Those scarf “organizers” that you hang in your closet don’t really help you to be any more organized than if you were to stuff all of your scarves into a box and put them on top of the closet. While they do hang together and they’re off the floor and all in one place they still get lost amongst each other and you aren’t able to see them very well. Scarves folded with the KonMari method you can open a drawer or basket and you will be able to see everything you have and it will be beautifully displayed.
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C came to a KonMari presentation I gave at a local library and after learning the fundamentals of the KonMari method she decided she needed some help making her home spark more joy. This was her closet after we finished and she was ecstatic with what he had accomplished. The above pics are the before shots. She’s reported that it feels like a necessity to keep her closet tidy and her urge to shop has dwindled. KonMari-ing your closet can save you money and keep you on track with your new tidying habits! Hello, Everyone! Yes, I’ve done it, I’ve decided to remodel my home! **See our progress below! **Update** 6/18/19 - We’ve been slowly moving forward but today we dug our first hole. We had to prove to the city that the garage is on a 3 ft foundation so that we may turn it into a bedroom. We also got the plans for our kitchen remodel. July 2, 2019 we decided to completely vacate and within 24 hours we found an apartment and a moving company. July 3, 2019 This is what happened to our house just minutes after we completed our move out. August 7, 2019 Another update! We’ve made a bit of progress! Do you think we will be ready to move in in a month? 8/14/19 The skylights went in last week and we will be ready for inspections early next week. 10/4/19 Well.....it’s been a while since my last update of the home remodel. A lot has happened and we hope to be moving back into our home in the next week or two. We are in love with all of the changes we’ve made and can’t wait to report another update when everything is finished. Remodeling a home is very challenging and I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t have a designer on board. My hubby and I thought we could figure it out on our own but we ended up having to re-do a few things (eeek). Thanks for reading and we’d love to hear from you if you’re a diy-er and if you’ve had any fumbles along the way.
Marie Kondo received a lot of flack when she suggested that you "get rid of your books" (and she never actually said it quite like that) but this is what it looks like when you apply the KonMari Method to your books. For some of us, we buy a book, read it, and then keep it on our book shelves (or nightstands, under our beds, in our basements, in the kitchen, in our cars...) However, books are meant to be read, not stored as relics or dust collectors. As a Certified KonMari Consultant, I’m here to assure you that tidying your books is painless and very effective, but for those of you with a sensitivity to tidying books, you may not want to read any further for there are some shocking images following this message. :) Step One: Gather all books from where they are stored and place them in one spot. Step Two: Assess each title by asking yourself, if it’s something you haven’t read, will you read it, and if it’s something you have read, will you read it again. Step Three: Once you have touched every book and magazine you own, lovingly place each one back on the shelf standing upright. Finally, decide where to responsibly re-home the books you no longer wish to keep. That’s it! ***No books were harmed before, during, or after this tidying lesson!** When we empty our bag / briefcase on a regular basis not only does it allow us to keep it tidy, it also allows us to take care of any pending items on our to-do list that my be hidden inside. For myself, I have a dresser by my front door that I’ve converted into an art supplies storage-area and one of the drawers serves as the location where I keep the contents of my bag. I can only tell you don’t knock it until you try it! You will be able to more easily change bags in the AM when needed and it will keep you feeling light and full of joy when you show gratitude for the hard work that your bag endures on a daily basis. Each category has it’s own little zipper pouch that I purchased at Sprouts. This keeps everything neat and tidy and it keeps me from not digging through my bag in search of a single item. Happy Tidying, Everyone!! Did any of you watch the interview with Marie Kondo on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert? You can watch it here. She nails it on the head when she says we all have clutter in our hearts and that’s what needs tidying. This is what sets the KonMari Method far above any other type of self-help method because this method isn’t just about tidying, it’s about addressing your past, present, and future, by putting your things in order. If you open a drawer and it’s full of things that aren’t being utilized, can you imagine what it would be like for you to open that drawer and for it to only contain the items that you actually love and use? Then can you take that one step even further and imagine what it feels like to wake up in the morning knowing you are waking up to get ready to go to your dream job? I know many of you have read the book or maybe perused the book, but I want you to know it is called The Life-Changing Magic for a reason. You can only truly understand what this life-changing magic is all about when you try it for yourself! Happy Tidying, Everyone!! The importance of tidiness in one's home is crucial to our level of joy and overall physical energy. Feeling stuck? Not happy with your job? Want more meaningful social and personal relationships? The KonMari Method is specifically designed to help the individual find joy in everything and it all starts with your living space. So, you don’t live in California where Marie Kondo is but you’d like help implementing the KonMari method into your home? The KonMari Consultant is the next best thing! We are trained and certified in this life-changing Japanese-style of tidying. As consultants, we are required to live the KonMari Method in our everyday lives. Which means tidying our homes top to bottom and keeping up with it consistently. We also take an oath that states we will assist every client with integrity and great care. Please visit konmari.com to find a Certified KonMari Consultant near you! Please join me for another presentation of the KonMari Method and how this profound Japanese-style of tidying can change your life! where: The Peace Cellar, 3494 S. Broadway when: Thursday, November 15th, 6 PM what: Instruction on the implementation of the KonMari Method in your home along with my first hand experience which will include the success stories of my clients. **Bring 5-7 items you would like to learn to fold. Please RSVP to callkateco@gmail.com! ....a.k.a. don’t keep anything in your home that doesn’t make you happy! Why? Because you must make room for the things you DO want for yourself. Holding on to old photos is keeping all the new moments and photo ops from finding you. All of those old books you have that are just sitting there, dusty on your shelves, never to be read again, are stopping you from discovering the new and magical ones. Not only that, but those old books are also not fulfilling their purpose by sitting on your shelf, which can then create obstacles for you to move forward in your life. Some Japanese people believe that inanimate objects have feelings just like you and I do and that everything must fulfill it’s purpose. This is why we give praise to our belongings in the KonMari Method. Leaving the clothes in your closet that you skip over every morning when choosing something to wear to work is a direct obstacle to you finding that beautiful dress or sweater that you will absolutely love. Those clothes you repeatedly ignore also have a direct effect on how you feel about getting dressed and starting your day. Do you have a bunch of old shoes in your closet that hurt your feet or maybe don’t make you happy when you wear them? Yep, you guessed it! Those old shoes you don’t wear are hogging the space in your closet and they're keeping you from finding the comfy cute ones you can’t wait to put on. They’re also telling the world you don’t mind being in pain as you walk through life. Yikes! Are you seeing a pattern? If we hang on to the things that we don’t love or want then we will never discover the life we yearn for. If you want more joy in your life you must make room! Do you want a new career? Are you wanting to travel more? Would you like more time with your family and friends? Do you want a closer view of who you are as a person? If your answer is yes, then you must make room for these things to manifest in your life and you do this by removing the clutter in your home. Here’s a little secret I’ve learned in my own life using the KonMari method, we have to shed parts of our past in order to make room for a new and fruitful future. By detaching from the things we have deemed to be so important we then create more energy to be present and live our lives fully. Try it! Give yourself permission to let the things go that are ready to leave your life. That’s my Mom and Dad and I when I was about 5 years old in the photo at the top. I have a balloon in my hand, and you can tell I was a little squirmy and not able to sit still, but I love that we are all smiling and sitting so closely together. Happy Tidying, Everyone! You must make room for the life you want to live! If you are surrounded by the things you no longer need or want but also want to change things for yourself, then you must become part of the equation by removing those very things that are holding you back. [your home + full of clutter = no room to create anew!] It's time to get tidy for good! Please join me at the Tattered Cover, Aspen Grove on August 18th for a tidy talk on how clutter can affect all areas of your life and how to remedy it. Please bring 5-7 items to fold, a writing utensil and any questions you may have about the KonMari Method!! See you there!
One day, a young man contacted me for some tidying help. He was a bit distraught, for he had just endured a difficult break up. I met with him in his apartment for a consultation and assured him that after we were finished tidying he would find the girl of his dreams. Sometimes the wildest things come flying out of my mouth but they always tend to be true. My team and I tidied the entire apartment from top to bottom and we left him a happily tidied young man. Fast forward a few months later. "Hey, Kate, my girlfriend needs your help getting tidy and packed for her move to a new place," he said. "Sure Thing, L, we'll take care of it!" My team and I helped her tidy and get packed for her new place and she was oh so happy for our tidying expertise! Fast forward almost 2 years later. I'm sitting in a coffee shop and in walks L and his sweet girlfriend K. They were on a date celebrating their 2 year, first date anniversary. How sweet is that?! They chatted with me for a minute and said they needed my help again for they had just bought a new home and needed things put in their place. Of course I said I'd help them! I ended the conversation in the coffee shop reminding him of my promise and he remembered. They are the sweetest couple and they are so patient with each other. So far I've helped tidy the new kitchen, front closet and K's oldest son's room. We have a tiny bit more to tidy and I can't wait to see what happens next for them! Oh...and one last thing. They both quit their jobs and are pursuing self employment and said they couldn't be happier. Cheers to L & K for making their dreams come true!! It is no secret that The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up is in fact magical and life-changing. These past few months I've been helping clients realize how much freedom lies at the other side of their tidying journey. Just yesterday I was helping a client move into her new apartment. She was very worried by all of her belongings not being in a tidy state. Seeing her kitchen items on the counter and totes of clothes stacked in the bedroom and her beautiful art work on the ground and not yet properly hung made her very uneasy. I then gave her a KonMari folding lesson. I literally, right before my eyes, watched the stress and anxiety fall off of her face and shoulders! As she said goodbye to old socks and shirts that no longer brought her joy she became lighter and happier and was practically singing and dancing about in her new living space! That evening she sent a text that said, "Thanks so much for your help! When do we get to do this again?!" That's a success in my book! At the end of the day, the one thing that should spark the most joy is YOU! We finally made it! Today marks the day where I became a Certified KonMari Consultant. I love sparking joy in everything I do, especially when it involves helping others learn to live a life of freedom to be who they truly wish to be simply by tidying their belongings. We had a wonderful tidying lesson with Colorado Home Realty. We had 5 attendees and gave tips on how to make Spring really transform your home and life goals! The KonMari Method truly is magical and everyone left inspired to tidy! Below are my 2 classmates from the Natural Food Chef program that I'm in, they catered the event.
