Is Your Home Begging You To Ask For Help?
I've seen that look before.
On Sunday evening, Raymond and I took a stroll to "look at the country". We drove up and down country roads with a few pitstops at friend's homes along the way.
During one of our stops, I mentioned to our friend about her book collection. Knowing what I do, she was immediately embarrassed, however the intent upon the question was to see what genres she was interested in.
"This whole shelf must go!" she proclaimed with excitement. "I just don't know where to take it and hauling them downstairs is a chore."
I understand completely. The decision isn't the only required step in letting go. The stuff must also walk out of the door.
Then we went into her closet where piles lived on the floor ready to leave. "I'm going through and getting rid of all this!" she said as she felt better about her excess stockpile, but still unsure as to when they would be donated and to where.
We waved as we walked down the driveway ready to take on more country roads. I looked back to see the expression of overwhelm on my friend's face. I can spot that expression a mile away as I've worked with that emotion for the past nine years.
Organizing is a task that feels so simple.
Much like losing weight, we generally know what we need to do (eat better and workout) to accomplish our goal, yet there is a disconnect between the general knowledge and the actual doing.
We feel defeated by our things and we feel guilty that we just can't get it together. "If I just had a week off, then I could tackle it!" we yell at our spouse after he asks when we plan to finish the garage because he is tired of parking in the driveway.
We buy more organizing books and listen to more podcasts on HOW to organize, in an effort to not ditch the project because it is so overwhelming.
Where do I start?
What should I do with the stuff I don't want?
Where will I find the time?
Our mind tells us we should be able to do this ourselves, but our homes are secretly begging us to ask for help.
The value in working with a coach is you gain perspective over your things(hello old stories that you keep telling yourself about why you need to hold on to this) which will save time and money in the long run. You won't have to spend time undoing, or doing over, whatever your halfway first attempt was at creating a flow and a feeling in your home.
It is the fastest and best thing you can do to make a massive change in the shortest amount of time.
Instead of treating the problem at the surface level of clutter, we deal with what lies beneath.
As we clear away the inner and outer obstacles, we will determine the meaning of the mess by reviewing choices made and unconscious habits. We will uncover the roots of the disorganization while respecting ourselves for how we got here.
You can't change the situation from the same level of thinking that created it, which is why you work with someone who sees things from a different level than you do, in a different way than you do, to help you create those transformations and shifts. It can happen quickly but it has to be reinforced in the lifestyle.
A lifetime of thinking one way won't change and cement overnight - it is a practice and one that you can achieve.
No one is going to grant you permission to change your life - you must grant it to yourself.