What’s Your Clutter and Organizing Style?

Take the quiz and find out more about your Clutter and Organizing Style!

Are you a Minimalist, a Collector, a Sentimentalist or an Organized Chaos Enthusiast?

Knowing more about yourself can be the key to making progress in your home and also in your life. We all have our unique personalities and our own ways of being in the world. There are really no right or wrong answers.

All of these styles have their own set of unique strengths and skills that will help you as you navigate on this journey called life. You are not alone! Many of us have the same styles.

Here are the styles including a few of the traits.

Minimalist

As a Minimalist you prefer to keep your living space clutter-free.

Minimalism is a lifestyle that focuses on simplifying your life, living intentionally with fewer possessions and focusing only on the things you need.

You believe in the philosophy of ‘less is more’ and value simplicity and organization. It means making conscious choices about what you buy and how you live your life. 

Collector

As a Collector you enjoy surrounding yourself with various items that hold sentimental or aesthetic value. 

Your living space reflects your diverse interests and passions. 

You are able to make decisions about donating items from your home that you no longer need.

Sentimentalist

As a Sentimentalist you are strongly influenced by your emotions and lead with your heart, and your living space is filled with cherished memories and mementos.

This can be a wonderful quality to have because it allows you to cherish your experiences and the people you love. However, it can also make it difficult for you to let go of things that are no longer serving you.

Organized Chaos Enthusiast

As an Organized Chaos Enthusiast you thrive in an environment where things may appear messy, but have their own unique order. You enjoy the thrill of finding order in chaos and you have the ability to find patterns and create systems that work for you.

Feeling chaotic yet organized allows you to be creative. You are in your happy place when you are creating even if its messy.

To find out even more about your own personal style take the quiz

All of these styles have their own unique strengths and skills which you will learn about after taking the quiz. Focussing on your strengths can only enhance your life, helping you to move forward with confidence and decluttering both your home and your life.

Need more help? This is a great time to give yourself the gift of Organization. Here is the link to my services. Contact me here for a 30 minute Coffee Chat to make sure we are a good fit or send me an email at kimtremblay@sympatico.ca I would love to get to know you!

Happy Decluttering!

Posted in Clutter, Collector, goal setting, Inspiration, Minimalism, organize, Organizing, organizing over the holidays, sentimental items | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Clearing Clutter and the Art of Feng Shui

I am not an expert in this area but I have read a number of books on this subject. One of the first books I read and has been one of my favourites ever since is Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. I used this book as my bible for quite awhile and fashioned the first talk I did on Decluttering Your Life with this book. Here are a few of the tips I talk about with my peeps.

1. Placement of Furniture

When it comes to your home the placement of furniture can be important.  You want the spaces in your home to have a good flow which allows for good energy.  You need space to move around, sit and have a chat with someone, or maybe do some reading with a good lamp. Think about the activities that you want to do in each of your rooms.  

2. Bedroom

You want your bed to be facing out from your room meaning that the headboard needs to be at a back wall facing the door. (if possible)

You don’t want to have things in your bedroom that do not relate to sleeping, rest, relaxation, intimacy….. you don’t want computers, other electronics, exercise bikes, or anything that is crowding out your space. It is best if it is a peaceful and calm space.

If you want to be in a couple relationship having two end tables and two lamps can be a good way to bring some love into your life and your space.

I have never been a fan of storing things under the bed but sometimes we have small spaces and this can be a good solution –  in Feng shui they would likely say no. However, if you need to do this because of space constraints I would suggest a zippered container or a tote with a lid that closes properly.

3. Big Furniture

Do you have big furniture in your home  – like an old sideboard, entertainment unit or a piano that has been sitting there forever? They can be hard to get rid of.  After awhile we just see through them and they become invisible and just a part of the space. Maybe they are buried under the stuff.  There is always a way to let go of these items though.  Keeping them just clogs up your home and your energy. 

4. Mirrors

You want your mirror facing inward to reflect good energy coming in and not flowing out. Mirrors can multiply things too so you want to be careful of where you are placing them.  They can make your space feel bigger if they are placed well.

5. Entranceways

This is a good area to put your attention to as entranceways are considered to be the mouth of your home and of course that is where the first impression comes from with others but also with yourself when you come home. 

6. Unfinished Projects

Also not good Feng Shui whether its unfinished renovations, things that need to be fixed, unfinished crafts, etc.  The problem is that we know they are there even though we might not be consciously thinking about them.  Make a plan to finish them or donate them to someone who will.

7. Dead Plants

If you have dead plants throw them out.  Also fake flowers or big plants can be okay but once they become really dusty or looking shabby its time to give them a shower in the tub or for them to go.

8. Other People’s Clutter

This could be other people who you live with which can be challenging. It could be that your adult children have left behind their belongings and do not take them because they don’t have the space or maybe they have other reasons. Maybe you were kind enough to allow someone to store some things in your garage and they are still there. This is your home and you get to make decisions about what you have in your space. There are things you can do to help move these situations.

I have a free ebook that might be helpful called How to Help Others to Declutter

There is so really much more we could talk about when it comes to Feng shui and so much to learn. I am fascinated by this topic. What about you?

Let me know if you would like to hear more about this subject or if you have any further questions?

Posted in Clutter, De-Clutter Your Life, feng shui, Inspiration, organize, Organizing, sacred home, space clearing | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Fresh Green Energy in Your Space

Guest post by Mel Warrener

Something different today! This is a guest post from a friend of mine who is thinking about starting up her own blog. Plants can be a great addition to your space and are good Feng Shui. Plants make me so happy. I need to go plant shopping. Enjoy!

When I first read plants grow “Fresh Air” and remove indoor air pollutants I was hooked.

Since then, in every new house or renovated room before moving in I am planning/thinking of which plant and how many plants will work in my new space.

Plants energise a space and I feel plants bring a sense of life and soul indoors. Plants add colour, texture and are a cheap way to decorate a new space too.

To help you select a plant & style your new indoor space you will find a few tips below to hopefully inspire you to “Grow fresh Air” indoors.

Plant Gangs

Knowing a type of Plant Gang to suit a space inside is important. Grouping plants to their needs can assist in providing the right care for each plant. I have listed a few gangs that will help in choosing the right plant with the scientific name first then the common name.

Easy Care Plants – Low water requirements

  1. Sansevieria trifaciata – Mother in Laws tongue, Snake Plant
  2. Peperomia obtusifolia – Baby rubber plant
  3. Ficus elastica – Rubber Plant.
  4. Zamioculcus zamiifolia – ZZ Plant
  5. Dracaena marginata – Dragon Tree

Darker Room – Plants that can cope with lower light.

  1. Spathiphyllum wallisii – Peace Lily
  2. Aspidistra eliator – Cast Iron Plant
  3. Asplenium ridus – Birds Nest Fern
  4. Philodendron scandens – Heart Leaf Philodendron
  5. Fatsia japonica – Japanese aralia

Best plants to grow Fresh Air

  1. Sansevieria trifaciata – Mother in Laws tongue, Snake Plant – works hard at nighttoo. I like this one in my bedroom.
  2. Epipremnum aureum – Pothos, Devils Ivy – great at increasing air quality.
  3. Ficus elastica – Rubber Plant – Emits high oxygen content.
  4. Hedera helix – English Ivy – a good one at removing airborne mould.
  5. Spathiphyllum wallisii – Peace Lily – the bigger the leaf the better – produces abeautiful white flower.

When buying a plant look for the healthiest plants that are not showing any distress. Avoid plants with yellowing or dead leaves or bare and tired looking stems. Look for plants with new growth, new buds and not pot bound. Spend time choosing your investment.

Styling with Plants

Odd numbers work – I like to use the ‘Rule of Three’ though using five, seven, nine or more works.

