Last week I talked about creating. About how I believe that creating is an essential part of ALL of our lives. It’s the opposite of consumption – and we need both to feel balanced. Today I want to tackle another important and related idea. The idea of curating your life. Did you know that you (and only you) have the ability to decide what you want in your life and what you want out?

You have the ability to decide on the bits you like about your life, and then nurture them so they grow and bloom. And also you can hunt for the bits you don’t like about your life and kick them to the curb.

Imagine for a moment that your life is like a museum.

Let’s take a sneaky peek through the doors…

What do you see in there? Is it dusty and untended to? Is it cluttered and full of things you can’t even name? Maybe you can barely even get in the door due to all the items that are thrown haphazardly in any space available.

My life has been like this at times, a dark, dank, dusty and uncared for museum. At times I have been the worst curator of my life, showing complete disregard for the things I placed, both intentionally and unintentionally in my life.

However, I’m slowly working on my curatorship skills  I’m finally giving myself permission and time to tend lovingly to the items in my museum. It’s far from perfect, and will never be finished, but that’s ok – museums are always growing, always changing, and will always need dusting.

My museum

Today (and most days) my museum is bright and airy and there is a distinct sense of hope in the air. This seasons well cared for exhibition is everything creative, with my writing at the forefront. As curator, I take special care of this display, ensuring that I check in everyday to ‘clean’, and tend to my writing.

Alongside, my creative exhibit, sits my exhibit on connection. This exhibit showcases my relationships with the people I love. Sometimes curatorship here comes naturally, other times I have to be particularly mindful to care lovingly to this exhibition. Some relationships can easily get dusty and forgotten. Marriages and long term partnerships are prime examples! After 17 years, and two children (whose needs often take precedence), the dust can accumulate. But, as curator, I am trying to purposefully and mindfully take better care of this exhibit.

Further back, in a darker corner of my museum you’ll find some exhibits that aren’t so well cared for. There’s one on healthy eating that’s pretty cluttered and – well let’s be honest, full of crap. I’m eating far too mindlessly at the moment and there’s way too much sugar at this exhibit! There’s a sprinkling of good here too though, like my love of veges. But overall this exhibit is cluttered and not well curated. It needs an overhaul. 

What else?

My parenting skills exhibit!! This has grown alot over the past 8.5 years. And boy has it been the most challenging one. It started tiny, with only a few items. But the exhibit has grown over time. Partly through mindful decisions to change behaviors and atmosphere, partly through loving input from special people who have previous award winning exhibits! Every exhibit has seasons where it is subject to more attention, more tender loving care. I have just entered a season like this with my parenting exhibit. After finishing a full time ‘career’ job I am building my reserves to get back to daily intentional tender loving care over at this exhibit.

Kick ’em to the curb!

There are also some exhibits that badly need to be discontinued. Not just put in storage for the season… but chucked out, kicked to the curb. A prime example here is my worthiness (or should that be worthlessness) exhibit. This exhibit is old. It’s as old as me. It has it’s roots in my conception and birth story (a story for another day), and these roots are unfortunately pretty strong.

This exhibit has had it’s time in the limelight over the years, seasons where I’ve deliberately chosen to listen to the narrator at the exhibit, and to believe the statements she tells me about my worthlessness are true.

After 38 years, I’m well and truly sick of her. Her voice has a nagging, whining quality to it, and I often feel physically ill after listening. Thankfully, these days I don’t stop by to listen or dust much at all. Rather, I’m working away behind the scenes to finally show this exhibit and the narrator where to go! Bon voyage, I don’t have the time or the inclination to listen to you anymore!

So there it is, a peek into my museum. It’s a work in progress, ever changing and always improving these days. Dark and dusty corners are being brought into the light. I put on my curatorship hat most days and do the work to ensure things are well cared for.

Maybe your museum has some exhibits that need tossing out the door? Ones that have kept you from achieving and focusing on your dreams. And there’s probably some that need some tender love and care. Some whose time it is to shine. What have you been dreaming of doing or putting into your life that you can action today?

You, and only you, have the power to do this.

You are the curator of your life.