Following is an article posted on
PositiveCentral.com
by author Lauren Archer Finkelstein.
Organizing Thought
By Lauren Archer Finkelstein
Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist
ACE Certified Personal Fitness Trainer
My friend Elizabeth Selders led a fascinating organizing workshop here at my home/office
recently. For those of you who couldn't attend, you missed a fabulous presentation!
There were a lot of "aha" moments as Elizabeth reviewed the implications
of being disorganized: wasted time, stress, depression, procrastination, conflict,
disharmony, embarrassment, living in the past, financial loss. My ears perked up
when she told us that we can eliminate 40% of housework simply by being organized!
The concept of organizing is more personal than I expected – it's not just
bins and lists and shelves and categories and files. Organizing our lives and managing
clutter is a process of identifying our habits, defining what we want, systematizing
our thoughts, and then taking action, little by little, to transform our lives.
It's about respecting and caring for our selves, our space and our possessions.
It's about appreciating and cherishing everything that we have.
It's no surprise that these are the same Universal Principles that apply to creating
anything we want in life. For example, getting fit and healthy is not just about
diet and exercise and looking good on the exterior. It's also about identifying
our habits, defining what we want, systematizing our thinking, and taking action,
little by little, to transform our lives. It's about respecting and caring for ourselves
and our bodies. It's about appreciating our lives and cherishing our abilities and
what we have to offer the world .
What an amazing time in human history we live in today. An entire category of business
is thriving just helping us to organize, store and manage our stuff. It's also amazing
that the "weight loss industry" is a multi-billion dollar industry. How do our bodies
become cluttered? It's as if we say to ourselves, "Well, I don't really need this
now, but I want it, so I'll save it for later." But instead of storing it in the
refrigerator or pantry, we store it in our bodies as excess weight and have to carry
it around with us.
Many of us are living in unprecedented abundance. Just walk into your local superstore
and look around as if you had come here from another country, or another planet.
Everywhere we look there is wall-to-wall "stuff." Our lives are filled up and spilling
over. We need so little to survive, yet we want so much. Everywhere we go, we are
being enticed and tempted ("Buy this!" "Taste this!" "Eat this!" "Save on this!").
Yet, when we finally get more, whether it's more food or more stuff, are we really
any closer to achieving what we desire? Or are we farther away? I think that what
all of us really want is to be filled up on the inside, spilling over with love
and joy and peace.
So the BIG QUESTIONS, for both organizing and weight loss, seem
to be:
- How can we enjoy and appreciate all of the good things life has to offer without
losing control or overindulging?
- How can we learn to identify when enough is enough?
- How can we make the time to identify our habits, define what we want, and systematize
our thinking?
- How can we gain a bigger perspective of our lives?
- How can we be more selective, more discerning, set better limits, and maintain
a degree of restraint, while still allowing for spontaneity and freedom?
- How can we do what we want to do, while still doing what we have to do?
It takes mental energy to ask the big questions. We may be afraid to ask because
we think that making changes is going to be hard, or even that we're not capable
of changing. We may not know what to do, so we're afraid to look at our situation
honestly. Remember that where attention goes, energy flows. When we find our "stuck"
places in life, asking the Big Questions can help us to get our energy flowing again.
Elizabeth has some great ideas and resources to help focus your attention on organizing
your life. You can contact her at info@chaostocalm.net
to inquire about a class for your group or organization, or for professional organizing
services.
As always, I welcome your thoughts and feedback.
Lauren