Khane Takani

Every year before the spring, my mom made it an event to get rid of our old stuff. “Anything that has no use anymore,”  she said. 

Every year, my sisters and I, annoyed by having to do all these things, took a long look at all of our belongings. Let go of the ones that were old. Let go of the ones that are not old, but had no use for them, and then cleaning whatever was left. 

Now that I'm older, I can clearly see that it wasn't just about my clothes. 

Nowruz means new day.

No = new 

Ruz = Day

For starting a “new day,'' I need to get rid of all the thoughts that are old, the ones that don't serve me anymore.

We don't need to wait for spring to do the clean up. In fact, we have a fun name for this process: khaneh tekani. (Khane= home, Tekani = to move or shake). 

To create the same “tekan” for our minds and souls, let's take a moment to examine our thoughts.

Are you ready for “khane Tekani”? What you’ll need for this exercise is a piece of paper, something to write with, and a good friend.

• Write down three of your limiting thoughts that have been holding you back in your life.

• Write down the possibilities in your life for the next year, if you let go of these thoughts.

• Next, write some actions that you would take when you don't have these thoughts anymore.

Share your notes with your friend. Hold each other accountable for the “new day” 

Share this with the people who you would like to do the “khane tekani” with.