We’ve all heard phrases like...

“The only thing you can count on is change,”

or

“Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.”

While we understand this intellectually, change, even though anticipated, can be challenging. Sometimes we have to work at noticing something positive in the changes that happen.

This past weekend, my husband and I spent Valentine’s Day in Brooklyn with our daughters. Talk about change. Not that long ago, on a daily basis we saw, talked with, interacted with, and watched them grow. For our family, the stage of being together daily is over. The girls are now self-sufficient adults and living on their own.

As they create their lives and establish their patterns and roots, we have less family time. This is no surprise. It’s how it often is. This is an essential part of them becoming independent. However, even though it’s what we know would happen, there are times when I miss what was and the changes that have occurred. That’s normal.

“I savor this simple, joy-infused moment.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

Instead of feeling sad for the era that's passed, I focus on embracing the changes or moments that are happening now. Our daughter Allison, who was photographing me with our daughter Cassie, captured one of these celebratory moments. In those few fleeting seconds, Allison filmed the sheer joy I felt being with my kids. There was nothing unusual about the moment. We were preparing breakfast together. It was a familiar, yet much missed moment that used to be part of my daily experience – hugging, laughing, and cooking. I savor this simple, joy-infused moment.

Change is part of the human experience. Maybe you’re in the process of making changes right now. What is your experience with change? Do you find ways to seek joy along the way? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

Have you been feeling like something’s been missing? You’re working. You’re working a lot. Maybe you’re working all the time. Your balance is off. I admit that there are periods when work takes the largest portion of my days and nights. While it feels necessary to work so much, lately my balance hasn’t been good.

In an attempt to change the cycle, I decided to give myself a break during the Thanksgiving holiday. I turned my energy towards preparing for Thanksgiving and having the family together. I suspended doing and thinking about work over a five-day period and it was wonderful.

I loved being with my family, especially since it’s harder these days to get everyone together. We cooked, ate, hugged, laughed, talked, and played games. After everyone left, I had a few days just with my husband to hang out, go to the movies and relax.

It was just what I needed, a family-filled break.

How do you navigate life balance? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

We like to think we can do it all ourselves. Is that just me? Seriously though, we’re human. No one can do it all themselves. Enlisting help is part of our experience whether we embrace it or not. If you’re overwhelmed, stressed or just plain tired of going it alone, this list of potential help outlets could be just the thing you need make a change. Which one sounds good to you?

10 Valuable Kinds of Help . . .

Organizing Help – If organizing skills are challenging for you, reaching out to a professional organizer for help can be one of the best investments you’ll make. Why not hire an organizer that you can learn from, work with, and get the support you need to reach your goals? I’d love to help you. If I'm not the right fit, please contact one of my ICD or NAPO colleagues. For organizers based outside the United States find additional referrals through POC, JALO, NBPO, AAPO, or APDO-UK.

Accountability Help – Maybe you know what you want to accomplish, but are struggling by going solo. Enlisting help from an accountability partner such as a coach, friend or colleague to check-in with can be the magic solution for getting there.

Mental Health Help – Many of us live with or live with those that struggle with mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, hoarding disorder, or OCD. Having a trained professional on your help team is essential. The right type of support can make all the difference for you and your loved ones. NAMI and ICD are two great resources for mental health information and education.

Maintenance Help – If you don’t have the know-how or time to make repairs, maintain your home, or renovate, hire someone to help. If you’re handy, go to it, but for many of us, finding that trusted repairperson makes life less stressful so that we can get that leak fixed fast and focus on what we do best.

Momentary Help – Remember the last time your arms were full of groceries, pocketbook and keys while exiting a store? Then a stranger offered to hold the door for you. You accepted that fleeting moment of help, felt grateful, and expressed your thanks. There are small opportunities each day to graciously accept and appreciate small gestures of help. It gives you the chance to pay it forward.

Health Help – Whether it’s a chronic medical condition, temporary illness, nutrition issue, or exercise challenge, finding a professional that can guide and support you can greatly improve the quality of your life. We tend to take better care of our cars than we do our bodies. What type of health help do you need?

Transportation Help – I’m grateful for being self-sufficient and able to drive myself where I need to go, but recently I’ve encountered some situations when I needed help. The list included help from tow trucks, car rental companies, auto repair shops, car services, car dealers, taxis, and my husband to get me from place to place. Case in point- we all need help sometimes.

Financial Help – As savvy as you are, maybe you need help in the form of a bookkeeper, accountant or financial planner. We’re not all numbers people. And even if we are, we might not have the time to handle everything ourselves. This is a great opportunity for enlisting help and delegating.

Compassion Help – Emily Kimbrough said, “Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” There’s nothing quite like receiving a hug or being with a friend who has a non-judgmental listening ear when we’re struggling. Your friends will be there to help when you need them and you can reciprocate the gift when they need you.

Laughter Help– Studies show that laughter is good for your health. It can lower your stress level, improve your memory, and burn calories. Do you need help adding more laughter into your day? How about getting together with friends that make you laugh, watching a funny video on YouTube, or taking a Comedy Improv class?

Help comes in many forms and from many sources. Which of these resonate with you? What are some of your favorite sources for help that I haven’t listed? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.

Did you know that January is International Creativity Month? ICM founder, Randall Munson said . . .

“Unleashing creativity is vital for personal and business success in this age of accelerating change.”

What can you do to give your creativity a boost or fresh start?

There are some surprisingly simple ways to activate your creative thinking. We’re not just talking about being creative to necessarily produce physical works of art. Think about using your creativity to solve problems (organizing included), feel happier, and be healthier. In Shana Lebowitz’s article, 36 Ways to Boost Creativity, she mentions ideas such as listening to music, writing by hand, daydreaming, getting social, trying something new, looking at something blue or green, sitting in a coffee shop, getting someone else’s opinion, and laughing.

In The Creativity Cure: How to Build Happiness With Your Own Two Hands, Carrie and Alton Barron believe that “creative action is integral to easing depression and anxiety and to fueling wellbeing. The need to create–to produce something using our minds and hands–is fundamental.”

My next creative venture is a 4-week Comedy Improv class that begins this week at the Croton Academy of Arts. I’ve taken this fabulous course before and was amazed at what got unleashed. It combines so many of the ideas suggested in Lebowitz’s article including laughter, doing something new, gesturing with two hands, and free associating.

I’d love to hear from you. Come join the conversation. What’s your go-to creativity booster?