By placing an odd number of plants on a shelf or in a corner of a room on the floor is very pleasing on the eye.

Pots: You cannot go wrong with the green leaf of a plant matched with neutrals colours like white, black or my favourite a concrete grey pot. I also love going for the softer pastel’s colours like pale pink & apricot. Two toned earthy pot colours like cream, emerald greens, terracotta also look great inside. Try not to match with too many different colours as they might clash. Placing decorative pebbles or stones on top of soil will give your plant that extra wow factor and assist in keeping the soil from drying out too frequently.

When selecting heights of a plant gang vision a triangle. With the tallest plant out the back then middle-sized plant to the left and then you could place a trailing or smaller to the right.

Plant Care

  1. First to pot up a plant I use a mix of good quality of potting mix, peat moss and perlite.
  2. Adding horticultural charcoal will assist in drainage should your plant or location need it.
  3. Fertilize your plant regularly as per instructions to what product you use, I like to use an indoor liquid fertilizer. Slow-release pellets are a good alternative with most needing to be reapplied every 3- 6months.
  4. Watering: Feel the top of soil before you water and if it is wet don’t water and if its dry water your plant. Get to know your plant water needs. This will depend on the location and how dry your indoor space is or how high the humidity is. If you can pick up your plant, place it in the shower and give it a good water from above this will remove any dust and clean the leaves. Make sure the plant has drained well before placing it back to where it lives.
  5. Bugs: Use a horticulture oil as per instructions to keep them at bay plus this will keep the leaves nice and shiny as well.

Please share or leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Posted in Comfort, Inspiration, organize, Organizing, Re-organize, sacred home, self care | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

How to get more clarity around what you want?

What do you want for your life and your home? Those can be big questions with no easy answers. It can take some time to come up with the answers that feel right for you. It is definitely a process which can also change over time.

The more we focus on ourselves, honour ourselves and take time for self care, the more we will know what we want. The answers are already there if we are open to listening. 

Here are some ideas that can help:

Spending time alone! Doing activities that are quiet and help you to look within. Having a daily practice of yoga, walking or any kind of physical activity that gets your body moving. Taking time to think (without your phone) Noticing what comes up for you while having a shower or on your drive into work.

Journaling! Getting your thoughts down on paper helps with getting them out of your head. It allows your inner self to have a voice. It can help with feeling more aligned with your thoughts and emotions. Write down your intentions and goals, look at them often and see what fits and what doesn’t. 

Visualization! Listening to visualization exercises which take you through a personal journey imagining different scenarios and being aware of what comes up. It can take some practice and is really helpful when it comes to setting your intentions and goals and developing insights. 

Meditation! is a great way to tap into your inner wisdom. It is amazing how much meditation can help with feeling calm at other times in the day as well. It can also help you to relax before falling asleep. You can focus on just breathing and see what comes up, just witnessing, not judging. Pay attention to the thoughts that come up. You could even do a walking meditation focussing on a question or a situation you are feeling challenged about. 

Declutter Your Life and Mind! You didn’t think I would leave that out, did you? Whenever, you are trying to get clear, its a good idea to work on sorting, organizing and decluttering any or all areas of your life and mind (physical and emotional clutter). This clutter can really get in the way of our attempts to move forward in our lives and to be able to manifest what we truly want. 

These are just some of the ways that we grow and learn to trust ourselves, our intuition and to have more clarity about what we want for ourselves in our homes and in our lives. 

I also did a short YouTube Video on these ideas. 

Would you like some help and accountability with your intentions and goals? Lets chat! You can schedule a call with me here!

Until next time – Happy Decluttering!

Stay Connected

Posted in Organizing, self care, Spirituality, visioning | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Hello Fall – A Time for Balance and Harmony

There is a feeling of change in the air which means that Fall must be just around the corner.  This is a great time to look at how well we are caring for ourselves and to look at the balance and harmony in our lives.  If I do not have good balance in my life I feel cranky and there is no harmony.  It feels like something is missing or that something just isn’t quite right.

