Editor note: This is a guest post from Tomas Stonkus of Uncertain Change

Do you have stuff in your life? Or does your stuff have you in its life? If you want to find out how understanding time and human psychology can help you solve the above riddle, read on!

Time

Time comes in three different flavors: the past, the present, and the future. All of us are alive in the present moment, yet many of us live either in the future or in the past, rarely in the present. There are many reasons to live in the present.

Life is all about progress. It is about moving forward. If you fail to move forward, then you are slowly killing yourself without even realizing it. Without being aware of the present, you cannot create an exciting future. Without being aware of the present, you fail to create the past of which we can be proud of. Simply put, if you get stuck in the past or keep thinking about the future, you fail to live the life that you deserve!

Being a Human

Just like all creatures alive, you probably respond to stimulus with a certain behavior, certain emotions and thoughts. Some responses are destructive and some are constructive. Some help you, and some hurt you.

What separates you from the rest of the creatures is awareness. You have the ability to become aware of what stimulus causes what response. Awareness, in turn, gives you the ability to change the way you respond to a certain stimulus. Yet, sometimes the connection between a stimulus and response is so strong that you appear to have no control of how you respond. In such cases, it is best to remove the stimulus all together.

Stuff

Some stuff is useful. Some stuff you consider to be useful. Some stuff is absolute junk. Some stuff you keep because it has perceived value to you. Without stuff, you probably wouldn’t have much to do, but sit under a tree and try to reach enlightenment.

A different name for stuff is a stimulus. Some of the stuff (stimulus) has the ability to send you back in time and keep you there; preventing you from moving forward. Regardless if the response that the stuff causes within you is positive or negative – if we cannot control it – it is time to get rid of it. It is because emotions are addictive. They are naturally occurring drugs. They alter your reality and causes you to think, feel or act in ways in which we would not normally act.

Action

That is how powerful stuff can be: it can keep you from moving forward in your life. It can keep you stuck in the past, reliving the old thoughts, emotions and feelings weather you like it or not. It can force you to keep repeating the same old destructive behaviors and thought patterns in your life. Stuff can take form of anything from a little card to a big painting that a close friend bought you. Stuff can even be as big and important as your house, your friends, your neighborhood or even your spouse!

Any of the above stuff, has the power to control your life without your conscious permission, if you let it.

Yet, remember! You are a human being and you are aware and you have the power to change your own life. If you cannot control how you respond to the stuff in your life, the next best thing to do is to get rid of it. When you get rid of stuff, you get rid of the stimulus, which causes a certain response, which keeps you from leading a conscious life.

Saying goodbye to stuff is not easy, especially if it has such a strong hold on your life. Yet, you have to be selfish and think about yourself. Who are you helping and who are you hurting by keeping the stuff around yourself?

Tomas Stonkus is the creative genius behind Uncertain Change. If you are looking for honest, blunt and practical ideas on how to lead a multidimensional life, subscribe here