What if I had to pick up and leave? What would I scurry around to grab? There are the obvious items, of course, like my purse. And those irreplaceable wedding albums in a bookcase near the front door. As I look around, there are a few family heirlooms, but they're too heavy.

If time is of the essence, we're encouraged to just leave as quickly as possible. Sometimes there's no choice. I know some of you have been affected by fires, floods and other disasters. What's it like to start over?

I've actually been on an organization kick lately - at the office and at home. This is definitely a work in progress, though, as evidenced by the reading material I've accumulated on the topic. At the risk of sounding too much like Andy Rooney, I'll name a few:

I particularly like the subtitle of that last one: "Why Your Papers, Books, Clothes and Other Possessions Keep Overwhelming You - And What to Do About It."

Ever notice how many organizational books, articles and Web sites there are out there? Those alone can be overwhelming!

While I've gleaned some helpful tips from these materials, the most interesting resource I've run across lately is a book titled, "Letting Go of Stuff."

When author Darren Johnson talks about letting go of stuff, he doesn't mean the 10 pairs of jeans you're keeping for when you actually lose those 10 pounds, comments critic Faye Jones of Nashville Scene. He's more concerned with cleaning out the internal closet and getting rid of those negative thoughts that keep people trapped in unhappiness and afraid of change.

Johnson advocates that long-lasting change only happens when it is made from the inside out. It requires commitment, trust (in ourselves) and consistency. Another key component is our internal dialogue. (There's that pesky inner voice again!)

The ego competes with the spirit for control over our inner voices, Johnson points out. Although the ego is within us, it is separate from our spirit. The internal struggle between our ego and our spirit helps create the "stuff" in our lives.

Two categories of stuff illustrated in the book include The Good Stuff and the Not-So-Good Stuff. We can all come up with examples, as Johnson did, of The Good Stuff: love, confidence, happiness, healthy self-esteem, achievements, successes, tender moments with family and friends and life events such as birthdays, graduations and weddings. Usually these experiences create the stuff we want.

And then there's the flipside - the Not-So-Good Stuff - a combination of emotions described by Johnson as being sparked by anger, frustration, depression, humiliation and past experiences. These feelings could stem from life circumstances such as getting laid off from a job after 20 years, going through a messy divorce, being unsatisfied with your body because it is too fat, too short, too tall.

This not-so-good stuff, combined with our internal thought process, keeps us stuck in a rut and prevents us from growing. "Letting Go of Stuff" poses six questions at the beginning, asking for simple yes-or-no answers:

The book walks the reader through specific exercises to design a customized plan for change, with an eye toward the pitfalls that accompany such well-meaning endeavors. It's chock-full of personal stories and journal entries that illustrate the author's points such as choosing to focus on things that we can control, rather than wasting energy on those things we can't.

A big part of the process is in recognizing what we want to let go, realizing we will go through changes when we decide to let it go, creating a plan for integrating something new to replace the old thing, and then repeating the new activity over and over again. Johnson refers to this as: Unfreezing; New action; Refreezing.

The general rule of thumb is that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. That's why consistency is so critical. Our systems are used to a certain way of doing things, and we often upset our internal apple carts when we try to make wholesale changes all at once. In fact, this is one surefire way to sabotage ourselves. And then the cycle of backsliding starts.

There are theories that say our environment reflects what is happening to us internally. So, if you find yourself holding onto more and more material stuff, it may be reflecting the need to let go of more and more internal stuff. Food for thought.

Linda Arnold, MBA, is a certified wellness instructor and founder and chairwoman of The Arnold Agency, an integrated marketing communications firm in Charleston. Reader comments or questions may be mailed to Linda Arnold, The Arnold Agency, 117 Summers St., Charleston, WV 25301, or e-mail livinglifefu...@arnoldagency.com.