On April 26th I pinned France on my dream-board map as the very first country that I wanted to visit for my tidying business and wouldn't you know I landed in Monaco on the 4th of September. After only a couple of Skype sessions and seeing the general layout of Suzanne's apartment I flew over the Atlantic ocean having really no idea how this was all going to turn out. But after doing this work with so many clients, I knew it would all be perfect! A little background on how I came to know Suzanne involves her daughter, Kate, my client in Denver. I've been helping Kate tidy her home for the last several months and one day while we were folding clothes she said, "Oh how I wish you could help my mother get tidy." When I asked where her mother lived she said, "oh just outside of France, too far for you to travel I'm sure." I practically cried with joy and accepted the job without hesitation, applied for an emergency passport and bought my plane ticket. After 11 hours on several planes from Denver to D.C. to Zürich, I met Suzanne and Aimé (ey-may) at the airport in Nice, France. We quickly said hello, threw my luggage in the trunk and were off to what would be my new living quarters for the next 9 days. We drove about 1/2 hour along a windy road barely big enough for two lanes. When a large fruit truck or van would appear driving in the opposite direction I decided closing my eyes was the best approach. With the most beautiful architecture out the left side car window and the Mediterranean Ocean out of the right, it was very apparent that the inhabitants of this age old part of the world used that view as their muse while they contemplated the design of their coast line. I could barely contain my excitement to be in the very place where I put myself for I created this experience all on my own. Suzanne and Aime's 2 bedroom apartment was wall to wall parquet flooring with built-in's and marble tile and 2 balconies overlooking the city streets of Monaco and the large Mediterranean Ocean. I learned on my first trip to France in 1995 that everywhere you go there is a distinct smell of coffee, cheese and fresh croissant. Their apartment was no different. I spent the first day of my arrival recouping from jet-lag and the very next Morning Suzanne and I caught the city bus to the beach for an early morning swim. This was Suzanne's normal morning routine and I knew keeping things as normal as possible would help with the process of discarding. Still shaking off the jet-lag and with the huge jolt of energy from our morning swim, we had a quick bite of cheese and berries then pulled out every piece of clothing that she owned. Two closets full and a few drawers later everything was laid in neatly categorized piles of blouses, sweaters, jeans etc., piece by piece Suzanne held each one in her hands to determine if it sparked joy. The clothing category extended over the duration of 2.5 12-hour days. I was hoping clothing would take a max of 8 hours but I majorly underestimated. I taught Suzanne the benefits of folding her clothes like pieces of sushi and to put her loving energy into it. We then moved onto books. I felt like a tidying horse that couldn't stop. I was suffering from jet-lag but of course I was determined to get as much done as possible before I had to return to the states. We again pulled everything off the shelves and placed them in neat stacks in the living and dining rooms. Books took another 3 days for I believe she may have had close to 3000 titles. Suzanne was/is very attached to her books. She's an academic tutor to local students and she assists them on maintaining their path to college. After every day of discarding and deciding on what to keep she would return to the keep-piles and discard even more. The tidying at one point became too cumbersome so I had Suzanne sit down in a comfy chair and I would then bring stacks of 10-12 books at a time. Ultimately we didn't finish the book category. She had several books in storage in the basement of her apartment building and we simply didn't have enough time. On the evenings that we ended our tidying adventures early we went out to dinner. The few restaurants we visited were on the water and the views were breathtaking. Our discussions were about our lives and how each choice we made led to the next and I realized all of those choices landed me in Monaco, owning my own business, being a good mother and living a life with a do or die attitude. On my last night in this magical place the sun began to set and as the night lights brightened I remembered to cherish each bite and each moment as if it were my last. I didn't get as far as I had hoped and was actually disappointed that we didn't get her entire apartment tidy. We've talked of my return and we continue to do tidying sessions via Skype. She's admitted she can only tidy with my urging but little by little I know Suzanne will soon be on the other side of her tidying journey. It can be a spark joy life if you let it! I've come to the conclusion that the KonMari method is the only self-improvement program you'll ever need. How can I make such a claim? Well I've been helping people get tidy since 2005 and for me myself it's the only method I've found that actually forces you to face yourself and make life changes that completely shift the energy in not only