I’ve had some amazing e-mails lately from people who have completed my book, Wake Up and Create the Life You Want. Most of the time, the reader is thanking me for writing it and giving general praise, but this last week, I received this:
Dear Debra,
I just wanted to thank you for writing your book, Wake Up and Create the Life You Want. I am not quite finished because there is something that I just can’t get past. I was doing really well until I hit Chapter 33: Clutter Around You Creates Clutter In Your Brain, where you talk about how keeping a clean house helps you in all other areas of your life.
I have been, for as long as I can remember, a complete and total slob. I’ve lost friends, lovers and needless to say, roommates over it. I always defended myself saying that if they couldn’t love me for who I am, then to hell with them – it’s their problem.
When I first turned to page 187 and read the title, I thought, “Oh, great. Another person who is going to tell me that ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness.’ That’s just what I need right now.” So I decided just to push through the chapter to get it over with. (By the way, I really like how you’ve broken the book up into shorter chapters.)
Then I hit paragraph four. Where you say, “Try it. Right now. If you’re having trouble staying on task, clean off your desk – completely. Put back only one thing to do. Focus on that one thing until it is finished.” I thought, why not? Why not give a try to see if it works. I’d tried other stuff in the book and it had worked, so why not?
Well, it worked. In fact, I’ve been cleaning and clearing clutter for over two weeks now. Everyone in my life thinks I’m dying or getting ready to commit suicide because I keep giving things away! When I try to explain to them that I’m actually just starting to live, they look at me strangely. When I try to explain what I’ve gotten out of your book, they think it’s a religious book and roll their eyes.
I guess the reason I wanted to e-mail my experience to you was to let you know how much you have helped me in my work life. I cleared off my desk that day at work and I was able to focus a lot better. So much so, that the report I had to turn in was probably some of the best work I’ve ever turned in on this job. My boss noticed it, and told me today that he is considering me for a raise at the first of the year. I am so happy!
I’ve also been clearing things at home and I’ve gotten to the point that I just can’t stop. I don’t even have time to finish your book – but I will, I promise. I’ve become obsessed with neatness. “A place for everything and everything in its place” has become my motto, and the clearer thinking I’ve had because of it is overwhelming.
I’m also overweight, but have lost 10 pounds just from being focused on clearing the clutter when I get home instead of sitting in front of the TV snacking all night. I spent the last two weekends throwing or giving stuff away and I have so much more energy that I’m thinking about going out this weekend. I’m usually too tired to do anything come Friday night, but some friends have invited me to a Christmas party and I think I’ll go!
Debra, you have changed my life, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If there is every anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Susan Merino
Omaha, Nebraska
Wow! What a testimonial, Susan, thank you so much for sharing your experiences with me and for agreeing to allow me to publish your e-mail on my website.
My regular readers know how I like to take a person’s e-mail and tear it apart, sort to speak, in order to show them, and others, how their own thinking is limiting them. In this case, there is nothing to “tear apart.” But I do want to take just a few minutes to explain what is happening in Susan’s life.
First, as she clears the clutter in her environment, at home and at work, she is clearing her energy. My research and personal experience have evolved somewhat since I wrote my book and I’ve been learning more about physical, psychological, and spiritual energy. Clutter around you, in any way, shape, or form, diminishes your energy, pure and simple.
Those of you who are regular readers may recall an article I wrote (it’s also in the book) about how my mother-in-law’s house is so clean it sparkles. Interestingly, the bank where my father-in-law was president had its 100th Anniversary back in the summer, and someone said of both of them, “they sparkle.” I had a private “Aha!” moment when I heard that!
I am discovering that there are five primary areas that you need to focus on to keep your energy clear and clean. I’ll be writing a lot more about this in 2008, but to give you a little introduction and then get back to today’s post, here are the five:
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Your home
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Your office
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Your car
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Your computer
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Your subconscious mind
Your home, office, and car are simple enough and I’ve blogged about that before. The role your computer plays in this is something I’m going to be blogging about in the future. And there can still be clutter lurking around in your subconscious mind that will need to be cleaned up before you can really be free and clear and have your energy soaring at its highest level, and I’ll be blogging about that too, very soon.
But couldn’t you feel the excitement and higher energy level of Susan as she wrote? I got chills when I read her e-mail and I could sense her sincerity and genuine new-found passion for her life.
And how ‘bout those 10 pounds? Isn’t that fantastic? A lot of you have been e-mailing me lately about my weight-loss system as well, and maybe Susan’s story is another clue for you – clear some clutter! It can’t hurt, right? See, when you’re energy level improves, everything in life your life will improve – your attitude, your outlook, your work, and yes, even your weight. It can’t be helped – that’s how energy works! I’ve spoken to Susan offline and she had no clue about my weight-loss system; she found my book through a Google search on motivation – she wasn’t even a regular reader of my blog.
Finally, I want to draw attention to what got Susan started in the first place – the challenge I give in the book to “try it – right now.” If you’re wondering if something truly works, why not try it? Take Susan’s attitude of “I’ve tried other stuff that worked, why not try this?” It doesn’t have to be one of my ideas – maybe the reason you’ve ended up reading this post today was only to get you to try something else – someone else’s idea. Whatever it is, here’s your challenge: Try it – right now.
Until next time,
Try something new!
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Posted under Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Weight Loss
This post was written by Debra Moorhead, Motivational Speaker, Author, and Coach on December 19, 2007

Wow! Susan’s email is inspiring. I think the hardest thing to change is our thinking. Once we venture to do that, there’s no telling what’s possible! Thanks for sharing her email.
Thanks, Eva. And I love your website. I took just a couple of minutes to check it out and will definitely return for more details.
I have some clutter of my own to clear out. Thanks for the reminder. I have a baby quilt to make for a pregnant neice and I have to clear the paperwork off of my cutting table to get started on it.
Good luck, Patricia - and thanks for commenting!
Wow, what an inspirational email. I’ve been noticing that my energy has been decreasing and my work seems to becoming a burden. Now I have an idea why.
Wow what great common sense advice. The clutter issue hits home to a lot of us who have desks etc. with stuff all over it and we bring that clutter into our desires of life which is why we lose focus. We constantly distract ourselves from what we really need to do in order to move forward. Great tip.
Thanks, Richard. I appreciate you and your comment.