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Wednesday’s Word…Giving

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“The purpose of life is to discover your gift.  The meaning of life is to give your gift away.” -David Viscott

How often are you asked to Give? Of your time, your expertise, advice, wisdom or money? When I left my corporate career and started my work as an organizer I discovered the gift of giving to others through the services that I offered. With each project I work on I am rewarded abundantly by seeing the joy that is created by sharing my gifts!

On Giving…

My grandparents greatly influenced me in their gifts of service and taught me the value of giving back to others. I give back to my community with regularity and frequency and have established what I think will be a lifelong dedication to giving back to my community. Yesterday here in the Lowcountry there was a huge “campaign” that many local non-profit organizations participated in to ask their supporters to give generously and have their funds matched.

Charleston Garden GateSeveral weeks ago I decided, in the spirit of Lowcountry Giving day, to select one non-profit organization to give a gift of my services to. After speaking with individuals at several worthy non-profit’s I selected the one that I felt was not only appreciative but also really needed my services and was willing to work with me over the coming months to implement some (hopefully) positive changes!

I’m thrilled to share that the organization I have selected to work with is The Charleston Preservation Society!

The Preservation Society of Charleston is dedicated to recognizing, protecting and advocating for the Lowcountry’s historic places. I am excited to begin work with them this month and over the next several. It will be an opportunity for me to share my gift and to learn about the gift that they give back to our community.

I’d love to hear about how you give back to your community. Do you share your gifts and passions with groups and individuals that you feel personally connected with?

Wednesday’s Word::Authentic

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the word authentic lately. It seems to have become a trendy business marketing term which makes me want to shun the use in that context. On the one hand I love the idea that we might be entering a period in business and society that accepts more diversity and wants people to truly be uniquely themselves…on the other hand I look at some of the businesses, coaches and organizations who throw this term around and I just want to roll my eyes because all I really see them doing is the same thing as the next guy/gal in their category of business. Am I being a total skeptic?

The dictionary definition of Authentic is a bit contrary!

  • worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact
  • conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features
  • made or done the same way as an original
  • not false or imitation (real or genuine)
  • true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character-My Favorite!

We have one definition that says to be authentic you are in some way imitating “the original”-but who is that in the context of your authenticity?

What does authenticity mean in terms of business, in terms of spiritual practice, in terms of self?

Can we use authenticity to check in with ourselves and not as a basis for comparing ourselves to “others” in our personal, spiritual or business practices?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this as I’ve been facilitating a weekly gathering with artists reading Walking in This World by Julia Cameron. So many triggers have been discussed, jealousy, comparison, guilt, fears etc…None of them directly (so far) identify with or dive into the topic of authenticity but it’s been a buzz word flying around my head that I’ve been swatting away at until I read my friend Carrie’s latest post on this topic (here).

“Some people’s version of “authentic” may not seem very nice and may miss the boat when it comes to being self aware and open to change. And even if people do honestly feel they are being their 100% authentic self—you still may not line up with it.” -Carrie Jolie Dale

Carrie brings up the issue of being “triggered” by other peoples version of authenticity and that made me realize I am kind of missing the whole point of being authentic! Being authentic means you can accept when others ideas, visions, words and ideals don’t align with your own. You get triggered when something they say brings up a little resistance in you, perhaps a subject or topic that you need to do some personal deep investigation of.  I have long been guilty of identifying myself in comparison to others. For some years now I have worked to undo this tangled web. I find this spider a mighty quick weaver, often before I realize it she has re-spun the web and I am caught up  once again!

waterlily garden

We do not become authentic by imitating others. We do not become authentic by imitating others best qualities! None of us can authentically imitate anyone else. When we can reflect who we know our best selves to be, then we become the authentic version of ourselves. (Click to Tweet!)

Maybe it’s just a word I am hung up on (are you?) and that’s okay because it’s really made me examine my reaction to how it’s used. Our awareness of exactly what triggers our reactions is the real gift. Someone else’s authentic isn’t your authentic! (Click to Tweet) Worry about your own authenticity but please, don’t go throwing this word around lightly! One of the fundamental principals of my organizing business is to help people find successful results on their own terms, not by trying to recreate what “organized” looks like for someone else. In every aspect of our lives we can look for authenticity and try to better understand what we can do to break the comparison/imitation habits that are instilled in many of us from an early age.

Short Organizing “Resource” books

by Filed Under: Books, Inspiration & Education, Organize, Systems & Techniques, Tips & Resources, Uncategorized, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

Recently there have been a lot of new organizing books published

Many people liked The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up (which I reviewed here) but there are some other wonderful new small Organizing Books and here are two, both excellent and quite different in their layout and approach of the same subject matter: Clutter Clearing!

Never Too Busy to Cure Clutter (More than 365 Tips to Maker Room for What’s Truly Important) by Erin Rooney Doland

Clutter Book1

I kind of feel that if I were to write a book on organizing it would be similar to this in many ways. Erin’s tone here is not one of preaching or stating that in order to successfully banish clutter you must do things in A—>B—>C order. Erin explains for some people priorities may be different, with a different emphasis on areas of the, some being more or less critical depending on your lifestyle. I love that this book is broken down by area of the home, identifying the ‘everyone’s use’ spaces and those that are more ‘private’. This brings me back to my days of doing hospitality work and maybe it would be helpful for you to also think of your home in terms of ‘Public’ and ‘Private’ spaces. Public or everyone spaces such as Entry, Living Room, Dining Room Kitchen and Bath are addressed first and more private areas in the second section. Each section (chapter) is broken down into tasks you can do in 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes or 15 minutes. In this manner she successfully makes it clear that living clutter free means always maintaining your home by doing small tasks with regularity. She reminds us that tasks will take each of us a different amount of time so to be aware of what task you choose and record it right in the book if it takes you more or less time. What I think works well about this book is that by repeating the same format of steps throughout the house but with tasks specific to those areas of the home she illustrates that there is a certain mindset behind living clutter free and she helps you to begin to identify what steps you need to take in each room on a regular basis to make lasting changes in your habits. In breakout sections through out the book she gives hints and tips on resources and tools (techniques, storage, apps, programs). Finally she concludes with some great examples of sample habits and routines including tasks and estimated time that can help us identify what we need to do on a regular basis. Maybe it helps to think of routines as rituals…like our morning ritual, house cleaning ritual, travel rituals etc. I’ve read quite a few small organizing “resource” books and find this one to be jam packed full of excellent practical advice and useful information.

Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness (One-Minute Tips for Decluttering and Refreshing Your Home and Your Life) by Donna Smallin

Clutter Book2

This book is almost what I would call a “Pocket Guide” to clutter clearing. Open it to the front and you won’t find a chapter index…she dives right into small tips and motivational words to get you clutter busting any time you are in the mood. The book has a warm and cheery energy with orange and gold hues throughout …(I love a books that have creative layout’s that are different!) The whole book is loosely organized by certain areas of the home but open to any given page and on each page you will find a motivational tip, quote or thought provoking mindset topic. In a very lighthearted way she probes into the “why” behind our clutter habits. Along with mantra’s and time savers like “Don’t Just Put it Down, Put it Away” there are a variety of organizing tasks to do within one minute (aprox). By the end she is really helping you to develop new healthy habits that will keep the clutter clear for good. In summary she ends by sharing that clutter comes from our bad habits, setting things down where they don’t belong, not having permanent homes for certain items, not making decisions that will keep us clear of clutter. It really comes down to two things…Commitment to Change and repeatedly following through by acting on these clutter clearing tasks. This is a great book for anyone who struggles with small day to day clutter tasks and keeping in the mindset of changing bad habits.

What Clutter Clearing books have you read or found helpful?

Do you ‘Feel’ Organized?

by Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Organize, Tips & Resources, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

The other evening I was at a community event and someone came up to me and we began chatting. The conversation started discussing a common interest then turned and she was asked what I do. I said I’m a Professional Organizer and Artist and she asked…

“What do you organize? Do you work with people who are already organized or people who are not so organized“?

I loved the way she asked this and my answer surprised me because it was so simple and applies to all my clients.

I help people who have been more organized at another time in their life and want to feel organized again. This perfectly sum’s up almost all of my clients (and will become my new 10 second ‘elevator pitch’)! Some of them were organized before the got married, started a job, a family, moved, downsized into a smaller place, got divorced etc. What each of them have in common is that they KNOW what it feels like to be more organized but at this point in their life they just can’t keep up with the process, strategies they have tried or may not have the time or physical energy to do it themselves. I don’t just serve my clients in their state of dis-order or how they have felt in the past. I serve my clients by looking at who they are becoming!

State of Organization

NO shame in that right? I am really interested in airing out the shame side of this process…and am so tired of people making others who work with an organizer feel ashamed. It’s not fair or right and the people who are making you feel ashamed? I bet they might just be a little bit jealous:)

Feeling organized is relative from person to person but it’s a feeling we can each measure internally. Do we feel better or worse about our “State of Organization” now then we did at another point in our life? Using our own life as a gauge rather than others is the best way to determine if we feel good about where we are. Once we know how we feel we can choose to take action and change it, either on our own or with a little help.

Embracing Harmonious Beginnings

by Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Wellness & Mindset Leave a Comment

This will be my 6th year choosing a word as a beacon for the year. The word I choose will shine a light on where I’m headed, supporting my intentions, goals, desires and giving me a sense of purpose without feeling the pressure of success or failure (such as in the practice of resolutions). Over the past 5 years I’ve selected Clarity (2011), Soar (2012), Radiant (2013), Play (2014) and Choice (2015).

Since I’ve been practicing this for awhile I find that a little stillness and guidance is really all I need to let my word discover me. I begin with a list, start thinking about how I want to feel and become anchored in those feelings. Those feelings are usually tethered to a word that somehow sum’s it all up. This has become a bit of a ritual and practice. It gives me an reason to take some time out, reflect upon the year and how the word I choose has guided and taught me. I always discover a deeper richer understanding of the word I select at the end of the year than what I may have anticipated at the beginning of the journey. This year  these are the the words that began floating around in my head as I plant the seeds for my 2016 intentions. Together they led me to discover the word Harmony for 2016.

Embracing Harmonious Beginnings

harmony: a pleasing combination or arrangement of different things

  • pleasing or congruent arrangement of parts
  • internal calm :tranquility
  • an interweaving of different accounts into a single narrative

The word goes so much deeper for me than the simple definition above. Being in harmony begins with observing yourself in relationship to the world around you and then radiates out to others. Finding a harmonious relationship (connections) requires insight, stability, balance, surrender (to the flow) and nurturing. To be in harmony is to be a part of the great collaboration of the universe. One melody may be sweet but many notes together create a harmony that can not be created by oneself. Sometimes being in harmony means being grounded, other times it means being in flow, sometimes there is harmony in collaboration and yet others may find harmony through alignment and or stillness. It is this combination and knowing awareness of what is needed to create a harmony that I seek to better facilitate and deeply understand for myself over the coming year.

Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.

–Mohandas Gandhi

Are you planning to choose a Word of the Year (or One Little Word)?  If so below some of my favorite helpful tools. I’ve used a combination of these over the years!

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