For better or worse, we spend time in our closets everyday. The state of your closet and clothes can either positively kick-start your day or bring your mood way down. Creating and maintaining a clean, well-organized closet is a self-loving practice that can promote a daily dose of good feelings. When you are living life to its fullest as a hip, healthy & sexy woman over 40, an organized closet can serve as positive reinforcement that you are "handling your business".

If your closet is a hot mess, the first and most important step is to identify why you have kept it in this condition. Often, the condition of our closet is a reflection of other areas in our lives. There is a saying: "How you do one thing is how you do everything." Take a look around to see the other areas of your life that are waiting for you to take action.

If you are ready to take steps to organize and reduce clutter in your closet (and maybe your life), you will be instantly rewarded by feelings of lightness, clarity and inspiration. These positive feelings may just spill over into other areas of your life. The easiest way to approach this project is to follow these five steps:

Find time
This is your precious time to do something loving for yourself. Honor it by carving out a block of private time without distractions, interruptions or pressures. Turning on your favorite music and some aromatherapy will definitely help you feel relaxed and ready.

Keep an open mind
This is a time to have a tough love talk with yourself. Change can be difficult, but also wonderful! If you find that you don't want to release clothes that you logically know you should, ask yourself why. Do you have an emotional attachment to certain items? Are your "goal jeans" to hard to let go? If so, this is a good time to remind yourself of the overall goal - the benefits of a clutter-free closet to look and feel good every day.

Be honest
Stand in front of a full-length mirror and try everything on that you are considering keeping. Only keep items that truly flatter you and make you feel good. Remember, the purpose of this process is to create a closet that uplifts you everyday. These are the moments of judgment that will make or break you reaching this goal. Be honest, embrace a mindset of abundance and you will create the closet of your dreams.

Organize in Steps
Create four stacks with clothes that you will:

• Keep
• Toss (unusable)
• Alter
• Donate

When your closet is empty, place the clothes in the "keep" stack back in your closet, arranging tops and bottoms by color. As for the "toss" stack, throw it away immediately. Take the last two bags to your car; drop one off at a donation center and the other goes to the tailor for alterations.