As you clean your space, you create your own calm.
 
Cleaning is a skill I have been able to learn and practice my entire life. My mom is a neat freak, she is the happiest when the home is spotless. Due to this, my relationship with cleaning was very rocky for most of my life. I found myself cleaning to find a sense of calm, not for myself, but for her.
 
When I moved away for college, I was on my own. To feel “freedom”, I didn’t clean up after myself. And since the mess wasn’t disrupting anyone’s peace, I let it pile up.
 
Funny enough, on days I was stressed, or couldn’t sleep, I found myself cleaning, and re-organizing. It felt like I had control over something in life, and I was working towards becoming a better and more productive me.
 
It took me a couple months to realize this, in fact, it took my mom pointing it out to me for me to see it. I cope with stress the same way she does, by cleaning! We both create our calm by cleaning and organizing our space. She is very specific about her cleaning rituals though, whereas I am more of go with the flow type of gal, who LOVES to declutter.
 
I am in no means an expert, but these are three things I have learned about cleaning:

1. When I feel out of control, cleaning grounds me. The process of cleaning my space makes me feel like my actions can have a positive impact! That being said, I should mention – this isn’t always the case! Sometimes cleaning does feel like a chore, and that is alright. I am a proud work in progress.
2. Cleaning adds movement to my day. Most my day is spent sitting in front of a laptop, so cleaning is the perfect solution to get some clarity and move around!
3. Cleaning is a mood booster! I am a surface level cleaner; I don’t enjoy deep cleaning but lighting the candle after a productive deep clean session is an unmatchable feeling! Knowing that every corner in my home is the cleanest it can be, because I paid attention to detail makes me really proud and happy.

 
Cleaning is something I simply just “do”. I didn’t begin reflecting on my relationship with cleaning until recently when I started working at Dhyana Cleaning. But I hope this read prompts you to think about your relationship with cleaning. Do you enjoy it? Does the process of cleaning help you? Here are three questions to help you thinking:

1. Do I enjoy the process of cleaning or simply a clean space? I should point out that there is no right answer! The process of cleaning is meditative, in fact, many monks practice this every day. That doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with wanting a clean space, you might be someone who practices meditation through a different method and that it totally okay!

2. Do I like certain things better? I enjoy doing the dishes over vacuuming! When I am in the zone, I end up vacuuming, but if there is one thing I could skip out on, it’d be vacuuming – it is boring to me. Similarly, you might enjoy certain aspects of cleaning. I didn’t realize I could simply outsource those tasks until I launched a business! Being a business owner taught me that I can ask others for help on the things I am not good at or enjoy. I ended up creating a plan with my roommate, where I was responsible of making sure the dishes were always clean, and she was responsible for vacuuming the place twice a week.
 
3. What’s the biggest benefit for me?
Like I mentioned, cleaning can add movement to your day, boost your mood, and allow you to feel like you are in control. There are many other benefits as well, cleaning teaches you, humility, it boosts creativity and alertness. Cleaning keeps you organized and provides a sense of accomplishment – and I mean, I can keep going but you get it. So, what is it for you? How do you want to use cleaning to your advantage? This is your sign to set a goal and try something new out to become a better version of yourself. Goodluck!

Cleaning The Internal As Well As The External 
I believe in beauty and have faith in its restorative power. At Dhyana Cleaning, we reveal the beauty of the spaces we clean, but also the beauty within ourselves. And we do this inner cleaning with a variety of tools. A tool that I was particularly inspired by recently is radically transparent and authentic communication. I first read about this concept in Ray Dalio’s book Principles. Ray explains…

“The most meaningful relationships are achieved when you and others can speak openly to each other about everything that’s important, learn together, and understand the need to hold each other accountable to be as excellent as you can be. When you have such relationships with those you work with, you pull each other through challenging times; at the same time, sharing challenging work draws you closer and strengthens your relationships. This self-reinforcing cycle creates the success that allows you to pursue more and more ambitious goals.” - Ray Dalio #principleoftheday

I would add two points to Ray’s amazing insights:

• We all have our own narratives. A critical aspect of being a leader is to recognize this and work towards better understanding our narrative and those we lead. Don’t try to convince others of your narrative, but rather work hard to actively listen to your team’s viewpoints, and in doing so, create the opportunity for growth and deeper connections.
• Its true that radical transparency allows for the attainment of more and more ambitious goals but even more important, is how we approach our relationships and what blossoms as a result. When we approach relationships with an open mind and speak our truth with an open mind to understand the other person’s experience, this deepens the relationship and allows us to grow our interconnectedness. It enables us to further step into our humanity and purpose for being on this planet! And well, I guess when you think about it, this is an ambitious goal in and of itself…right on Ray!

While growing Dhyana Cleaning, I’ve gotten very familiar with my inner narrative. I’ve learned that dirt is not just external material, it’s also internal material, that accumulates when we are not mindful of our triggers. Recently, I realized that my internal dirt was needing some cleaning and one of the cleaning tools I needed to use was honest, raw communication.

The situation that threw a messy party in my mind last week deeply impacted me; I was in reactive mode, my thoughts ruminating around being offended and not taken seriously…which quickly spiralled into thoughts of not being respected. I made a very harsh decision based on the dirt that was building up inside of me. But before I acted on this decision – one that couldn’t be reversed - I decided to pause and take time to explore where these thoughts were coming from and to open my mind to other possibilities.

And what emerged was a cleansing conversation with the person I was originally offended by. And the results were beautiful. We had the opportunity to understand each others’ point of view; to clarify and gain a clearer path forward. Sometimes relationships need deep cleaning and even though in the moment the work is challenging, the results are more often than not, cleansing. A deeper understanding, connection and clarity. A healthier environment in which to build a meaningful life…. Ultimately, there are times in our lives that are accompanied by total, absolute clarity, uninterrupted by anything other than the experience of the moment. And that’s the power and beauty of inner cleaning and authentic communication. It comes from the heart, with the intention of deeper understanding and connection.

This blog is written by Katie Shulist, the founder of Dhyana Cleaning. Photo by Brodie Vissers from Burst. 

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