Our strengths rely on this balance.  Balance and harmony create a stability for us.  We wouldn’t want to be decluttering our homes all of the time. Ideally we need to have breaks and take the time to process emotions. Anything we are doing in excess is never a good thing.

Thinking about any areas that are out of balance, and working on them one step at a time, things will start to feel better. This will help with a feeling of harmony as well. It is a process.

An interesting quote:

“Getting in balance is not so much about adopting new strategies to change your behaviours, as it is about realigning yourself in all of your thoughts so as to create a balance between what you desire and how you conduct your life on a daily basis.” Wayne Dyer

We need Balance.  We need to look at all of the areas of our lives and think about what might be out of balance.  This helps us to figure out what we want to work on in our life. We will have more balance and harmony, be more productive, creative, helpful to others and able to declutter our own homes.

These are the areas that are basic to our lives.  Think of these as foundational practices for taking care of you.

  1. Spiritual Practice/Self Care
  2. Home/Relationships
  3. Body/Physical Health
  4. Emotions/Mental Health
  5. Money/Work/Volunteer
  6. Nature/Earth/Leisure
  7. ……………………………..

Check out this cube and perhaps draw one for yourself or if you have a small box that will work too.

What are the foundations for your life, your relationships, your home, your health and your work?

What kind of supports would help you in your life?  Do you need/want more honest friendships, a satisfying job, better health, etc…………..

What can I focus on in my life right now to create more stability in my life?  What areas are out of balance?

Would you like some help with working on any of these areas? Shoot me an email or you can book a call with me here. Questions ??? Send me an email at kimtremblay@sympatico.ca

Happy Decluttering!

Posted in Organizing | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

How to Help People Declutter Who Have Symptoms of Trauma

As most of you know, I worked in mental health for many years working with vulnerable people (mostly women) but I also worked with men in the early years.  When I think of the individuals I worked with, most of the women who came through the doors at My Sisters’ Place have had some kind of trauma in their life.  We worked with a Relational Model and within a Trauma and Violence Informed Approach with the women there.  

What this actually means is that we worked “with” the women and we took the lead from them. Who knows best about what they need than the person using the service.  We made sure that we had opportunities for the women to have a say, to tell us what they wanted and what they needed, to help them feel that this was their life and to empower them to see their own personal strengths.  

It is likely that most individuals who struggle with Clutter/Chronic Disorganization also have had a history of trauma and/or violence in their past.  

Vulnerability factors that can put people at more risk

  • Family history of hoarding (mother, father, grandmother, etc.) They likely have suffered from their own history of trauma
  • History of mental illness in the family (depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, bi-polar, etc.)
  • Parental values and behaviour (ie: values about waste, obsessively neat, compulsive acquiring/saving, hand me downs, control over decisions (perfectionism), sentimentality. 
  • Physical obstacles (time, space, health, others living in the home) 
  • Traumatic events (loss of loved one, assaults and violence, moving, deprivation, divorce, birth of a child) 
  • Other……..Loss of belongings, eviction, hospitalization, loss of contact with family members

“After a traumatic event a person can either try to cope using negative methods or learn to cope successfully and enhance their ability to cope in the future”

It can really depend on a person’s resiliency factors, supportive friends and family, community supports, personal resources like basic needs met, safe housing, etc.

Some of the symptoms that may show up are: 

  • difficulty thinking clearly – can be all over the place, not focused
  • feelings of overwhelm, anxiety and depression
  • physical and emotional clutter starts building up 
  • lots of internal/intrusive thoughts and constant ruminating
  • emotional flooding – big feelings come out of nowhere
  • no feelings at all and just being shut down (emotionally numb)
  • avoidance tendencies and wanting to isolate 
  • triggers come up as they work on their stuff
  • thoughts of self harm (please consult a registered therapist or mental health worker if needed)

Some people will create a little nest around themselves as this can feel like their safe space.  No one can hurt them here and it can feel like a way of keeping people (or relationships) out.  Compulsive shopping, acquiring and difficulty discarding can become a way of coping with those uncomfortable emotions. Other addictive behaviours like drugs, alcohol, food can be a way that people cope and can really just make symptoms worse.  Moving stuff around, looking at their belongings, can be another way that people can distract themselves from the pain they are thinking and feeling

How can we as Professional Organizers help?

