the choices we make

just received an email from a close friend who is in the midst of a relationship break up. incredibly hard right? but the one thing i know is that when you make conscious choices about your life then you are living your life and no one else. as my husband john knows, and my closest friends know, this past year has been all about that for me. has it been easy? no! have i always made the right decisions? no! i am in a better place because of it? YES! i have said it before and i will say it again...this is not a dress rehearsal. we must live this life now.

well what is on my agenda for living my best life today? i am peeling carrots, cutting celery, making designer andrea sugar cookies...and the reason? i am having some ladies (old friends and new friends) over this afternoon. i checked the calendar to see if there were any big football games that might impede people's schedule and thankfully today is a freebie. there is a game but it doesn't really count. so the ladies, including my sister jessica from nyc, will come over for food, drink. conversation and laughter. to ad to the fun, i invited a jewelry rep to come showcase us some different jewels. we get to play with jewelry. doesn't that sound fun?

what are you doing today? making yourself a nice cup of tea? taking a nap? reading the paper? going for a walk? you decide.

p.s. the photo is of cookies i made one easter...today's are going to have a valentine's theme!

being "green"

one of the greates things that i love about practicing being "green" is the idea of renew, reuse, recycle. i love giving something to someone who will use it and enjoy it. that is so cool. you know the expression "one person's junk is another person's treasure". well tonight i hit the jackpot!

let me set the stage. today i cleaned my apartment and began reorganizing furniture. before i knew it i had a bag of goods to donate. but this was also a dilemma. i had to teach 430 yoga class so no time to make donations today. well, i threw caution to the wind and filled up my car anyway hoping i'd figure it out when i was done at 7pm. thankfully, i remembered a donation truck down in the marina. yes, it would be closed but maybe they wouldn't mind if i left a few things. i was a little nervous as many places have posted signs that you can't leave items after hours. but much to my relief people, i saw many items already outside the donation truck. i was in. now here comes the good stuff. i unloaded my car...which i love AND i found some items to take home. i am always keeping my eye out for things that might help organize my clients. if i can find them things they can use for free...that is just the best! i scored big time...storage bins, laundry bin, arts and crafts container...really good stuff.

i think this is going to be part of my specialty...how to best "renew, reuse and recycle". whether it is passing along items from one client to the next, or finding gems in a recycling center. it is all good. pretty cool right?

end of the work day glow

i feel so good. i'm tired. my muscles are sore. i'm thinking a hot bath is in my near future. yep, i organized today. ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. end of the day satisfaction. life is good.

this is fun

i know this is just the beginning and it will be keep growing and changing. but for now, i am so happy i have chosen to be a professional organizer. today, i worked with a family (mom, dad, 3 old girl) who recently moved into a smaller apartment. the problem...they brought everything with them. this meant everything got stuffed everywhere. you know the saying...out of sight out of mind! not good. basically, but each time i opened a cabinet, i feared for what might fall on me.
the mom, me and the 3 old started out together sorting children's books and toys. it was fun at first until someone realized that we were making a piles to give some of this away.once that realisation hit , emotions started to rise. not too bad but there were definite comments being said like "this is my apartment" and "i'm mad at you". but thankfully this lovely child is a Gemini so she also had fun moments of laughing and dancing and showing off underpants. i did find it interesting that even at the age of 3 we already aware of our possessions.
from there the mom and i moved on to the kitchen/the dining room. we re-worked the cabinets and shelves. we came up with a much better use of the space and were able to put everything away that had been the dining room and kitchen tables. such a great feeling. i got great satisfaction out it.
so, a mere 5 hours later we were done. the change was amazing. when i first walked into this home i felt i couldn't breath and when were done the place felt larger. clutter is so stifling and we don't really appreciate the difference until it is gone. i'm sure this family is enjoying the feeling of it tonight.
i'm home now and i am exhausted. but a good exhausted.
the great news is, i get to do this all over again tomorrow with a new client and a new clutter.

