The idea of ‘out with the old, in with the new’ is a phrase I remember hearing from when I was very young. I heard it most frequently around New Year’s. At first glance, it makes sense until we look a bit more closely. The New Year allows us to pause, reflect, and decide how we’ll make the next year ‘better’ than the one that just ended. We lean into the fresh start and the hope a clean slate brings.

Recently, a few things happened that made me question the ‘old/new’ saying. As we plan and decide how we want 2022 to be, I propose we don’t completely abandon the old in favor of the new. Instead, gather from the past and the present as you move towards the future. Consider the positive energy from revisiting ‘something old’ and embracing ‘something new.’ Not an either-or situation, but a richness that comes from including both. This can apply to all aspects of your life, be it getting organized, nurturing relationships, decluttering belongings, changing habits, and so much more.

A Case for ‘Something Old’

One of the things I love doing but haven’t done for a long time is baking. Why is that? Well, the positive thing about baking is how yummy it tastes. The challenging part is controlling my portions of freshly baked, hot-out-of-the-oven treats. In the past, the goods were baked and gone within hours and sometimes minutes. Since one of the things I’ve been working on as of late 2021 is eating more healthfully, along with losing weight (thank you, Noom), baking took a back seat.

But then something happened. Last week, we expected a big snowstorm. I don’t know about you, but baking and snowstorms are a perfect pair for me. I felt inspired and decided to bake banana bread with walnuts and dried cranberries and make chicken vegetable soup. It felt wonderful to create deliciousness in the kitchen and bake again. And while I ate a bit more banana bread than I planned, I managed to only eat one (generous) piece and freeze the rest.

The point is that even when you choose to change your habits and not engage in activities you used to enjoy, it’s possible to revisit those older joys and incorporate them in an energizing and healthy way.  Reframing and setting boundaries are your friends! I encourage you not to give up on all the old with the New Year.

A Case for ‘Something New’

We all know the exciting feeling of doing or learning something new. I might fail or do it poorly, but the thrill of ‘new’ gets my adrenaline flowing. Aliveness pulsates throughout my mind and body when I experiment, remain curious, and push myself beyond what I know. Something about the New Year encourages us to think out of the box or comfort zone. 

This month, some things happened or will happen that fit the ‘new’ category. The first one was a cooking experiment I did last week. Yes, it’s another food story. I don’t know about you, but my husband and I love Dave’s Organic Killer Bread Thin Sliced with 21 Whole Grains and Seeds. It’s so good for sandwiches! However, we don’t like the ends. They are small and a bit tough. We also don’t like wasting food. When each loaf was almost finished, I’d buy a new one. I saved the ends hoping that someone (my husband) would eat them. That strategy wasn’t working, as evident by the growing bag of ends collecting in the refrigerator. Then, one day I had an idea. What if I made croutons from the unwanted pieces? How hard could that be?

It turns out it’s easy. I had fun finding a recipe and modifying it. I cut the bread into cubes, tossed it with olive oil and some seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, laid them out on a parchment-covered baking sheet at 400 degrees for 10-17 minutes, and flipped them when halfway baked. Now I have a new recipe, a way to handle those ‘ends,’ and something crunchy to add to our salads and soups.

“Gather from the past and present as you move toward the future.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

The other ‘new’ things coming up are two speaking engagements this week. Speaking isn’t new. I’ve been doing that for decades. But the two situations are unique for me, and I’m excited about both. 

I’ll be giving my virtual workshop, How to Conquer Clutter, for a corporation as part of their Lunch & Learn series. Not the workshop, but the setting is a first for me. I’m grateful to Marcy Stoudt, founder of the Executive Mom Nest, for making this incredible connection.

The other new gig, a virtual Zoom event on January 15th, is open to the public. I’ll be on a panel with eight industry experts who will share tips and strategies for From Staged to Sold in 90 Days! Get Your Home (and Yourself!) Ready for the Spring Market.

I’ve been on many panels before, but never one focused exclusively on preparing your home for sale. I am grateful to realtor Jenifer Ross for putting this event together and inviting me to participate. If you are interested in attending or know someone who will benefit, click here to register for free.

As you lean into your fresh start, what will you carry forward or introduce to 2022? Energy comes from revisiting things we enjoyed in the past and pursuing new paths. You have so many resources to draw from as you plan and create your best year ever. What are you excited about? How will you make the most of your fresh start? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

When we think about how we spend our time, we often associate feelings with describing them further. For instance, we might think about being with the family at the beach as a happy time or a time when a loved one died as heart-wrenching. However, time is not only a container that includes appointments, events, and milestones, but it also is flavored by the emotions that arise. Lately, I am more aware of the connection between what happens at a given period and the feelings that accompany them.

Why does this matter? By making the connection, we can better understand why we are motivated to engage in certain activities yet procrastinate with others. This can help us to get unstuck or extend some grace when we need it most. Our emotions are clues to our inner experience. We might not always have the words to describe what we’re feeling. Instead, we can notice sensations in the body like tightness in the shoulders, a clenched jaw, or butterflies in the belly. These sensations indicate how you are feeling at that moment in time. 

