"Raising Cain" or Overcoming?

"Raising Cain" or Overcoming?
By: Janet L. Hall

Are you "raising Cain" with yourself or others regarding your
clutter or are you taking the necessary steps and actions to
overcome your clutter situation?

You can choose to do one of two things when your clutter
conditions become overwhelming - you can fight the clutter
or you can overcome your clutter problems.

To overcome your clutter successfully you must leave
behind and release your old ways of thinking and how you
do things now. You must release your fears about your stuff,
your doubts of what to get rid of, your attitudes towards your
clutter and stuff, your resentments, prejudices, negativity,
and those old tapes in your head.

If what you did yesterday didn't help towards getting
organized or if you didn't like how your day went then you
must NOT do the same things you did yesterday in order for
a change to start taking place in your life.

To change your life or circumstances, to rise above your
problems or situations you might have to disassociate
yourself from friends or family members that bring you down
or that are in the same boat as you. You need to STOP
commiserating with others like you, whether in person,
phone, or cyberspace that continue to complain or whine
about their situations BUT take no action towards changing if
you REALLY want to change.

You can lift yourself up and choose to associate with people
and others of a lifestyle that you secretly dream of by
identifying your dream robbers, planning, and seeking out
others that can help you.

Identifying Your Dream Robbers:

You become like those around you. You take on their
personalities, their attitudes, and their problems. Like
magnets you are attracted to and attract mirror images of
yourself - everyday, all day! Your thoughts and your
environment become like those around you. This happens to
EVERYONE ... if they let it....

==>Make a list of your family, friends, co-workers,
associates, acquaintances, and how they act around you.
Are they sad or happy, healthy or depressed, violent or kind,
controlling or abusive?

==>How do they effect you, your thoughts, and your habits?

==>What are they talking about?
Bills, debt, clutter, time, soap operas - real life and television.

==>What are their attitudes?
Negative or positive?

==>What might you say or do when they start "acting" in a
negative or inappropriate fashion? Please be kind, walk
away or completely disassociate.

==>What's in their world?
Clutter, chaos, drama, or organized, calm, and peace?

Planning:

=>Find a quiet place and time when you won't be interrupted

=>Get a notebook or journal and write down how you'd like
to see your life or environment, and answer the following
questions:

=>What would be an ideal day for you?

=>How would you like your day to unfold?

=>What would you like to do throughout your day?

=>How would you like your environment to be?

=>What do you need to do - change - before you can live
that way?

=>What obstacles do you need to overcome?

=>What clutter do you need to get rid of?

=>What rooms or areas do you need to get organized?

=>What outside or inside activities are taking away from your
ideal day?

=>Whom do you need to disassociate from?

=>What issues need clearing up?

=>What negative thoughts do you need or want to replace?

=>What exactly do you need to do in order for you to move
forward with the life of your dreams?

=>Which of the above can you start working on today?

=>Create a timeline to work on the other circumstances and
areas you identified above.

You have the POWER to plan your life, change your
circumstances, and get organized, but it takes more then
planning. You will need to take some action, make some
tradeoffs, and possibly get professional help.

Getting Help:
There are multitudes of people and organizations that can
help you overcome your circumstances but it takes a little
legwork.

You must be willing to:
=>Seek out professionals whom can really help you and hold
you accountable. =>Make the call or send the email.
=>Pay the price (and not just in money).
=>Do the homework.
=>Make the commitment to change.
=>Invest in YOURSELF!

To me getting organized is not just getting rid of the piles or
the stuff that has taken over your life. It's not about getting
everything nice and neat. It's about life management,
overcoming challenges, and changing the energy of yourself
and your environment to reflect the lifestyle you REALLY
want.

What does getting organized mean to you and how will you
overcome your clutter obstacles?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you are serious and committed to overcoming your clutter
then check out Janet's Home Clutter Support Groups at:
http://www.overhall.com/home_clutter_support.htm
A FUN learning and support experience to help you
get your life back. While you're there, don't forget to
sign up for our FREE newsletter!

For additional help: The Organizing and Feng Shui Wizard,
Janet L. Hall, FSII has a FREE newsletter, OverHall IT! at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm and many
organizational products for your office, home, and computer
at http://www.overhall.com/products.htm
Janet is a Professional Organizer, Certified Feng Shui
Practitioner, Speaker, and Author and can help you regain
control of your life, your time, your stuff, and your
environment.

Copyright (c) 2002 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce,
copy, or distribute this article so long as article is kept intact,
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attached.

About the Author

The Organizing and Feng Shui Wizard,
Janet L. Hall, FSII has a FREE newsletter, OverHall IT! at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm and many
organizational products for your office, home, and computer
at http://www.overhall.com/products.htm
Janet is a Professional Organizer, Certified Feng Shui
Practitioner, Speaker, and Author and can help you regain
control of your life, your time, your stuff, and your
environment.