One year ago, I gave birth. No, it wasn’t to an actual baby. My human babies are all teens. I gave birth to my first solo book, Who Am I Now? Realign Your Home and Life.
The book was inspired by fifteen plus years of helping people get their homes organized and hundreds of presentations, where audience members shared their trials and triumphs. Again, and again, I saw that the stuff problem wasn’t really about the stuff. It went deeper than that.
For people who are decluttering, there’s a vague sense that the stuff decision may involve something deeper, but it hasn’t been fully articulated.
Stuff and identity
Getting more specific about the pros and cons of keeping something or letting it go often reveals an identity issue. What do I mean by identity issue? Here are some examples.
Letting go of your mother’s china set presents a dilemma about not following Mom’s presumed wishes. Are you being a disobedient daughter? That’s a different process than asking yourself if you will use the china set or not.
For a teacher, figuring out which books to keep or discard while downsizing feels like losing pieces of yourself. Why? Because being a life-long learner is a core value. Getting rid of books opposes that core value unless you find another way to tap into life-long learning.
There are many more examples in my book. I explore twelve different scenarios where stuff intersects with identity and explains how to navigate them. Look at the contents here: http://bit.ly/BuyWAIN
None of these scenarios is about the size of one’s closet. It’s about having a system to process identity and belongings.
My life’s theme
Looking back, I can see that I’ve always been interested in identity. I grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota, but I didn’t feel like I belonged there. On summer afternoons, I used my lame British accent to read the poetry of William Wordsworth out loud. (Little did I know then that ten years later I would be reading those same poems to myself in the Lake District, where Wordsworth originally wrote them.)
I wrote my college honors paper on identity, my Master’s thesis on identity, and helped people learn how to make decluttering decisions based on their current identity while still honoring past identities.
The next level of my business
Now, through my clarity coaching, I help women in business get crystal clear on their purpose so that they can move past self-sabotaging behaviors to make money and have a powerful impact. This is the highest evolution of my purpose. It’s the one I’ve been unknowingly preparing for my whole life.
My work doesn’t have to be limited to women in business. I’d love to work with all women who desire clarity on their authentic purpose: what they are uniquely able to bring to the world. Can you imagine how different life would be if everyone understood their gifts and felt empowered to share them?
It would be magnificent.
I am 100% confident that I can help all women (and heart-centered men, too). Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that many women who wish for clarity don’t allow themselves to invest in themselves. They experience layers upon layers of putting themselves last on the list.
The thought of paying for a clarity call seems extravagant. They think they should figure it out themselves or give up wanting it. Do you count yourself among those who are reluctant to invest in themselves? (Does it have to be that way? When will you be worthy of good things? When can you ask for and receive help?)
If you are woman solopreneur—especially one with a business providing a service—and you are not clear on your unique brilliance, you will get in your own way via self-sabotage. Self-sabotage looks like not following through on important business tasks, undercharging, not setting boundaries, feeling like an imposter that is about to be unmasked.
Self-sabotage interferes with your bottom line. Not making enough money in your business creates an urgency, which means you can measure the ROI (return on investment), which means you are more likely to pay for clarity coaching.
The business owners who have done clarity coaching with me have experienced forward momentum by having clarity (and higher sales, too). You can read some of their stories at www.katevarness.com. It’s a privilege to be part of their journey.
Clarity of purpose is for all women
From the bottom of my heart, I truly desire to work with all women—in business or not, young, old, or middle-ish—who seek clarity about their identity dilemmas.
What are you here on this earth to do right now?
Do you know? Are you doing it?
If you are not aligned, I can help you find clarity on what to focus on and what to release. This is an invitation to all of you.
Let me know if you want to connect.
May the path ahead of you be clear,
