing or whatever it is. Because it's such a waste. It's such a waste. I've seen low rise jeans come and go. I've seen all of it. All of it. Just who the freak cares? Buy what you like. Number 44. I'm gonna say what I'm gonna say. The bigger the muscles, smaller the penis. You know those guys in the gym who are jacked? There's a reason they're overcompensating. Also the flasher of the car. Teeny weeny peeny. Just reality. And I. I'm gonna go a step further and say the. The bigger the brain, the bigger the peony. Because I just. I believe this. And do what? How do I know this? It's been a while. Okay, it's been a while, but in my day, I had a lot of experience. Okay, just. We'll leave it at that. Disclaimer. I've been happily married and with my husband for a long time. It's 20, 24 years. And so I haven't seen this, but I feel it. The trend still applies. In my teen years, this was super obvious there. I said what I said number 45. The only thing guaranteed in life is that nothing will ever stay the same. There are people who get really stuck in their ways and they like what they like and they don't want to try new things. I took my mom to a sushi restaurant once. Her head looked like she was going to explode. She didn't even want to touch it. She was like, that's horrible. First time I had Indian food slop on rice. I was like, that looks disgusting. It was the best thing I ever put in my mouth. I'm just saying, like, when we are afraid to do things different, maybe it's a job out of town or buying a new house, moving, meeting new people, staying in a hotel, and not bringing our fan. I really like to bring my fan. The point is stepping outside of our comfort zone and embracing change and transition. That is like, how you just have an awesome life because you can't keep things the same no matter how hard you try. Okay, my last lesson. You ready for it? 46. You only get one life, so you better dream big. Like, big big. And you are more capable than you realize. You can do insane things. I have done insane things because I believed I could. And I'm. I'm gonna brag because I'm 46. I'm bragging for a second because I started out this life behind. I. I started out way behind. Criminal record, felon, adhd, high school dropout, bad at everything, zero skills. I started out my adult life. I'm, like, 26 years old. I got nothing. I got. I got an. I got my. I was like, oh, I'm just gonna work at Tim Hortons. Even then, they wouldn't hire me because I couldn't handle money because of my criminal record. Like, it was over before it started. But what if. What if it didn't matter? What if I could do whatever the heck I wanted? I could be a freaking fitness model. Maybe it could be anything. Dream freaking big, my friends. Like, please. You get one life. Wayne Gretzky said the greatest quote of all time. Wayne Gretzky is a Canadian hockey player. Are you ready for it? You will miss 100% of the shots you don't take. He's the greatest hockey player of all time. Do you know why? He's the greatest hockey player of all time. Do you know why? No one will ever be better than Wayne Gretzky. Was he the best skater? No. Was he the best hockey player? Not even close. Wayne Gretzky actually not that good at hockey. Wayne Gretzky didn't matter if he was back in his own end zone. Would take the shot. Wayne Gretzky had the most goals because he. Because he believed he'd make it. Even though all the odds were against him. He took every shot. Most of them he missed. But the ones he did added up to more than all the people who were like, I'm gonna wait for the perfect opportunity. Guess what? Wayne Gretzky. We should all be. Wayne Gretzky. Take every shot. You're probably gonna miss. But what if you don't? You're probably gonna fail. But what if you don't? So just gonna leave with that. If you need any other advice, don't forget that you can go to my website@clutterbug.com TalkToCast and you can ask me a question. Ask me about anything, and I'm Gonna bestow my 46 years of wisdom on you in an upcoming podcast. So again, go to and feel free to ask any question you have. All right. Have you given me my birthday present? Like, have you found 29 things to leave your house? Seriously, it's all I'm asking for. Geez, I don't ask for a lot. I give so much. 29 things, it can be trash. Please, please, please, please do this for me, because you deserve it. And it will make me so happy to just help you make your home a little bit better today on my birthday. Because guess what, karma? If I give to you, I get back three times more. Right? It's selfish. I'm being selfish here. All right, my friends, I hope you're feeling inspired, and I hope you share some of your life advice with me, because if you're being awesome at something, I want to learn from you. Thanks so much, and I'll see you guys next time.