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Our newsletters are published quarterly in April, August and December.
We are happy to provide the past few newsletters below, just in case you wish to
preview an issue, or if for some reason you did not receive your current issue.
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Back
MY BUCKET'S GOT A HOLE IN IT…
Guest column by Jeannie Fennell, PhD, Founder of LIFEWORKS
What if I told you that there is something you can do for your life and business that would give you energy, reduce stress, and save money? What if it would make you feel good too? Would you do it? Of course you would! Most of us would jump at the chance, even if we had to buy it.
What if I tell you that in order to enjoy all these benefits, you have to clean up the clutter and unfinished projects in your life? Most of us would run from that as fast as we could!
At some level we know we would work smarter and feel better if only we could get organized and keep it up, but we really resist. We will spend lots of money to go on a diet or buy something new that will make us feel better temporarily, but we really have trouble doing something that seems as boring as organizing and doesn't give us a "quick fix." I certainly know about that!
So, coupled with that information and the great experience of partnering with organizing expert Kristin del Rosso, I decided it was time to look at my own clutter. I started by asking friends and clients about why they don't do more about their messes. Almost everyone answered, "I know I should, and I feel guilty about it, but I just don't get around to it."
Yet, when I asked people how they would feel if they were organized, everyone said, "It would feel GREAT! I would be so relieved!" I began to see a pattern we all recognize…we know it is in our best interests to do certain things, but we are convinced it would be too hard or boring, so we sabotage ourselves. In other words, we don't make feeling good a priority and because the damage is subtle, we don't see the effects of that damage.
Cheryl Richardson, author of Take Time For Your Life, talks about "energy drainers." Those are the small, unfinished tasks and bits of clutter that, every time we look at them or think about them, make us feel guilty and bad about ourselves. Like a slow water leak, they drain our energy. It is like having several small holes in our "energy bucket" that, even though we put good stuff into it, we still lose a lot of energy. No wonder I often feel emotionally fatigued and stressed as I look around my office. I have energy leaks every time I see the mess. I don't know about you, but I know I need all the energy I can get, and this cure could be a whole lot cheaper that "retail therapy." Besides, feeling guilty is a bummer.
Since I have my own business, in part, to improve the quality of my life, I am beginning to see how the clutter is sabotaging the life I want. When I think of how much better I feel when I go into a neat environment, I vow now to have more neatness in my life! It is time to plug the holes in my bucket so that it will hold more of the good stuff I work so hard to get. As a result, I will be able to be annoyingly victorious!
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