4 Lessons I Learned About Time and Feelings

Feeling Late

You’re right. Late isn’t an emotion. But that uncomfortable feeling I experience with being late is. Due to a series of events and happenings, my blog post is going live today, a Wednesday, instead of the typical Sunday. I could have skipped this week, but I won’t be able to post next week. So, I decided to break from my pattern and just go for it, even though it’s late. But you know what? I’m doing it, but it feels strange. I prefer being punctual and consistent.

My lesson learned:  Stretch outside of my comfort zone. While I regularly post on the same day each week, it’s OK to make an occasional exception to my own rule. That’s being flexible.

Feeling Anxious

Life is opening up again after a year of lockdowns, restrictions, and closings. This is a positive development on all fronts. However, the speed at which things are reopening has created some discomfort. Some of us are ready to do everything at full throttle, while others (like me) feel more cautious. I’m experiencing so many firsts all at once. They include having the annual doctor visits I missed last year, staying in a hotel, eating in a restaurant, being mask-less in public, and entertaining people IRL (in real life!) These were accompanied by trepidation and anxiety.

My lesson learned: Doing something for the first time or the first time in a long time can feel scary and anxiety-producing. However, I survived, and the next time will be so much easier.

“Time is not only a container that includes appointments, events, and milestones, but it also is flavored by the emotions that arise.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

Feeling Relaxed

My husband gifted me a kayaking date as my Mother’s Day present. I love kayaking, and he knows it! What a wonderful feeling to be on the Croton River with the bright sun, warm air, and soothing water. While there is paddling involved, I also spent time in the kayak just floating. It was during the non-paddling time that I felt especially relaxed. I wasn’t trying to get anywhere or exert physical energy. I simply glided gently along the water.

My lesson learned: Even during exertion, you can find relaxation. It’s there in the stillness and the pause.

Feeling Excited

Other than taking a walk around the house or block, many of us stayed put last year- no traveling, overnights, or day trips. We kept close to home with a few exceptions. While I’m not ready to get on an airplane or use public transportation, I am looking forward to some car trips. This summer, we scheduled some vacation time. It’s with excited anticipation that I’ll have time with family and friends at beaches, rivers, mountains, and cities.

I’m looking forward to exploring new and familiar places, face-to-face conversations, and all of the hugs.

My lesson learned: There is gratitude in waiting. Missing provides an opening to be thankful for the people and places I so sorely missed.

Have you noticed a connection between your time and emotions? Do any of these resonate with you, or have you discovered other patterns? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

There are times when you’re on a journey, and certain things begin to connect. An idea from one place melds into a concept from a completely different corner of your life. Something you’re focusing on begins appearing everywhere. For example, if you start organizing, randomly, other friends and strangers share their organizing stories with you. Or have you ever bought a new car and then you start noticing on the road tons of that exact car? This frequently happens to me each month when I write about a singular blog theme. Conversations and observations about that idea seem to find me.  Or do I find them? What we look for appears. How does this apply to possibilities? I’m glad you asked.

This month on the blog possibilities is my theme. Since this is the last post of the month, I’m writing about perspective and possibilities. The idea for this post came from a recent session with my coach. I said something like,

“I’ve noticed a shift that I was feeling open to this process, and now I feel more unsure.”

My coach suggested that I write about that difference.

Then something else happened. I was in yoga class. And just to clarify, I’m new to yoga. This was only my third class. One of the things I love about the teacher is his philosophical life lesson that precedes doing actual yoga. At this session, he was talking about distracting thoughts and the choice we have with engagement. We can move towards or away from them. Then he used the phrase “ocean of possibilities.”  I heard an imaginary bell sounding like, “Ding, ding, ding!”

The two separate situations informed each other. In the context that we all have an ocean of possibilities before us, how you perceive those opportunities will significantly influence your path forward.

Here are some questions to consider:

Does being unsure negatively affect your engagement in possibilities?

Does uncertainty prevent you from experimenting?

Does being unsure make you want to retreat to your comfort zone?

Does uncertainty make you fearful?

Does being unsure make you want to give up?

Is your mindset fixed?

Or . . .

How do you approach vast options? 

Are you available to try something new?

Are you willing to experiment and stretch?

Are you open to not knowing the outcome?

Are you able to stay curious?

Are you able to let go of the result?

Is your mindset one of growth and learning?

Here’s the fascinating thing. I suspect that, like most journeys, there isn’t a single way of being. We go through non-linear phases with twists and turns. So we may have moments of bravery when we’re feeling positive and open to new possibilities. And other times, we retreat because things are not going along as quickly or as smoothly or as  _________ (fill in the blank) as we expected.

Perhaps the thought of expectations puts restrictions on our journey. Can we be open, yet also expect? I’m not sure about that.