i picked up these words today and they really resonated

the authentic feeling

the authentic feeling i had was pain and hurt

i was hurt

authentic feelings

i went home and i cried. i cried a lot.

i had to get it under control

sometimes the feelings overwhelmed me

sometimes i got flooded

it became a healing force

i faced myself

changed the story

making a new story of my life

not defining myself in the past

i stepped out of that history

i stepped into the present

i'm very happy

thoughts on a sunday night

nothing like going to glide memorial church. if you find yourself in sf on sunday, regardless of race, color, religion, sexuality...you are welcome. i love that. one of the messages today was from martin luther king. "everyone can be great because everyone can serve." i imagine that will mean something different to each person. i know for me, my clients are in for some great service this week. i have been scouting out different stores to pick up items that are not only functional but have a design feeling and an element of feng shui. maybe that will be part of my specific niche in this market. hmmmmmmmm.

one of my shopping tips for today: want to upgrade style in your home to find items that are functioning (i.e. serve as storage) but also look great, check out the home section in stores like ross and marshalls. you can get some really great things at ridiculously cheap prices.

happy sunday folks!

orgaizing tips

today is saturday and i spent the morning picking up supplies for my new business (http://www.organizeyourlife.vpweb.com/). in my shopping pursuits, i noticed that every store had some kind of display to help people organize their homes, their offices, their lives. so in keeping with that theme, here are a few easy tips to help you on the path to organization.

1. keep it where you use it. maybe you enjoy listening to music while you cook and because of that there are a stack of cds in the kitchen. instead, set up a small shelf to keep your "cooking-music" cds.

2. keep similar items together. we spend so much time looking for things because they are randomly put away. define specific areas for specific items. one thing i am a fan of is having all my chargers in one drawer...ipod, blackberry, computer. i tie up each cord with a hair tie. put it in a clear plastic bag. mark the outside of bag indicating what the charger is for.

3. go thru your mail every day. set up a system that we organizers call FAT...file, act, trash. take care of the file and trash steps immediately. set up one day a week to deal with the action mail. i.e. pay the bills.

4. get things off the floor. your room will appear (and actually is ) more organized.

i am doing it...you can too

OK readers, i am going to ask you to try something. yep. one week in to blogginag and i am already making demands. please stop texting, emailing, talking on the phone while driving. why talking on the phone? isn't that the same as talking to someone in the car? no. this photo is of a car wreck that happened because a person was distracted by talking on the phone!

this is what research has found. "when people listen to a cell phone conversation while driving, they are much slower to respond to things they are looking at. the driver sees the image of the person they are talking to decreasing ability to see what is in front of them. the brain requires you to select one thing at the cost of being less able to respond to the other thing. Talking on a cell phone (even the hands free kind) is more hazardous than operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol". please don't think you are the one person that can do both. the risk is just not worth it. we need to break this dangerous trend. and yes, i know it is hard but every bad habit is hard to break. i am one week in and boy i hate hearing that phone ring. i want to respond just like you. but let's take this seriously, if i can do it, you can too. let's take the power back from the control these devices have over us.

so don't be bummed if i am talking to you and if i know you are driving...i'm hanging up!

tip on how to do this: turn your phone off when you get in car. put your phone in a place you can't reach while driving. please try.

another day off...sorry folks

Viral Pneumonia!

feng shui and decluttering

i got nothing...feeling sick today. check this out instead.

http://http//home-organization.suite101.com/article.cfm/feng_shui_and_decluttering

the 1st day

for those of you who don't know, i recently started a business as a professional organizer. i help people de-clutter their homes, offices, busy lives so that they can spend time doing the things that are important to them. now that means, each time i start working for a client, it is my first day on the job. and if it is a new client, i have most likely never done this kind of work before.

today was day one of a new assignment organizing an attorney's office...brand new experience. part of me was excited to do a great job but the other part me questioned my capabilities. this made for a sleepless night. i tossed and turned while playing out different scenarios of my imagined day. then at about 4:30 in the morning, the winter storms that were expected descended on my home...rain, thunder, and WIND. for a moment, i thought it was raining inside. i started to pray that this storm would be like a snow storm back east. crazy weather equals can't go to new job. of course i live in the adult world where things like that don't really happen!

thankfully prior to my alarm going off my thoughts started to shift. first of all, no office jobs get cancelled because of rain and if they do that is some scary kind of rain. but more importantly, i started to think about what i heard an actor once say, "i love my job so much up that i am excited to get up in the morning to go do it". hmmm....if you know me, i love getting things organized. wow, this is a great day. i get to do what i love and someone is paying me money for it. phew, that was just first day on the job jitters. i haven't made a life choice mistake.

i arrived at my client's business and found him scurrying around the office. in fact, he seemed a little stressed. i have read that some people get emotional about having their things touched. sure enough, he told me he was feeling anxious. he was trying to put things away before i got there. kind of like hiring a maid before you clean the house. now most experienced organizers have told me that the best way to get started is to ask the client what is the one thing they would like to see done today. basically, try to set goals and manage expectations. unfortunately, this question seemed to really get him whirling. he began to stammer, sweat and say he didn't know and felt over whelmed by it. i scanned the room and instantly noticed files in random places, boxes scattered on the floor, book cases with scattered shelves...there were so many places to start. what to do? first reassure client. second, get started. i suggested he sit down and continue his day of work while i organize the reference library and set up a space for office supplies. he took a breath, sat down and said "good idea". i worked steadily for three hours with one project leading me naturally into the next. before i knew it, was time for me to go. i did a really good job. so with check in hand, and some new experience behind me, i completed the job...well done.

tip for the day..."do what you love. love what you do."

you gotta be you

i sometimes envy the people who don't care what people think about them. this past year has gotten me to take a long hard look at this quality. plain and simple...i care what people think. i always wanted to be the good student, the good employee, the good friend, the good sister, the good child. but that was always based on getting approval from the other person...teacher, boss, friend, parent, etc. it can be anything from the small stuff to the big stuff, doesn't matter. i hate it. over the holidays i learned that a family member thought i was bragging when i wrote about my travel adventures in europe. gosh, that was the farthest from my intention. i thought i should be thankful for the amazing events and by sharing i was showing thankfulness. of course after hearing this i started obsessing about what i could have said or done differently to convey this. that turned into an obsession about how could my family member not know me better. wow, right? all based on one person's small statement...that i wasn't even present for! it is exhausting.
starting a business has really brought this to light. some think this has been just this light easy change for me. not at all. i love it and i am excited about it but there have times where i have felt so alone that i thought i must be nuts. on the one hand, you have people who tell me the changes i am making have gotten them to look at their life choices. that is so great. on the other hand, i have had a couple of people tell me to go basically go away. that is so not great. i can't tell you how hard that it is. but i need to respect their wishes and so have done just that.
i know deep down in my gut that i am doing the right thing and truly the only person that matters in this equation is me. it is one of those hard life lessons that i am learning at 44. maybe i should just start dressing up like lady gaga and throw caution to the wind!
so my tip for you...one way to cut down on the amount of clothes you have "dress for the person you are, not the person you want to be". (or for that matter the person you think others want you to be!)

life "doh"-lemma?

i think i just invented a new phrase..."d0h"-lemma (and you most say the "doh" like howard simpson). what is that? well there i was sitting in the bath thinking about what i thought was a life dilemma. well, what do you know? after sitting in the hot water fretting, my mind flipped to haiti and the people there. gosh, we can put the real big things out of our heads so easily. i guess that is a compensation mechanism. in that moment of clarity, i knew that my life dilemma means absolutely nothing and then it was gone. sending my thoughts and prayers to the people of haitit. i have perspective again.
i think my friend katite is right. getting sick is the body's way to purge. so if that is the case, then i just threw up. must say i do feel lighter. i guess that is what people say when they lose weight by just living the life they are supposed live. it happens how it is supposed to. huh. that is just brilliant stuff. i am always learning from my friends. thanks katite and rebecca too (you were right in there with words of wisdom).
so ask yourself...is it a "doh"-lemma?

sunday and the black box

i hate that feeling...still want to sleep but have to go the bathroom. ok, gotta open my eyes. maybe i slept so long that this cold is finally gone. alright, first check how long i have slept. look at blackberry...do we look at clocks anymore? it is 11:13. wow, that is late. i must be fine. do a mental scan...nose clogged, coughing. damn i am still sick. how is this possible? a vision comes to mind of the first thing i ever learned to read. there was a saying hung in our kitchen (catholics seem to do that) that read "the only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like and do what you'd rather not". hmmm...seems i have to practice that. but that will have to wait until tomorrow. right now i need to go to the bathroom, change pajama pants to sweat pants (can't wear pjs in public right?) and get coffee. in that order.
while i am doing this, i figure turn the black box on. that is the tv. channel is on tvland station and there is something on the tv that immediately intrigues me. high school reunion. premise is a reunion of some high school 20 years later. i went to mine. class size of about 90. most people showed. old high school sweethearts reconnected and have a little girl now. anyway, this silly show has of course sparked my interest so i set it to record. i still need coffee or rather i need anon-fat latte. for those of you yoga peeps, that are reading this. well, i am a work in progress too! (insert smile here).
get the coffee and now already glued to this show. interesting that this is on as i am getting lots of connections to my past during this sicky period. first boyfriend connection yesterday and one of my closest college friends just contacted me today. no idea what the hell it means but i am just enjoying it. by the way, john is in jackson hole for the weekend skiing with my brother jarett and his friends so that is why i have all this time to be NOT productive. funny.
ok the show. all the characters you expect are there...cheerleader, football quarterback, nerd. they are so captivating in a train wreck way. but one of the saddest parts is one guy who was the high school bully shows his true hate of humanity. it scares me seeing this. i am scared of people that have so much hate. he tormented a classmate from 5th grade all the way thru high school!the classmate comes to the reunion and tells this jerk, for lack of a better description, that his behavior back then was not ok. well "the jerk" lashes out at this man from the start of the conversation particularly at the man's sexuality. that makes my stomach turn. how is this possible that in this day in age people have such deep hatred of someone they perceive as different? is this fear based? what is it? i am shocked, sickened and angry that there are still so many american's that refuse gay americans the right to marriage. my brain just doesn't comprehend this. my brother adam's partner leroy is such a great addition to my family. gosh i can't imagine not having leroy in my family. by the way, a great movie out right now is called single man. anyway, the show has me hooked and is set to the dvr.
john's whooping it up on the slopes before they all watch the JET game. no idea who the Jets are playing as it is just known as the JET game. same kind of thing when the Yankees play. it is just called the Yankee game. and well now that i think of it the City is obviously a reference to New York city. do i see a trend here? huh. thankfully he is with my jarett who is also a JET fan. so in wifely support... "J-E-T-S...JETS, JETS JETS!
ok, now back to the black box. wonder what will be on next.
quick tip....when giving a gift, think about the person and what they like, who they are. instead of giving a gift...think of a service...car wash, manicure, massage and for people like my mother in law who writes letters..a book of Stamps. Happy Sunday.

