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Greetings!
This newsletter is brought to you
by Suzanne Blake, PCC, specializing in career
change/transitions, relationships and starting or
growing your business or coaching practice! My Newly Released eBook is
now available for instant download:
Great News for Dating and Mating! Winning
Strategies that Work!
Click
here for more information.
| COULD SORTING YOUR CLOSET CHANGE THE WORLD? |
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Dear Newsletter Readers,
Happy Spring! Some of you may have spring
cleaning on your mind and I thought this excellent
perspective from Jennifer Denley, Organizer
Extraordinaire, would be useful. You can reach
Jennifer at jendenley@gmail.com.
Today, Self-Storage is a $145 billion dollar, and
growing, industry. Earlier this month, The
New York Times reported that this business is
large
enough to provide seven square feet of rentable
space for every American. If you add to that the
stockpiles many of us have in the hall closet,
basement,
garage, office and on any available countertop-a
picture of American homes “busting at the seams”
emerges.
What has our
propensity to stack and store
created? What
would
be possible in terms of world peace if we
sorted
and shared instead?
It may seem grandiose to assert that
cleaning a desk drawer can impact the amount of
suffering in the
world. And
maybe it is. But what if it isn't? What if
a peace on earth is achievable through ripple
effects produced by well-intentioned actions like
cleaning out a pocket of disorder or excess?
This question has inspired many of my clients to go
from Guilt to Built in their home and
work
lives.
Initially, they agree to surrender to three mantras:
1. I’m not bad and wrong. I’m good and right!
Get
over the embarrassment, guilt, or judgment- We ALL
have those places we wished were better organized
or more streamlined. You are not alone and there is a
way out!
2. I need a lot of help. We hire accountants
to do
our taxes, teachers to educate children, plumbers to
fix leaks but we resist hiring cleaners, organizers,
coaches and personal assistants to transform our
busy lives from overwhelm to brilliance. New
Englanders in particular fall prey to this “Tough it
Out” mentality.
3. I will finish this! Many clients report their
greatest
fear in starting these projects is that they will be
sucked into organizational black holes. A good
organizer will NEVER let this happen and should
instead set up viable budgets, timeframes and short
term “wins” for clients. Taking before-and-after
pictures of accomplishments can also boost
morale.
If you practice these positive mantras, they replace
fear and create
space for change. Eight useful, but counterintuitive
tips below will help you thrive, not just
survive, during this process.
Do keep a “junk drawer” somewhere in
your
house at
ALL times. It will help you keep your sanity
as this process is not about going cold turkey!
Do donate or sell your valuable clutter,
not just
your "junk."
Resist the
urge to keep it because it might be worth something
someday unless you are a committed and educated
collector.
Do use positive life passages (weddings,
birthdays,
births, promotions, graduations) to streamline.
Don’t exclude your family from this process
or feel
guilty about “taking up their nights or weekends.”
Instead, plan a post-project celebration where
everyone receives a
reward that matters to them. Healthy habits start
early and modeling is the best way to inspire them.
Involve your family in the vision and planning
process.
Don’t over save for your children and
grandchildren. Many interviews have proven
that this strategy costs everyone more money and
headaches in the long term. Be selective and ASK
your kids what they want. Then set up a timeframe
for them to take it from you.
Don’t buy organizing containers initially.
The
Container Store is not your friend until you have a
solid vision so resist the urge to shop!
Do set a budget on what you want to
spend and
what you hope to make from donations so that at
the end of the process, you will win financially!
Do donate to organizations and shelters
that
maximize the secondary use of your items. This
makes a profound difference in the lives of those who
either buy your items or are gifted
them. Don't take shortcuts on this one, after all,
world peace may be resting in your hands and we're
all counting on you!
Jennifer Denley, MBA, founder and director of New
Leaf Consulting offers
clutter coaching, small business advising and
personal
assistant services. She can be reached at
617.306.8887 or
jendenley@gmail.com.
Scroll down to the GOOD NEWS section of the
newsletter to be inspired by others who used the
context of love to have more relationship success!
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| GOOD NEWS! |
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These people decided to take action in their lives,
and leave their comfort zone enough to make some
powerful changes. Some used coaching and/or
therapy to assist them with their challenges. Each
one had to face their fears, try on new behaviors,
and trust their strengths. As you can see below,
their efforts were rewarded. I also love to hear from
former clients or others about their good news too! I
only mention ages because many of my clients feel
they are sometimes "too old" to have things happen
for them.
- A woman working as a medical sales
representative in her mid-thirties wanted to give her
best to her new position. She knew her strength was
in the positive way she built relationships, and
concentrated
on that in her first few months on the job. She
trusted her skills, and made sure to make time for
exercise, a terrific new relationship and other
priorities instead of focusing solely on her work. She
was ranked second in the country in the first quarter
of her employment!
When she found fashionable baby carriers for
her own children lacking, a woman in her thirties
created her own colorful silk designer baby slings.
These slings allowed parents to have a more intimate
carrying relationship with their children with style and
flair. They sold well right away, but the designer
found it challenging to promote her product and take
care of her two young children. She hired a publicist
and has now been featured in several prominent
national newspapers and on a major Spanish
language television station! If you are interested in
more information, go to www.oopababy.com.
A man in his early fifties longed to expand his
current business ventures. He was fascinated by the
world of franchising and saw many opportunities to
use his business and coaching skills. Although his
inner critical voices told him to play it safe and stick
to only his current business, he followed his heart
and became part of a franchise referral network. He
immediately found an ideal client who could utilize
both his business and coaching skills!
If GOOD NEWS can
happen for them,
it can happen for YOU!
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
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INDIVIDUAL COACHING:
Explore what
coaching can
do for you! For people new to coaching, I always
offer a complimentary session designed to help clarify
and move forward to the career, relationships, and
lifestyle you truly desire! Coaching can help you gain
clarity about your goals, provide accountantability
and structure, and help you move through your
obstacles and fear toward success. Coaching will
help make the changes you want so you live a life
that reflects your values and priorities! Click on the
link under my picture to access my website, with a
coaching video from a television spot I did for
WCVB
Boston Channel 5 Chronicle Magazine and
detailed
New York Times and Boston
Globe articles profiling
my work, and testimonials from satisfied clients.
I hope you have enjoyed this
newsletter. Please
forward a copy of it to anyone you think may also
benefit from reading it. I appreciate your support,
and ask you to please forward the entire newsletter.
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INDIVIDUAL COACHING:
If you are interested in making
the time and financial commitment to obtain your
goals, contact me for a complimentary coaching
session designed to help you move forward to the
career, relationships and lifestyle you truly desire.
Find out more....
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