I finally did it!

I am a life coach. With that comes the responsibility of doing the things I encourage my clients to do- like de-clutter or get my house in order. De-cluttering has always been a problem of mine. I get attached to things, I save too much, I don't take the time to set up a system or put things away or file for that matter. Then after things pile up, I get frustrated and try to tackle it.

For the last 15 months it has been my goal to clean up my bedroom. I moved here 4 years ago and still hadn't put everything away. I was almost done last summer when I stopped short of completion. What was left was the 3 boxes of papers that needed sorting, thinning out, or filing. The desk had a layer of old bills and notes about this and that. My dresser had piles of winter socks and assorted small items. My side of the bathroom vanity was piled high with makeup, hair products and jewelry.

This year I've been motivated by the fact that my daughter is getting married and the photographer will be taking pictures upstairs- Melissa getting ready, Melissa and her bridal party, Melissa and her proud mom, whatever!

So yesterday, after talking with MY life coach (yes I have a coach too)about why I've been resisting the final push, I set up a schedule and did it! I stayed focused on the task. I resisted my computer, the phone, the to-do list,the refrigerator and my dog. Now the taxes are all filed, the papers are put away, and donations are in a bag heading to Goodwill. I even tackled the master bath. Toiletries are thinned out and shelved, and the jewelry is organized.

I am quite proud of myself. When I woke up this morning, I no longer had to look at a messy desk or bookshelf, cluttered corners or a messy bathroom. I could open my eyes and enjoy what I was seeing! The wedding is 10 days away and I am ready. Woo Hoo!

Prune to Your Heart's Content

I live in an old farmhouse in a suburb of CT. There are many mature trees including fruit trees in our yard. Some of the fruit trees have very low laying branches that need pruning. Most of them are dead anyway. They don’t look good, they detract from the beauty of our yard and they get in the way when my husband mows the lawn! A few weeks ago our big mower broke and we had to revert to the skinny little push mower to do over an acre of grass. I took a turn mowing the lawn for father’s day. I figured it would be a big surprise for my husband when he got home from work on Friday. It took me two and a half hours to do about 2/3 of the lawn. I stopped due to fatigue and heat exhaustion and I still felt quite proud of my accomplishment. (My trainer at the gym was very proud of me too.)

One thing that really irritated me about this big chore was the low laying branches. I asked Steve how he could stand mowing around those branches! I have no idea how my husband put up with it these last 3 years, and I know he has ripped a few shirts and gouged his back or arms several times. One would think that with all the things he does around the house; repair work, furniture building, mopping the kitchen, gardening, etc, that he would have pruned those trees.

Today he finally got around to pruning those branches. I don’t know what got into him but for the 30 minutes or less that it took to prune, he will have a MUCH easier time each week. Maybe the fact that I mentioned the branches gave him the permission to prune the fruit trees. Maybe he was afraid I would think he was doing it just to make his life easier.

This got me thinking (as most parables do) about how this is a metaphor in our lives. What are the low-laying branches that need pruning in your life? Imagine how much better, easier, happier your life will be if you would do the pruning! Do you need permission or convincing to push you over the tipping point? Consider it done! You have my permission.

What small things can you do to make your life easier? What system of filing or organizational tip will help de-clutter your life? What automated system like on-line banking or EZPass can you take the time to sign up for that will have benefits for years to come? What can you say NO to that will ease your life’s burdens even if it makes someone else annoyed? Take care of those low-laying branches. Prune out the old, the ugly, or the messy clutter in your life. Prune to your hearts content and you’ll make your life easier for sure.