  • Understanding the emotional, physical and psychological effects and responses that an individual might have is so important as you do this work 
  • Get to know your client looking for commonalities.  
  • Focus on your clients strengths and what they are doing well
  • Ask your client what they need to feel safe and calm. Help them come up with a list if needed “What can I do when I feel overwhelmed, when it’s all too much, etc. _______________ walking, dancing, moving my body, shake off the emotions, listen to music, grounding, writing, art work, praying, etc. 
  • Help your client to create safety and comfort in their living space
  • Grounding exercises can be helpful if your client cannot settle themselves
  • As you work with your client they may need to take breaks – shorter sessions also may be beneficial
  • Go slow, start small and focussed, then work on the next right thing 
  • Honour all feelings as you go through this process – the uncomfortable feelings go away as we work through them 
  • Doing what you say you are going to do and following through will help you to gain their trust. 
  • Advocate for your client if needed.  

As Professional Organizers we need to be compassionate, non judgemental, understanding, patient, take the clients lead, and work with the client wherever they are at offering gentle help as needed.   

Some Resources: 

What is PTSD and Options for Treatment

Trauma Informed Practice Guide

Grounding Exercises

Posted in chronic disorganization, Emotional Clutter, mental health, Organizing, support | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

How to let go of sentimental items?

I get asked this question often. How do I let go of sentimental items and why is this so hard for me? It can feel like there really is no easy answer.  We have strong attachments to our stuff whether they bring up memories of happier times or maybe even some not so happy times.

I might ask myself “what are the reasons behind keeping the items” “Why am I keeping them”

Quite awhile back I went through some old photos from my wedding album.  I am no longer with this person and our marriage ended in 2007. While that was really a happy time, I don’t need those photos around to remind me. They have nothing to do with my life now and who I am today.  I kept a few of the photos, took some of the family pics over to my parents home for everyone to look at and got rid of the rest of them. The lovely wedding album that I made went to the donation centre.   

Sometimes we just know when it is the right time to let go!

The good news though is that you never “have” to let go of anything that you don’t want to. You get to choose what to keep and what to let go of. It only becomes a problem when you have too much, its interfering with your quality of life, you are not respecting the items (because they are everywhere) or things are falling over because there is just no room to store it all.  

Letting go is a process that takes time.  We need to honour and feel our emotions.  Our items often feel like they are attached to a memory of a person or a specific time in our lives. Our memories are really inside of us. This can be hard work and sometimes we need to make difficult decisions. Remember to be kind and gentle on ourselves.

Other sentimental items that might be hard to let go of are gifts that have been given to us by well meaning friends or family, baby clothes and other things that were well used by our children when they were little, books that are like old friends and papers that may have been associated with work that you once did.  The list goes on……… I have trouble letting go of greeting cards, some art supplies, photos (which are hard to look at especially when they were of happier times), old journals and year books – oh my! I am sure there is more. Hey, it is a process that I am working on!

Some helpful ideas……

  • Take a picture of the item to remember it.  A group member from the Closed Facebook Group   talked about a car that was once gifted to her.  She said the car is now gone but she has a picture of it and she treasures the memory of the car and the person who gifted this to her. 
  • Any collectors out there? Is it a collection or is it clutter?  Sometimes having so much of one thing can look like nothing is important or precious.  Keep the best of the best and let go of the rest.  The ones you keep can represent all the others.
  • Find closure by using the item one last time like I did with my Grandma’s Tea Set.
  • Let go of the things that you are keeping out of a feeling of guilt or responsibility. You are not the keeper of things. It’s okay to let go of these items that you truly are not enjoying or do not love.

Let’s give ourselves permission to let go of the things that are truly not bringing value to our lives and really are just taking up valuable space.

Need more help? Lets talk

Posted in sentimental items | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

How a clean space can lead to a clear mind?

As I work on decluttering and downsizing my home I am noticing how having less stuff means so much more open space.  My home is looking so much bigger.  Who knew? Right? I feel like I have so much more clarity around what I want for myself and my partner.  

What are you currently spending your time on?

If you are constantly moving things around, trying to find things that you need, basically putting out fires, feeling like things are chaotic and you cannot seem to get yourself out of this spiralling rabbit hole, this blog post is for you.  Are you are always looking for the next best thing, shopping (retail therapy is a thing) and hoping that this will be the thing that makes you happy, feel better or is the solution to the mess?

Working on decluttering, organizing, sorting and downsizing will help you to have more space and clarity because you will be able to focus on what truly matters to you.  What do you really want to be doing with your time?  What are your passions?  Your future goals?  

Some examples could be to work on those hobbies or crafts that you started or have bought supplies for.  Would you like to do more writing (like me) or reading (also like me), learning something new, finishing that course you purchased or signed up for, focus on your health or cooking healthier meals? Sometimes our clutter can keep us from actualizing our goals.  It keeps us distracted and could be a subconscious excuse for not working on what we really want.  

Cleaning up our physical space means that we have more time to think and contemplate on our mental state which helps us to be more in touch with our intuition and our true selves.  

Take some time to do a little journaling exercise.

I want………

I want……..

I want……..

Write this as many times as you need to. You might be surprised by what comes up.

There are so many benefits of decluttering.  

  • I know what I have and where to find things when I need them
  • I am not spending money on buying duplicates 
  • I have less stress and anxiety 
  • less to take care of means that I have more space to relax and work on my own goals 
  • I have more time to work on the things I say or think about doing
  • I am able to get around my home without having to step over things or bump into things
  • I can work on my actual goals, like doing some art work, crafts or health goals, writing or reading, exercising – the possibilities are endless.  
  • my mind feels more clear and I know what I want
  • increased productivity, reduced stress, improved mental health, and a more enjoyable living or working space
  • and so much more!

Would you like to have more guidance as you work towards your goals? I would love to work with you. I work with you virtually over a number of weeks which are always flexible and I will help you to assess your space, come up with a plan of action, offer you guidance and support and encourage you to stay committed to the process. Just reply to this email and we can make a plan to have a coffee chat (free of course)

Posted in downsizing, Emotional Clutter, goal setting, Inspiration | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Are You Ready To Open Pandora’s Box?

Do you have boxes that haven’t been opened in you can’t remember how long?  Have you forgotten what is in them?  

You open up the box and realize that it is full of mementos from a loved one who has passed away.  Right away you feel like you just want to close up the box and shove it back under the stairs or wherever you can tuck it away so that you don’t have to think about it. 

In general, I believe we want to avoid the uncomfortable feelings that we imagine will come up. We just push them away by keeping so busy that we never have to even think about it.

Yes, this was me! My daughter passed away at age 17 due to complicated medical issues and I went back to work right away and just pushed my sadness away, locked away all of those years and precious memories and tried to just continue on with my life.  I felt numb a lot of the time and really had this cloak of protection around me. I really focused on other peoples struggles and crisis and thought I was okay. The sadness continued to pop up though often when I was with my family and friends or coworkers who talked about their beautiful children and the aspirations they had for them. I realize that it wasn’t their fault but I often felt like there was something wrong with me. I didn’t measure up in some ways and just stayed quiet most of the time just keeping this pain and sadness to myself. 

Yes, I have been able to open that box. One of the things that has helped me the most was writing a chapter in a multi authored book called Mystics Revealed Unconventional Success Stories from Extraordinary Leaders. My chapter is called “Seasons of Love, Loss and Personal Power”.   Here is the link to purchase. It’s only $1.36 on Kindle in Canada.

