We turned the page on the first month of the year and have arrived in February. Is anyone else wondering, “Where the @!#?! did January go?” I sure am. Last month, many of us were motivated by the fresh start signal a New Year brings. This month, we are poised and ready to embrace change. What will that mean for you? What changes are you pursuing? Is there a secret to initiating successful change? That’s where this story begins.

It isn’t the first time I’ve written about my love of fortune cookies. Yes. I do like the taste and their unique shape. But it’s the fortune that I really love. To me, it’s thrilling to discover a well-timed message tucked into my cookie. So when we order takeout, I always buy additional cookies- at least a dozen. Because why skimp on fun? Over the weekend, we did just that. When it came time for dessert, my husband and I started eating the cookies and reading the fortunes. Some fortunes were so-so, and others made no sense. But then, I read this one, and I knew I had to share it with you.

“The greatest lever for change is awareness.”

— Fortune cookie

A Wow Moment

Let’s savor that one. “The greatest lever for change is awareness.”  How can we change if we don’t know what we want to pursue, what challenge needs solving, or the next step? The changes we pursue begin with awareness. Noticing might be subtle at first. It could be a rumble, inkling, or a feeling. It could show up as frustration, like the challenge of getting dressed when closets are overflowing and disorganized. Maybe you feel overwhelmed and stressed because your schedule is filled with so many commitments that you have no time to breathe. Change is only possible when you notice and become aware. Change begins there.

Master Awareness Skills

We are constantly scanning our day, using cues to transition, change, and maintain habits. We wake in the morning as the sun rises. The daylight cues us to begin the day. We feel a twinge in our stomach, which indicates it’s time to eat something. We see the snow falling, which clues us that shoveling-time is coming. We see the sun setting and know workday wrap-up is close. We walk in the door and see the bowl, which reminds us to drop our keys in their ‘home.’ All of these things are tied to awareness. Change begins by noticing a distinct cue or indicator. 

“Change begins by noticing a distinct cue or indicator.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Our awareness increases our readiness for change. As you pay attention to the cues to maintain your habits or transition from one part of the day to the next, you develop your awareness skills. Your noticing abilities are available to help you discover the indicators, which will encourage change.

Have you experienced rumblings that might indicate it is time for a change? What have you noticed? What change are you ready to make? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Are you in the process of working towards your organizing or other goals? I admire the determination and openness my clients have as they pursue theirs. Getting organized is a process, which is complex and often lengthy. Goals, habits, and perspectives change as progress is made. Goals often seem so overwhelming in their enormity and so far away, that we can get discouraged. However, like with all things, if we put one foot in front of the other, taking that next step, eventually we’ll get there.

The other day when I was organizing with one of my long-term clients, she said something that was so brilliant. I had to acknowledge and capture her thought. She gave me permission to share it with you. She said,

“More of my life is where it belongs.”

Think about that one. In the process of getting organized, things are almost never where they belong. Our possessions, our thoughts, our habits, and our choices can be radically out of alignment with our values and dreams. It’s spectacular that my client realized this positive progress after she’s been working consistently on these issues.

If you’re feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, or like you’ll never “get there,” know there’s hope. Know there is calm after the chaos. Know that it’s possible to have your life how you’d like it to be.

Just take that next step. Take another. Keep choosing “next.” You will get there.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What next step will bring you closer to feeling your life is “where it belongs?” Come join the conversation.

Last month our conversations were about new beginnings and fresh starts. This month we’re focusing on change. As we move into the second month of the New Year, many of us are thinking about the changes we want to make. Getting organized is often top of the list as are losing weight, getting more exercise, eating more healthfully, and creating a better work/life balance.

Any change that we desire starts with the acknowledgment and awareness that in fact, we want to make a change. After awareness come changes in thinking, habits, and behaviors. For example, I’d like to eat fewer sweets. One way to do this is not to bring them home.

At the market, I saw my favorite cookies. Oh, how I love Tate’s chocolate chip cookies! I wanted to take them home with me. However, once they were in the house, I knew it would be impossible not to eat them. To reach my “eat less sweets” goal, not bringing the cookies home or avoiding the cookie aisle all together are examples of small habit changes that will help me reach my desired goal.

At the end of a recent organizing session with one of my clients, she jokingly said to me, “I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

“I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

— Oh, So Organized! Client

The two of us burst out laughing. In one sentence she identified her challenge and thought of a clever tweak to her article clipping habit. Read without scissors.

For her, the piles of newspapers to read and articles to clip and manage had become a burden. As someone that loves learning and sharing what she learns with others, she often cuts out newspaper articles of interest. These articles become piles. The piles become to dos waiting for action. She recently recognized that many of the articles that she had clipped were outdated and could be recycled.

After spending many days sorting the backlog of newspapers, her attitude about article clipping shifted. She questioned her reasoning for keeping them, the time it took to manage them, and the reality that much of what had been important was no longer relevant. From this awareness, she had the insight, “I shouldn’t read the newspaper with scissors in my hand.”

It’s amazing how one small habit change can completely shift an outcome. So whether it’s leaving the cookies at the market or reading without scissors, it is possible to easily change a pattern to yield your desired outcome.

What about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What small change can you make to bring about the benefit you hope for?

I’m heading to Toronto this week to attend the Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) conference. I’m looking forward to traveling, learning, seeing colleagues and meeting new ones. Mostly, though, I’m excited about the possibilities and new ideas that traveling inspires.

For this week’s post, I offer you a single idea to enjoy and ponder. A quote I collected a while ago was relevant to this month’s possibility thinking theme. For you . . .

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

— Anne Lamott

What becomes possible when you unplug? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation.