It is What You Think it Is

A number of years ago, Oprah featured a "gratitude journal" on  her show.  It seemed like a great thing.  Every day you're supposed to write, in a journal, three or more things for which you are grateful.  This gets you noticing the good things in your life and being grateful for them, which in turn attracts more of what you are grateful for.  Oprah said it changed her life.

I know I have trillions of things in my life for which I am very grateful.  All I had to do was write them down. Then trillions more would come rushing in!

Only, it didn't work that way for me.  I thought I had to get in all of the really important things:  I am warm, I have a roof over my head, I have food to eat -- to name just a few.  I couldn't possibly get them all in, and if I leave some off the list, does that mean that I'm not grateful?  Which could possibly mean that they'd be snatched right out of my hands.  Somehow I found a way to feel anxious about a gratitude journal. Not exactly the intended outcome.

However, I did think of a way to change it that took the pressure off. Instead of trying to decide which three things to include on my gratitude list,  I wrote about three or more good things that happened to me each day.  Not life-changing events, just little things. Usually, I try to think of random events, not caused by me or my own actions, but sometimes I  include something I've accomplished, or a time when I know I've done something well, or made someone feel better. I even allow myself to be shallow and include compliments I've received.

Once, when I walked into the grocery store, a baby sitting in a cart looked up at me and gave me huge grin, as if  I was exactly what she had been waiting for.  Another time, I came around a corner of my hiking trail and stopped short, actually gasping to see a row of fiery autumn trees blazing  in a pink sunset, with a full harvest moon hung overhead. I have to confess that the Green Bay Packers made it in there a time or two. And, yes, there was that day I wrote: 1) "The really great thing about today is that I made it to the end of the day without seriously hurting anyone. 2) I am in my nice bed now.  3) I have a good book to read."

As soon as I started recording these events, one of two things happened: either 1) the number of good things that happened to me increased dramatically, or 2) they had been there all along, and  I was now noticing them.

I don't much care which it is. I go through my days looking for something good to happen, fully expecting that it will--and that's a great way to spend a day!  At the end of the day, I'm thinking about blessings, instead of worrying about tomorrow.

By paying attention to, and appreciating what we have, we are less inclined to chase happiness by accumulating possessions. And that's a good thing!

To find solutions for your organizing challenges, to schedule a free consultation, or have a conversation about your organizing needs:

Linda Palmer

Create Order

Home Organizing and De-materializing Service

262-784-3957

createorder.org

email:  createorder1@gmail.com

on facebook:  Linda Palmer/ Create Order Organizing Service

Serving Milwaukee, WI and surrounding areas

"The Simple Life is a Manly Life"...and Other True Things about Living an Orderly Existence

By Linda Palmer

  There are so many great ideas and thoughts out there about bringing order and simplicity into our lives.  Here are a few favorites I've collected from different sources. I hope you find them helpful.   Let me know of your own favorites! 

For the Upwardly Mobile:

"We tend to think we need more belongings than we really do, to live comfortably. TV shows, commercials and even our friends are constantly showing us new things we can’t live without. Taking the time to sort through the items you've accumulated can be a real wake up call. Once you start to give up a few unnecessary things, you’ll realize how little importance they had to begin with. The change in mindset that comes with this realization can ease the pressure we put on our finances by wanting more."

(From: Ten Financial Reasons you should Declutter your House  By Dana O. Crandall

For the Neat-Freaks
"Everyone knows that getting organized is about creating "order" in your life -- but what the heck does that mean? Going back to my good pal Merriam-Webster, putting something in order is defined as "arranging" or "classifying" or "systematizing." You'll notice there's no mention anywhere of things being "tidy" or "clean" -- that's because it's not about neatness, it's about being able to find what you need, when you need it, so you can function effectively in the world!"

From:   O Is For Order by Ramona Creel:  The A to Z of Getting Organized

For the 99%:

"I recently read the book Great With Money by Melissa Burke and Ellen Rogin. With the goal of the book being to help readers create a prosperous mindset and a confident approach to money, you might expect it to focus on how to earn more and spend less. Well, it may surprise you to know that “clear your clutter” is the first step to prosperity described by the authors. Yup, clearing the clutter in your life is the first step towards prosperity."

From: Clear the Clutter and Find Prosperity, by Sue Becker From Piles To Smiles Organizing Service blog

For the Science Geeks:

"Researchers at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute published the results of a study they conducted in the January issue of The Journal of Neuroscience that relates directly to uncluttered and organized living. From their report “Interactions of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mechanisms in Human Visual Cortex”:

"Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system.

"Or, to paraphrase in non-neuroscience jargon: When your environment is cluttered, the chaos restricts your ability to focus. The clutter also limits your brain’s ability to process information. Clutter makes you distracted and unable to process information as well as you do in an uncluttered, organized, and serene environment."  

From:  Unclutterer.com posted by Erin.

And...for the Guys 

    "The simple life is a manly life. Some of history’s manliest men lived lives of true simplicity, free from unneeded clutter. The Spartans basically had one piece of clothing they wore all year, a spear, a shield, and some farm tools. Because of their simple lifestyle, they were able to focus on learning how to be fighting machines.

    
  "Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were evangelists of simplicity. When Thoreau went to Walden Pond he brought with him just a few things. Because he didn’t have crap distracting him, he was able to focus his energies into writing some awesomely deep thoughts.

    "The simple life is a manly life because a man defines himself not by his possessions but by his character, virtues, relationships, and experiences. These are the things that he invests his time, energy, and emotions in, because these are the things that no natural disaster, no bomb, no prison can ever take away from him. The less stuff we accumulate, the less energy we have to devote to the maintenance of it, and the more energy we can put into becoming better men."

From:30 Days to a Better Man Day 13: Declutter Your Life by Brett & Kate McKay

To find solutions for your organizing challenges, to schedule a free consultation, or have a conversation about your organizing needs:

Linda Palmer

Create Order

Home Organizing and De-materializing Service

262-784-3957

createorder.org

email:  createorder1@gmail.com

on facebook:  Linda Palmer/ Create Order Organizing Service

Serving Milwaukee, WI and surrounding areas