What is holding you back from opening that box?  What would your loved one think about your struggle?  I think there is a common feeling that we cannot let go of anything that belonged to our loved ones because in some way we would be dishonouring their memory.  What do you think they would say if they knew you were feeling like this? Maybe they would say that they would like it if other people could enjoy those things instead of them sitting stagnant in a box under the staircase. They wouldn’t want you to ever forget them and we know we never would even if we didn’t have that box of mementos in our possession.

How do we honour the memories of our loved ones who have passed away? You will know when you are ready.  We can honour our memories of our loved ones with photos, letters or other things that we can keep close to our hearts. Having support while you do this work can be so helpful. It might mean having someone by your side as you go through each item, taking your time to look at everything, recalling memories and talking to someone you trust as you uncover them. You could do some journalling, writing down some of the stories or just having a cry as you do this work. My daughter and I had letters that we wrote back and forth to each other. When I read them after many years, I was able to look back and see things in a different light. Our memories are really in our hearts and no one can take that away.

Here is some more information on how I was able to let go…..

Do you need some help letting go of items that belonged to your loved one? I thoroughly understand how hard this can be. Reach out to me and we can have a chat. Here is a link to schedule a call or just send me an email at kimtremblay@sympatico.ca and we can make a plan.

Happy Decluttering!

Posted in Emotional Clutter, families, Organizing | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Self Care Tips That Will Help with Emotional Clutter

This was a list of self care items (just points) that I had when I was working in mental health. I gave it to all of my clients and they loved it. Each point has been elaborated on and this is what I came up with. (I do not know who the author is of the original list)

My Self Care Tips

  1. If it feels wrong, don’t do it
    Sounds easy, but sometimes in that moment we might think “oh well, who cares, who am I hurting, etc….” but if we can just stop and take a breath before jumping in, we can make a more informed choice and a decision that feels right.
  2. Say exactly what you mean and what you need
    This has to do with having clear communication, and it also has to do with knowing what you want and need and being able to articulate this. This takes practice and awareness.
  3. Don’t be a people pleaser
    I definitely can relate to this. I want people to like me and I also want to belong. I have realized though that I need to be true to myself and honour my own feelings and wishes.
  4. Trust your instincts
    With practice this does become easier. Learn to trust yourself. Slowing down, noticing the moment, meditating, journaling, yoga, walking, running, exercising, thinking…..Breathing!!! Taking time away from your phone.
  5. Never speak poorly of yourself
    Notice when this happens. We all do it and we can turn that around. Keep working on it, it does get easier, really!! Be kind to yourself!
  6. Never give up on your dreams
    I don’t care how old you are, how long it has been since you worked, big or small we all have dreams or goals in our lives. Sometimes they may need to be modified, but never give up on your dreams.
  7. Don’t be afraid to say NO
    The world will not end if you say No. People will not be mad at you “forever”, in fact, they may respect you and wish that they too could say No. In fact, saying No means that you are good at creating boundaries for yourself and others will be more respectful towards you.
  8. Don’t be afraid to say YES
    Yes, even if it is scary, take a risk, try something new, have fun, usually the fear is in your own head. No one else really cares anyway right!! I think once we realize that, it can be so much easier.
  9. Let go of what you can’t control
    What can you let go of? Is there something that you have been hanging on to that no longer serves you. This can be in the form of emotional or physical clutter. Let it go and see what happens.
  10. Stay away from drama and negativity
    Some people thrive on drama and negativity. Law of attraction states that what you put your focus on multiplies in your life. Why not focus on the good stuff?
  11. Love and Gratitude (I added the gratitude part)
    We need more love in this world and the more you give, the more you get back. I believe that gratitude is the key to having more abundance in your life and the universe will give you more of what you love and really want.

Which ones do you resonate with the most? What would you add?

Posted in Organizing, self care | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments