Thanksgiving is just around the corner. My husband and I are excited to host our family and bring everyone together. I might even make my new peanut butter brownie recipe. A word of warning: it’s hard not to eat the entire tray because they’re so delicious. So, if you ask me for the recipe and make it, be sure to invite people to share it with.

Gratitude fills my thoughts. At the same time, I’m very aware of how challenging these times are. The constant stream of bad news, division, and suffering is impossible to ignore. Hope, love, and gentleness can feel elusive.

Perhaps it’s the eternal optimist in me, but I can’t help myself. Those small moments or glimmers of connection, comfort, generosity, kindness, and joy are also available. I hold them close. They are as essential to me as breathing oxygen.

Recently, I was reading through my journal from this past year. I found a passage I want to share with you. It reminded me how gratitude and being present have been, and continue to be, guiding forces in my life.

My journal entry:

For now, I am here. Rooted in the past, ready for the future, and grounded in the present.

Consider these questions:

• How has your past influenced you?

• Do you feel ready and excited for your future?

• Are you fully present right now?

• How does gratitude connect to your past, future, and present?

3 Ways to Nurture Gratitude To Help You FLourish

1. Rooted

As I reflect on the past, gratitude fills my being. I think about my family, loved ones cherished and now gone, the boundless love and connection, the feeling of home that traveled with me wherever I went, the deep conversations, traditions, music, laughter, and hugs.

I remember and feel grateful for the time spent visiting relatives, traveling, hosting and attending gatherings, renovating, learning, creating, snuggling, being raised, raising kids, and so much more.

Of course, no life or family is perfect. Still, I am grateful for everything and everyone—the beautiful moments and the challenges.

2. Ready

Are any of us ever truly prepared for the future? On one hand, unexpected surprises can arise that might throw us off course or discourage us. Many of these will be impossible to predict.

At the same time, there will be incredibly joyful experiences, opportunities for growth, and adventures.

To me, future readiness is mainly about having an open and flexible attitude toward what may happen. Being ready also involves a certain level of confidence, positivity, anticipation, and acceptance. While I can’t predict what will happen, I hold hope close.

I recognize that what I do today can positively or negatively affect my future. I’m grateful for the actions I’m willing and able to take to create a better tomorrow.

“I am grateful for this moment. I am here now.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

3. Grounded

The past has already happened, and the future is not yet here. All we truly have is the present. I am thankful every day for the moments I get to live, breathe, see nature’s wonders, create, work, contribute, inspire, love, and be loved.

I am grateful for my senses, which always delight me and bring me back to the present moment. The magic of this season offers a feast of colors, a variety of delightful scents and flavors, cozy fabrics like cashmere and velvet that bring warmth and comfort, and sounds of wind blowing, music playing, animals calling, and leaves dancing.

Being grounded in the present helps me show up each day for my loved ones, friends, clients, community, colleagues, and myself.

I am grateful for this moment. I am here now.

Are You Rooted, Ready, and Grounded?

We’re complex humans with different backgrounds, dreams, and circumstances. Gratitude can color where we’ve been, where we’re headed, and where we are.

During this season of gratitude, what are you focusing on? Which ideas resonate most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

How Can I Help?

This is a wonderful time to plan, get unstuck, and prepare for what’s to come. Are you feeling overwhelmed, stuck, disorganized, or unfocused? Would you like to make progress? I’m here to help! Virtual organizing is an extraordinary path forward – Local feel with a global reach.

Let’s talk. I’m easy to reach.

• Schedule a Discovery Call

• Fill out the Contact form

• Email me at linda@ohsorganized.com or

• Call 914-271-5673

Getting organized, focused, and progressing is possible, especially with support.

This is the newest release (v47) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature, with my latest finds that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique, inspiring possibility discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are an engaged, vibrant, and generous group. I am deeply grateful for your ongoing presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced.

What do you find interesting?

“Consistent action will create the possibilities you desire.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Possibilities Discoveries

1. Interesting Workshop – Decluttering Possibilities

Are you overwhelmed by clutter? If so, you’re not alone. One in four people have clutter challenges, which can affect anxiety levels, relationships, and ability to focus. What would be possible if you had a path forward?

I’m thrilled to offer this popular one-hour live Zoom workshop, How to Conquer Clutter, on October 17th from 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern. Discover where clutter comes from, why it’s so hard to let go, and what you can do about it.

You’ll come away with manageable clutter-reducing strategies, energizing possibilities, and powerful insights. Reserve your spot today!

2. Interesting Read – Completing Possibilities

Are you a great starter yet have difficulty finishing? You get 95% done and then feel challenged completing that last 5%.

Finish – Give Yourself the Art of Done by best-selling author and speaker Jon Acuff says he used to think people’s biggest challenge was the fear of getting started. While he recognizes that the “beginning is significant,” the “finish” matters more.

Through workshops and research, Acuff discovered that “what it takes to really finish are so counterintuitive that most of them will feel like shortcuts.” He said the “less that people aimed for perfect, the more productive they became.”

Working harder isn’t the answer. Embracing and becoming tolerant of imperfection is a “key factor in turning chronic starters into consistent finishers. Chronic starters quit the day after perfect.”

Finish is filled with valuable reframes and strategies. For example, you might think the opposite of perfectionism is failure. Acuff suggests, “It’s not. The opposite is finished.”

Does completion seem more possible now?

3. Interesting Resource – Selling Possibilities

Do you have digital devices like cell phones, computers, CDs, DVDs, games, and other tech equipment you no longer want? Do you need help disposing of them responsibly and efficiently? A possibility is here!

Decluttr is an excellent resource for helping you recycle and make some cash. Decluttr will buy your old devices and tech items that are broken or in working condition. They make it easy with this three-step process:

• Sell It – Get an instant price for your tech.

• Send It – Send your stuff for free.

• Spend It – Get paid by direct deposit or PayPal.

In addition to buying tech items, Decluttr also buys and recycles college, school textbooks, and children’s books.

NOTE: As of June 2025, Decluttr is no longer in business.

4. Interesting Product – Focusing Possibilities

I love getting things done as much as the next person. However, what happens when you have so much to do that you feel overwhelmed and stuck? One possibility is to reduce the scope.

Using this cute “Today’s Top Three” mini list from Noted by Post-It®, you can narrow your focus to only three items. What? Just three, you say? Yes! Rein it in. Pick three doable tasks you can make progress on today.

You'll feel confident in what is possible when you take small actions and experience progress. Which will be your top three for today?

5. Interesting Thought – Imagining Possibilities

If things are the want you want them to be, that’s OK. Each day presents an opportunity to imagine, dream, and engage in what’s possible.

While thinking is essential to moving forward, it’s only the beginning. Thought plus action equals progress. Consistent action will create the possibilities you desire.

Let today be the start of what’s possible.

Can you share one possibility-related discovery? Which of these resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Do you want help getting unstuck, reducing overwhelm, getting organized, and focusing on possibilities? If so, I’m here for you. Contact me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Progress is possible, especially with support.

This is the newest release (v46) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature, with my latest finds that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. These unique, inspiring enlisting help discoveries reflect this month’s blog theme.

You are a vibrant, generous, and engaged group. I am deeply grateful for your ongoing presence, positive energy, and contributions to this community. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced.

What do you find interesting?

“It is 100% okay to ask for help.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What’s Interesting? – 5 Best Enlisting Help Discoveries

1. Interesting Read – Effortless Help

When you’re struggling to take action and make progress, doing so effortlessly may seem impossible. However, with this refreshing approach, help is here.

Greg McKeown, author of Effortless – Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most, said, “Not everything has to be so hard.” McKeown’s concept is “a whole new way to work and live. A way to achieve more with ease- to achieve more because you are at ease.”

There are three parts:

• Effortless State – How can we make it easier to focus?

• Effortless Action – How can we make essential work easier to do?

• Effortless Results – How can we get the highest return on the least effort?

In describing the Effortless State, McKeown said, “When our brains are at full capacity, everything feels harder.” The first step he suggests to “making things more effortless is to clear the clutter in our heads and our hearts.”

Everything can’t be effortless. However, “you can make more of the right things less impossible- then easier, then easy, and ultimately effortless.”

2. Interesting Perspective – Life Help

Have you ever experienced a difficult time triggered by a specific event? It was so dramatic that it changed your perspective and the course of your life. The death of a loved one, loss of a job, a move, health crisis, or divorce can cause significant pain and also be catalysts for growth and reimagining.

The word lifequake beautifully describes this phenomenon- “A significant, sudden and unexpected shift in the trajectory of your life that initially feels devastating but has the beneficial outcome of catalyzing personal growth, transformation, and rebirth.”

During times of change and transition, it is especially beneficial to ask for help. What lifequake have you experienced? What type of support was most valuable?

3. Interesting Resource – Win-Win-Win Help

Do you own new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, and building materials you no longer want? However, it’s not easy to find a taker. You’re confident someone else can use them. You don’t want your discards to go into the landfill.

Habitat for Humanity is the resource you need. Habitat ReStores across the United States accept small and large donations of these items. The sales help Habitat’s work locally and globally. They offer free pickup of large items and tax donation receipts.

This is a win-win-win for the donors, the buyers, and the planet. You gain space, reduce clutter, let go of things you don’t want, keep items out of the landfill, support others, and receive a tax donation. People who need goods can purchase them at a reasonable price. The proceeds from Habitat Restores help families build decent, affordable homes to “achieve the strength, stability, and independence they need to build a better future.”

Click here to arrange a pickup from a Habitat ReStore near you.

4. Interesting Product – Organizing Help

There are tons of great products to help organize like-with-like. Bins, boxes, and dividers are organizing staples. The classic zipper pouch is another example.

EOOUT’s translucent waterproof mesh zipper pouches are an excellent solution for organizing:

• Cosmetics

• Toiletries

• Cords and chargers

• Game pieces

• Documents

• Projects

• Gadgets

• Toys

• Snacks

• Writing tools

• Office supplies

• Travel accessories

• Receipts

• Bills

While EOOUT offers several options, the 42-piece set is an excellent value at $19.99. It includes eight different-sized bags and 17 zipper colors. What items will these pouches help you organize?

5. Interesting Thought – Normalizing Help

Are you hesitant to ask for help? Do you feel guilty or feel like you “should” be able to do everything yourself? Are you afraid of getting support for fear of being judged? These are normal responses.

Here’s the thing. Without asking for help, you will potentially struggle longer than is needed. Without help, you might be more frustrated, stressed, and paralyzed.

Struggle no more. You deserve to get unstuck and move forward. It is 100% okay to ask for help. Who will you ask to be on your support team?

Can you share one enlisting help-related discovery? Which of these resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

Do you want help getting unstuck, reducing overwhelm, or getting organized? If so, I’m here for you. Contact me, Linda, at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Making progress is possible, especially with support.

Does this sound familiar? Your list of things to do is growing. It’s getting so large that you feel overwhelmed.

While you want to get things done, you’re having trouble getting started. You’re unclear where to begin, and the overwhelm squashed your motivation.

This is a normal situation. I’ve been there, and so have many of my clients. I experienced it just this week. We returned from part one of a beautiful vacation in the Finger Lakes. Our only goals were to relax, have fun, and not work. Mission accomplished.

The shorter part of the vacation was at home, where we planned to do some work around the house. Talk about many projects to attend to—it’s a never-ending list.

By the third day, it was more challenging to get motivated to start working. I kept thinking about our time away and the joy we had kayaking daily on Song Lake. I wanted to go back.

One Simple Motivating Question

This got me thinking about something the wise coach, Cameron Gott, PCC, once said. When I studied with him during my Coach Approach training, he always asked the best questions. This particular question is excellent for motivation. He asked:

“What’s a quick completion?”

— Cameron Gott, PCC

I love this question because it encourages you to:

• Reframe your overwhelm.

• Get yourself in a doing mode.

• Focus on what can easily be accomplished.

• Feel motivated to do something.

How to Use the Motivating Question

When I asked myself, “What’s a quick completion?” it immediately helped me shift my focus and give attention to something I could easily do. What did I choose? I repotted a few new plants for the greenhouse. Taking action, moving my body, playing with dirt, and caring for the plants energized me.

Once that was done, I no longer felt overwhelmed. I was motivated to do more, so I:

• Created my six-month blog calendar

• Updated my Calendly scheduler

• Emptied the dishwasher

• Wrote this post

All items were easy to accomplish and quick to complete, except for the blog post, which took more time to write, edit, and format. However, once I engaged in doing and completing simpler tasks, I was ready to do something requiring more time and deeper concentration.

Reframe Completion

The other aspect to consider is redefining completion. Specific projects require many steps, and finishing them takes time. Instead, reframe completion as accomplishing one aspect, one single step, or any progress made.

Use Cam’s question to jumpstart motivation. It will help you to:

• Get unstuck.

• Experience the satisfaction of accomplishing something.

• Motivate you to do more.

What helps you get motivated to take action? Is there a question that encourages you to start? How can the “quick completion” question work for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

If you want to increase motivation, activate, or get organized, email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Getting unstuck is possible, especially with support.