I have lived in my home for twelve and a half years; it is the longest I have ever lived in one place. My son, the youngest, was just seven months old when we moved in; he has known only this as home. To think of leaving here has been very difficult for him but he knows that it is best for our family and he is excited to move just a mile or so from the ocean. In anticipation for this move, I have begun the process of elimination. My life is in every nook and cranny of this house and it is time to re-examine those many nooks and figure out what is important and vital to my life and what is unnecessary and just extra frosting.

For the last six weeks, I have been cleaning. Call it deep cleaning, spring cleaning on steroids, cleaning to the max, extreme cleaning, whatever... It has been thoughtful and intense. Even severe, some might say. I am about two thirds of the way through and while the process has been exhausting, it has also been exhilarating. It has been something other than cleaning, more like purging. A mega garage sale will take place in two weeks and with that exercise, much of what I have built and saved over the last 25 years of my life - the adult, married, becoming a parent and then becoming a single parent part of my life - will be reduced, considerably.

And as painful as it has been and will be to finish this task, it is also necessary and good. It is good to recognize what is fluff and junk that just gets in the way of progression and life moving on. I am happy with where I am. Re-examining and filtering is requisite for me to make headway and a difference in not my only my own life, but in the lives of those over whom I have influence. Still, it is not easy.

How many of us face our day and our jobs with all kinds of junk in the way? Old attitudes and old ways of doing things- resentments and false beliefs of how to do our jobs most effectively. Maybe what worked for you ten years ago is no longer effective but letting go of that practice or idea has proved to be a formidable task. What is it they say? Old habits die hard. Yes, they do but it isn't impossible.

Trying new ideas or an attitude adjustment or giving a new technology a shot is what helps me evolve and keeps me on my toes. Why would I not want a clean slate as often as possible? Finding "the better way" has been a driving force for me since I fell in love with recruiting, business, and technology. If my path is cluttered or clouded, the better way is impossible to find. It might be best to keep the path clear and an open mind. The journey can be intoxicating because the destination is so invigorating.