roseanne

this has nothing at all to do with my business, with organizing tips, or with anything of substance really. but my friend samantha told me not to over think this blog stuff and just write.
today is day 6 and i am still home sick. it now has come to the point that i am almost enjoying this. a big storm is fore casted. so in a cold medicine drug induced stupor i went and got coffee early and some staples to get me thru the next few days. nothing of substance. remember cold meds do nothing good for the brain. i picked up two bagels, an organic olive/mushroom pizza and vitamin water. the 50 cent brand. it is kind of light in color. to me it doesn't look as sugar overloaded as the other brands. funny, that to me is my survival food. think what you want.
now, thanks to technology i have connected with people via email, cell and facebook. the big news is that i connected with my first boyfriend, which if i can remember maybe lasted a week.! i knew one day thru technology i would find him. so we chatted on facebook and that was so fun. he has embraced christianity and if you know me, i find that fascinating. i really am interested in people's stories...whatever they are. you know we both started off as two kids in catholic school and now i am a yoga teacher, professional organizer, soon to be ordained to marry people (more on that later) person and he is a minister specialising in photos about Jesus Christ. I just find that so interesting. Oh and I love that as I am connecting with the past, the tv has been on an all day Roseanne marathon. That was a funny show.
Ok, time for me to re medicate...Bye.
p.s. i forgot and this is more of a reminder for me than you...i got myself organic tomato soup. gotta remember to eat that. at least one thing sort of healthy. i must get back into juicing.

Networking...ugh!

There I was driving to my NAPO meeting in the middle of rush hour traffic thinking I hate going out at night. What am I doing? Yeah, you can tell where this line of thinking was going...putting yourself out there to uncomfortable things is not always easy. My mind started to anticipate everything about the next two hours of my life - tacky hotel, meeting room with round tables, bad lighting, name tags, forced small talk, silly white elephant exchange, am I dressed appropriately, the list went on and on. I hate this.

I got there and yes the hotel, round tables, lights and small talk part sucked. We had a two minute timed round table discussion and when it was my turn, the woman across from me literally cut me off one minute in because she was concerned the last two people at the table wouldn't get a chance to speak. Funny thing was, as she was cutting me off she realised that what I was saying had value to the conversation but she was so concerned about timing that she abruptly interrupted! Then she wanted me to continue and it was all awkward and strange. Ahhh, the power of listening. Anyway, that yucky part aside the speaker, Eric Lofholm really spoke to me and what I am trying to do with my business. Eric is a sales trainer and his approach to growing my business is exactly the approach I want to take. I enjoyed his lecture so much so that I am attending his all day seminar in SF Feb. 24. I have an extra ticket so if you need to grow your business, join me. He really reminded me of the reason "why" I am a Professional Organizer.

I truly believe in the benefits of my service for the person who wants to get out from underneath their clutter and chaos. This is a life time value physically, emotionally and financially. Wow, that's good stuff.

Overall, I would say attending the meeting was a success. Will I join the local group...not right now. I am a member of the national organization and want to explore all of that first. Locally, I am just not ready for that round table discussion.

Here's my tip for today...

"You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don't make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing. and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off of you."

Maya Angelou

Starting Up

So how did this all come about you might ask? I LOVE being a Bikram yoga teacher but that is not the most lucrative position. Owning a Bikram yoga studio seemed out of the question as SF is pretty much set. OK what else can I do? I spent many a conversation talking to my husband John about this as well as family and friends. One suggestion that kept coming up was Life Coach. Really? Coach some one's life? That seemed too big. I liked the idea of being a coach. I knew I wanted something that was a specialty, simple in concept and had a teaching element. Then I remembered a side job where I helped two former accounting clients of mine organize their "stuff." I will never forget opening their garage and thinking "oh my God, they think I am Oprah and have a team of people". But before long, the "stuff" was itemized, sorted and finally organized, donated or trashed. I so enjoyed parking their car in the garage! Hmmm. I liked that. It goes with my whole motto of being "green" by reusing and recycling and as anyone knows I like to be organized..."one item out for any new item in". OK I got it. I am going to be a Professional Organizer. Thankfully I shared my idea with my sister. In less than a week she had me connected with her friend Laura who is a Professional Organizer in Palm Beach, and who has become a mentor. I immediately ordered all the books she suggested and checked out the on line association of Professional Organizers called NAPO. Then I started to tell people...the response has been thru the roof. I met with one friend for coffee and immediately she wanted my business cards to pass on to her clients. Guess what I had to do that day? Yep, go home and make business cards and of course that led me to my website. John and my friend Samantha are amazing writers so they did all my edits. It seemed that within a two week period of making this decision I had cards, a website and clients. Yes, I had clients! Talk about a vote of confidence.

