Necessary Endings: 5 Ways to Clean Up Your Life

As I eagerly await the beginning of a new semester and school year (t-minus 1.5 hours!), I am thankful for the quiet time to metabolize the experiences of my summer with the intent of building upon those bits of life learning gained throughout this next year.

In June, I read a book called Necessary Endings.  The book lays out and expounds on some basic principles:

1) Things end.

"...endings are a part of life.  they are woven into the fabric of life itself, both when it goes well and also when it doesn't." pg. 6

2) Endings are natural and needed and should be made normalized. 

"Just time and activity alone brings more relationships and activities than you have time to service." pg. 47

3) It's easy to get stuck BUT pruning leads to thriving. 

"But sometimes people get stuck in a type of misery in which they are prone more to inaction than action." pg. 58

4) A lack of action is a decision.

"Time is working either for your or against you in terms of your needed ending.  If you are stalling or waiting, then you are tacitly agreeing to more of what you already have or worse." pg. 150

5) You attract what you are.

"The clearer and kinder you are in your communication of endings and bad news to people, the better the people you will find yourself surrounded by in life and work." pg. 209

BONUS: Metabolize experiences and create closure for what you leave behind.

"Keep what is usable to you, and eliminate what is not...The pain, the bitterness, the feelings of failure, the loss and grief, and the resentment all need to be eliminated and left behind.  But left behind consciously as opposed to just denied and forgotten." pg. 217

If my rough summary and out-of-context quotes left you wanting more, I highly suggest you find a copy of the book and read it.  It has revolutionized my perspective on senior year, my e-mail inbox, my schedule, and my closet.