In the ocean of possibilities that are present, I strive to have an open heart and mind as I move forward. But I also realize that there will be bumps and setbacks along the way. On those days, uncertainty will get the better or me.  Then I’ll find an opening. I’ll face my fear. I’ll reset and remind myself that out of uncertainty comes stretching in ways I never imagined, like in yoga class. While I don’t know where the journey will lead, I am excited about the growth and learning along the way.

What have you noticed about being open or unsure when faced with new possibilities and choices? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

When we try new things, neural pathways and connections are created in the brain. Last week, I wrote about the “expanding my universe” journey. As you may recall, I’m trying some new activities. The purpose of this adventure is to create an environment for inspiring possibilities to surface that I might not have considered or noticed.

As I collected ideas for possible activities to pursue, I organized them into seven categories, including creative, education, event, excursion, mind/body, nature, and not my comfort zone. Some sections, like education, had many ideas. Not my comfort zone, though, had only one, which I opted to try this past week.

“And its in practicing discovery, we feed our ability to create and soulfulness in our lives.”

— Rohnan Gunatillake

When thinking about engaging in something outside of my comfort zone, jumping out of an airplane, eating raw fish, and being submerged in a sensory deprivation tank came to mind. However, those didn’t make it onto my list because frankly right now, they are too far beyond what I’d consider. Instead, I chose to do something outside my zone that merged stretching with reality.

I went to Spins Hudson, an indoor and outdoor rope climbing activity course with my friend, Joanne. Wearing a harness, while clipped to a wire high above the ground, I walked and balanced over a variety of oddly shaped, narrow, and super-wobbly paths. This was a big stretch for me that required focus, faith, endurance, and letting go of fear and negative messages. While the elevated path crossings were physically and emotionally challenging, perhaps my bravest moment was when I took a backward jump to the ground from a 43-foot tall platform with my harness attached to a single rope. Talk about a leap of faith! Literally, that was one.

In doing and engaging in life, there is learning. There is a possibility for expansion and understanding. From my rope course experience, I had several takeaways that I hope you’ll find useful.

5 Ideas to Expand Your Comfort Zone and Possibilities . . .

1. Respect Your Zone

Know where your line is and find ways to push your limits periodically. What is outside the zone for me might be well within your comfort zone. When I described my rope course experience to one of my friends, she thought it sounded like pure fun and something she’d do without any hesitation or fear. However, she said that speaking in front of a big audience, which is enervating for me, is frightening and entirely outside of her comfort zone. 

2. Reframe Your Fear

When I was waiting to begin the rope course, one of the things I quickly noticed was how many negative thoughts were racing through my head. Phrases like,

• “You’re not strong enough.”

• “You’re not brave enough.”

• “Maybe this wasn’t such a smart idea, Linda.”

• “I don’t understand the instructions for hooking and unhooking the clips. I’ll never get this.”

• “What if the clips unfasten?”

• “What if my hands slip?”

• “What if I fall?”

• “What if . . . ?”

I understood that these thoughts weren’t helping me, so I worked on reframing them with more positive messages like,

• “Breathe.”

• “I can do this.”

• “Use my adrenaline and heart-pounding to move forward.”

• “Take one step. Balance. Take the next step. Keep going.”

• “Stay in the moment instead of analyzing it.”

• “Wow! I crossed my first path!”

• “I am strong.”

• “I am walking across my comfort zone.”

3. Understand Your Ground

Doing the rope course made me realize my tendency to gravitate towards safety, security, and that feeling of my feet planted firmly on the ground. But life isn’t always that way. Walking across the wobbling paths, I was indeed on shaky ground. Uncertainty abounded. Would I make it across without falling? Would my grip give way? Every step forward was unsteady. Only stillness settled the movement. But as soon as I shifted even a minuscule amount, the path would move. When I walked from the indoor to outside course, my feet were firmly on the ground. Despite that, my legs felt shaky, my heart was pounding, and the adrenaline was coursing through my body. These sensations felt like the physical manifestations about the uncertainty in life, in embracing change, and in challenging our limits. At the same time, I derived comfort in discovering that we can find our way forward even when the path wobbles. 

4. Appreciate the Pangs

The rope course had me engage muscles in a way that I don’t usually do. It’s been several days since going on the course. When I move in a certain way, I feel a slight ache in my upper arms or wrist. It’s nothing terrible, but just a reminder that I used different muscles in my body. Those pangs are small reminders that I was open to testing the possibilities. I was willing to strengthen and exercise the getting out of my “comfort zone” muscles. This experience will encourage me to be brave and open to other challenges and possibilities.

5. Embrace Support

We don’t walk through life alone. I recognize that I wouldn’t have considered this experiment, let alone to manifest it without support from others. While we often feel as though we can handle life on our own, embracing help can enhance our experiences. I’m grateful to Jane for challenging me, to Joanne for doing the rope course with me, to Eli for teaching me how to navigate the paths, to my family and friends that listened to me recount and make sense of my experience, and to all of you for reading and engaging in the conversation. 

Do you have a comfort zone pushing experience that comes to mind? What possibilities did you notice? What resonates with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.