Scary but in a good way. My main focus is to truly just enjoy this process rather than focusing on trying to have a million clients.

I have attended a couple networking meetings and realized I am "just not there yet". My first was a business networking meeting where the soul purpose is to give each other referrals. One guy who works on websites and business cards basically he told me mine sucked. That was a learning moment. Don't insult someone if you want their business. Anyway, how can I get other people referrals when I am just trying to get some of my own? I think this has to wait. On a side note, I did get a client that morning...the President of the group. I think by being honest with who I am and sharing my concerns that I made an impact on the group. Good to know...be myself and represent exactly where I am at.

My focus for now is working with clients and exploring the various tools of the craft. I have joined NAPO and enrolled in a couple of their classes. In fact, I am attending one of their chapter meetings tonight (more on that tomorrow). Yes at some point I will need to focus more on Marketing but for now I just need to get in there and work with people.

My tip for today...if your closet seems full check out the hangers you have. I am a BIG fan of the Ultra Slim Flocked Hangers in the Camel color. I find them cheapest at Bed Bath and Beyond and remember to bring the 20% off coupon they send in the mail.

Home Sick

Today is January 12th and I am home sick with a cold. I just watched the movie Julie and Julia...pretty good flick, but more importantly it got me thinking. Couple of people mentioned that I should have a blog about the start of my new business Organize Your Life. I kind of laughed it off because unfortunately I am not blessed with the talent to write. But then something came to mind that I would say to my Mom when she would correct my grammar "Mom, the content is way more important than how I say it"! For you my reader I hope that you are occasionally entertained, you learn a helpful organizing tip and...maybe you make choices about living your best life.

Here we go. As I mentioned, I am in the process of starting my own business as a Professional Organizer. A what? Yes, I work with busy people who want to live a clutter free life and can find the things they are looking for when they need them. Today, however, I am home sick. Now as a self employed person, I do not get sick days. That means I need to do something. Well there is that Feng Shui book I have been meaning to read. Did my friend Samantha know something about my future when she gave it to me years ago? Here's a good tip on bathrooms. Keep seats, covers, and doors to bathrooms shut. Toilets emanate negative energy and should be kept closed when not in use. Phew...John and I have been practicing this for years. Ugh, my head is throbbing so time to put the book down on the bed. Why is there a fork on my bed? Gosh I must be sick. I gotta straighten up this bed. (Side tip 2...when home sick...make the bed up fresh each day, throw away tissues, etc. Shifts energy of room).

OK so I open utensil drawer and since I still have my reading glasses on, I see everything. Why are there crumbs in the drawer? I promise we wash our utensils. Maybe it's because of the toaster on the counter. Before I know it, sink is full with hot water and suds and utensils are tossed in. Empty and clean drawer divider. Hmmm....wonder what top drawer with cooking utensils look like. Yep, same thing and is that jelly in there too? Gross. Everything is now in the sink. Wash and dry. Why do I have so many forks and spoons, that we never bought? What are some of these cooking utensils even used for? I get my Goodwill bag and toss it all in. Put rest of the utensils away. Result: everything looks clean and new and I see everything I have. Imagine that...finding what you want at first look. It is amazing that such a small task can make such a difference. Seriously we open these drawers at least once a day! Total time: 20 minutes (remember I have a cold, so I am a little slow). I feel pretty good about today so now back to bed.

Oh and before I forget, check out my business at http://www.organizeyourlife.vpweb.com/.