Utter Confusion

The other day I happened to glimpse up and see this news flash on TV: Taking an aspirin a day may not be good for your health.  

Ok, really???  It seems like it was not so long ago all the doctors were telling people to take a baby aspirin every day to prevent heart attack and stroke. Now they are saying only if you have a family history and if you do take an aspirin a day you can develop bleeding in your stomach.  

These are just a few other things I am confused about:

1.  Carbs or no carbs
2.  Yolk or no yolk
3.  Real butter or margarine
4.  6 meals a day or 3 meals a day
5.  Hormone replacement or no hormone replacement
6.  Running or no running 
7.  Real sugar, stevia, honey or nothing 
8.  Organic or not
9.  Dairy or no dairy
10.Red wine or white wine  - cause it is going to be one or the other. 

So, what am I going to do? Live life in moderation.  So far my parents have lived to the ripe ages of 95 and 89 and are still kicking it!  They have tried to take very little medication, have eaten when they felt like it but at least 3 times a day, have exercised on a regular but not rigid basis and have laughed and loved a lot.  

For now, that's my plan.......no matter what the news throws at me.  

Do You Need A Life Coach?

Webster defines a life coach as an advisor who helps people make decisions, set and reach goals, or deal with problems. 

The reason I decided to become a Life Coach is I saw so many people trapped in their lives, feeling like they had no where to go, no choices, no dreams and no goals. 

A Life Coach is designed to ask the right questions to help you  think about your life differently, re-framing current circumstances and taking a full assessment of where your life is and where it is you want to be. 

Life Coaches are not counselors, psychiatrists, or mentors. We are good listeners that pay attention to details. We help you discover new ways of thinking and we help you get around some of those obstacles that seem to be blocking the way you want to go. 

Sometimes, we all just need a little boost to get to where we want to be....a Life Coach can be that boost.  Begin to live your purpose today! 

One Size Fits All?

I know you have seen them.  The shirts, the underwear, and the gloves that state......one size fits all.  This statement is so ludicrous to me.  When I look around the world, I see a lot of shapes, sizes, heights and looks and I cannot imagine the same underwear fitting my bottom as they do other bottoms!  Now, let's just say for a moment that technically they fit.  That is a totally different story about whether I should be wearing them or not!  

Sadly, many of us have bought into the same mentality about a lot of things.  We think others should act like us, think like us, like the same foods, have the same desires, the same interests, and the same attitudes.  I see this all too often in my organizing and life coach business.  Someone says, "but so and so got herself so organized, what is wrong with me?" or " so and so moved on so quickly, why can't I?"  I ran into this the other day when someone looked at me and said "you don't like pancakes?  Who doesn't like pancakes?"  Believe me, I love a lot of foods I shouldn't, but pancakes are not on the list. 

We all have different life experiences, different backgrounds, different lenses from which we look at things, different tastes, different approaches, different personalities,  different values and of course, let's not forget, different shapes.  Life is not a one size fits all and we are not either!  Let's don't forget to look at our life like we do our shape when picking out clothes.  One size does not really fit all and even if it did, it doesn't mean we should put it on.  

Freedom is found in being the best version of you......not the you trying to fit into someone else's life.....it is just not attractive or true when we are trying to be someone or something we are not!

One size does not fit all and God bless those that think it does......not a good look :)

Finding Clarity in the Clutter

Clarity in Clutter???? How can anyone see or feel anything but overwhelm and a mess when they look at clutter??

Going through the de-clutter process can be very freeing.  It is like a physical weight has been lifted off your body.  While you go through your clutter, piece by piece, bit by bit, you become very clear about what you want to surround yourself with and what you value in your life.  

Clutter clearing is an extremely psychological process and not only will the clutter clear physically but you will see clutter falling away emotionally.  It is amazing the avenues that clutter clogs and the avenues that are opened up, in your physical space and in your mind, when that clutter is no longer around.  

You don't have to be clear about everything right now but the more action you take to clear the clutter from your space and mind, the more clarity you will have.  

The Noticer Returns by Andy Andrews

I am reading a book called The Noticer Returns by Andy Andrews.  This book is all about perspective and how a person thinks.  How do you perceive and think about what is going on in your life?  

I have had the conversation about perspective with a number of people lately.  Perspective and the way you think have more impact on your life than most people ever realize.  In The Noticer Returns, it says "the way a person thinks is the key to everything that follows, good or bad, success or failure.  A person's thinking - the way he thinks - is the foundational structure upon which a life is built.  Thinking guides decisions..  Thinking - how a person thinks - determines every choice."  The author goes on to say "a person's thinking is what he is."  

Proverbs 23:7 says it like this: For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Your thinking can have such a huge impact on your life. One of the examples, given in the book, is about a man who was in financial ruin and his credit was shot. The main character asks the man, in financial ruin, if an extraordinary life would be to live debt free and of course the man answered YES. The main character (the noticer) explains that the man's circumstances have made it so that he can't get a loan, because of his credit score, therefore allowing him to live without debt. So, he turned what appeared logically to most as a bad situation into a lesson on perspective.

I love this book because it reminds me to notice things in my life that others may overlook and try and look at things in a new way.......a little perspective in life can make life even sweeter!

Seasons.....A Time For Everything

Yesterday, while talking with my sister-in-law, I was reminded of this verse.  What a great verse to remind us all that there are seasons of life and that we cannot stay in one season of life forever.

We all grow older and can't stay young forever. 
We all have very hard seasons of life that we go through and we weep and mourn, then it is time to laugh and dance. 
We all have times we can give more than receive and times when we must receive more than we can give.
We all have times where we must be quiet and other times we know we should speak out 
We all have times we should plant and other times we have to uproot.
We all have times we have to keep things and people and other times we have to let people and things go.  

Seasons are a part of life........you can either fight them or go with the ebb and flow.  My contention is that it is much easier to ride the waves than it is to fight the current.  

How do you feel about the seasons of your life? 

Do I Really Want This?

I was sitting here talking with my little sister and nephew about what in the world I was going to write my blog about tonight.  We started talking about "stuff" since we did a thorough clean out of her garage today.   While we were talking I told her about my concept of purchasing......if you buy it you are responsible for it. 

If you buy something you have to consume it, dust it, give it away, store it, or use it.  When you are buying any item, you need to ask yourself, do I really want to be responsible for this thing?   
Being deliberate about your purchases is one of the main steps in the de-clutter process. 

So, as you go through the next several weeks and months, pay attention to what you are buying.....do you really want to be responsible for the thing you are buying?  

Magic Bullet

                                 (photo courtesy of vectorolie/freedigitalphotos.net)

Several conversations, over the last couple of weeks and months, have prompted this post.  People, as a whole, are looking for a magic bullet.  We are all looking for the easiest way to get in shape, lose weight, get organized, feel more peaceful, get through rough times, have the perfect, romantic filled marriage/relationship, raise the perfect, well-adjusted child, the best work environment and a fabulous spiritual journey.

I, being the killjoy that others have claimed me to be, am here to tell you a secret.......there is no magic bullet. I do believe  there are great strategies, out of the box ideas and systems that will help you be successful in all of the above and one should seek out information and knowledge, but you have to be the one to actually implement the ideas, systems and strategies.  The bottom line is 99% of the time it takes hard work, tenacity, and the get-up and go to press in and press on

There is no magic bullet, but you can do what you need to do to have a better day, a better marriage/relationship, a healthier weight, a healthier lifestyle, a more organized home/office, a more well behaved child, a great spiritual life and a better work life.  You would be surprised just how much of your success is up to you.  You just have to do what you already know how to do.  Do what you know.....that is the magic bullet!

P.S. I really am not a killjoy....really I'm not :)

Organizing Crap

Ok.  I know.  Not sure I should have used that title but I just couldn't come up with a more appropriate word.  Not sure what that says about my vocabulary but there it is.  

As a professional organizer I spend a lot of time talking to people about their clutter.  We go through all the reasons they want to hang on to it, all the excuses, the rationalizations, and the justifications.  In the end, I get to the question of do you love it, value it or need it....really?  These are not always easy questions to answer honestly and I get that.  I have a few things I have refused to let go of, just because.  

As a life coach, I spend a lot of time talking to people about their emotional clutter.  We go through all the reasons they want to hang on to it, all the excuses, rationalizations, and the justifications.  In the end, I get to the questions of is it helping you, teaching you or getting you to where you want to be now and in the future.....really?  Again, these are not always easy questions to answer honestly and I get that, too.  I have a few things I have refused to let go of, just because.  

All this to say, what we don't want to do is organize crap.  When you throw a bunch of things, that you have not purposefully decided to keep, into a beautiful container, you are organizing crap, it may be beautiful on the outside but on the inside it is not.  When you throw a bunch of emotional clutter into a beautiful home or mask it with something else, you are organizing crap, pretty on the outside but dark and painful on the inside.  It is time to pay attention to what you are keeping.....physically and emotionally.  Pick up each piece, ask the tough questions and decide if it is helping you or hurting you.  In the end, you want to be left with stuff that is going to propel you forward and give you room to grow.  So, don't postpone those decisions that need to be made so that your life can be lived with purpose! 

30 Day Challenges

                                (photo courtesy of digitalart/freedigitalphotos.net)


I think I have messed myself up.....not the first time.  I have been looking at some challenges that run for 30 days (sound familiar?).  These challenges, on the face of them, seem manageable, important for my health or work goals and necessary.  These challenges seem like the answer for me......I can do any of these for 30 days.  Let's go over the list of the 30 day challenges I have hoped to complete.

1.  30 day squat challenge.....start with 55.....by day 30 you'll be doing 245. 
2   1 mile walk/run every day for 30 days.  
3.  30 day arm toning challenge.  What 54 year old women wouldn't love to trim her wing span?
4.  Ultimate Blogging Challenge....no big deal....blog for 30 days straight. 

None of these seem difficult when in isolation.  However, coupled with my schedule, real life and the other challenges, they have somehow or another dissipated into the can I even start the challenges.  For example:

1.  30 day squat challenge.........started strong.....got up to 100. Christmas came and there went that one!  I am still beating both my son's girlfriends because I started!
2.  1 mile walk/run.......rain, cold equals I don't think so
3.  30 day arm toning challenge.....nope didn't even start it, yet.
4.  Ultimate Blogging Challenge....yep....so far, so good.  5 days and counting.  

So what does all this say.  I either need to set more realistic goals or I really like writing more than I like exercising.  I think I know the answer, however, being the stubborn person I am, I am going to keep trying to start and complete these challenges.  I know I won't be sorry I did. 

Take the Next Step

The above photo is from a friend of mine, who shall remain nameless.  I received her permission to use it because it is a perfect example of a concept I want to write about today......the next step.  

Look around your house today and see how much less cluttered your home would be if you had just taken 1-5 minutes to complete the next step or steps.  The mail would be in it's place.  The dishes would be put away.  The clothes would be in the hamper instead of on the floor.  The coat would be hung in the closet instead of draped over a chair.  The trash would be in the trash can and yes, the new roll of toilet paper would be on the holder. Just being aware and taking those few extra minutes, to complete a task, can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your home.  

I know, we are all in a hurry, at times, but many times we are simply not really paying attention.  We carelessly lay something on a counter, fully expecting to get back to it very soon and then suddenly a lot of those things carelessly laying around accumulate and the job becomes overwhelming instead of feeling manageable.  It is not going to take you any more or any less time to complete the task, so why not just go ahead and take the next steps.  
In the long run it will save you time, added steps and toilet paper will be on the roll when you need it!

Comparison

It is the time of year where everyone is figuring out ways they can do better, be better, and look better.   One of the dangers, in this process, is when we begin to compare ourselves to others.  

It is never a good idea for me to compare this 54 year old body to the 20 something year old body on the workout pictures on Pinterest.  Even when I was the 20 something year old, I didn't have that body and didn't have the discipline to ever achieve that body.  It is never a good idea for me to compare my lived in home to the beautiful homes in magazines. My home is beautiful to me but I have raised two boys, 3 cats, and 1 dog in this house, along with my home being open to neighborhood friends and families.  I don't live in a magazine and never will.   It is never a good idea for me to look at all the DIY ideas and get frustrated by what I haven't done or could do.  There are some DIY projects that intrigue me, but there are some that are just not worth my time and effort.....that is just the way it is.  

For 2014, I want to be a better me, not a better version of anyone else, but be a better version of me.  Striving to achieve some of the things others have achieved is only good when it is something I should be striving to achieve.  I am on my own journey, with my own purpose, with my own body, with my own set of obstacles, gifts and talents.  I do want to do things better this year, but I will set my own achievable, manageable goals. 

Comparison is the thief of joy and I choose joy instead of comparison.  

2014 - Not Just Another Year

                                            (photo courtesy of stuartmiles/ freedigitalphoto.net)


Here it is ....2014.  Wow.  The last several years have been challenging, to say the least, and I seemed to go through them in a haze and a fog.  Towards the end of last year, I began to pay more attention to doing things more deliberately and spending more time with family and friends.  This year, I hope to do even more of that.  I don't want 2014 to be just another year. This is my dash!  This is the time between my birth and my death and I don't want the minutes to tick by without me being more purposeful, thoughtful and more mindful of other's needs.  I don't necessarily want to do more.......I just want to do what I do better and be open to where God is leading.

A new year brings new possibilities, new vigor, new outlooks and new opportunities to start over and be a better me!  So, bring on 2014........not just another year for this gal!