your home but in your every day life which includes your habits and the way you think about yourself. It's a simple method of tidying and is broken down into 5 categories: Clothes, Books, Paper, Komono (miscellaneous ) and Memorabilia. You must follow these 5 categories because it really is a method and if you scramble it then that's exactly how you'll feel. Scrambled. And you'll be prone to rebounding back to your old ways of untidiness. My client "M" in the above photo was terrified of tidying clothes and even teared up in our consultation when we spoke about it but she knew she needed to do it. On the day of our first tidying lesson she was more than eager to take everything out and place it on her bed. She joyfully discarded items she no longer loved and made sure to try things on that were in the "maybe" pile. At the end of our lesson she was left with a closet that sparked joy! "I love opening my closet. I sit and stare at how beautiful it is and I love getting dressed in the morning," she reported to me. Clients that I've helped in the past that didn't follow the KonMari Method almost always fell back into their old ways of a clutter-filled home. The reason for this? They were more focused on what they wanted to get rid of as opposed to what they wanted to keep. In my perspective, whatever side you focus on when you're tidying is the side that will manifest in your home. This is why Marie Kondo also wrote the book "Spark Joy". You must focus on what you want. As a result, you will manifest more of what Sparks Joy by doing just this very thing. For me personally, I had to tidy my entire home before applying to be a KonMari consultant and I will confidently say that it is life-changing magic. I was a very untidy teen and I didn't do well in school at all. I had no drive, no ambition and no idea how to remedy it. I was also very lost and somewhat depressed and just couldn't find my place in the world. I was an only child and I had way too much stuff but I never realized any of it was connected or that all my parts affected each other. I tried shopping for new clothes thinking that would help fix the problem but I always felt worse afterwards. Now, after tidying my own home, I am excited to put things away because I know everything I own has a place. I also have more mental clarity and my goals and dreams seem much more attainable. Just by tidying I've cleared so much mental clutter that my home will never go back to being untidy again because by being tidy I have the freedom to live my life the way I've always wanted. I'm certainly not a doctor and if you're suffering from severe depression or any psychological disorder I'm not suggesting that this will be a cure for your situation. Tidying your home allows you to let go of the past and focus on the present so that you can start manifesting the future life that you want for yourself. And like Marie says, "try it for yourself and find out." New clients that want to get tidy but haven't heard of the KonMari Method, I let them know that this is the only method that I practice and 9 times out of 10 it inspires them to read the book and to hire me. If you haven't read the book I strongly recommend that you do. Marie Kondo has turned tidying into a science and the equation is you plus your belongings equals the level of joy you experience in your life. You will face moments that make your stomach turn and you'll feel helpless and like quitting. It'll seem hopeless and too difficult. So just start with your clothes first and see what happens to your life afterwards. Most of my clients get the "tidying virus" as I like to call it and they can't stop once they've started. So please know that the KonMari journey won't be easy but it will be worth it. The photos below are of M's closet and accessory drawer after we finished tidying. This new client hired us to organize the garage as a surprise for her hubby for Father's Day. What a great gift for the garage dweller in your life. This space is usually a catch all for the things we don't have homes for and for things that we might use less on a day to day basis. Typically when I encounter a garage, there is usually every tidying category in this one space. Blenders, pots and pans, clothes, paperwork and many other random items that also seem to lack in the Spark Joy category. This is why it is important to follow the categories listed in Marie Kondo's book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and gather all items from every room in your home for each category. Otherwise, you will be left with many piles that will sit until you tend to them.
Garages can be the least favorite project to tidy but I love them. Pulling everything out and getting rid of all the cob webs and dirt invokes a very gratifying feeling. What was once a dreaded space to enter and even think about then becomes a place you treasure. Marie says, "tidying forces you to confront yourself while cleaning forces you to confront nature." We definitely accomplished both during this session and the client was completely transformed when we finished up. It isn't a science I can prove on paper but after watching my clients go through these sessions, there is a major visible change in their presence. Kudos to my teammate, Takara, for she is deathly afraid of spiders and I think we had cob webs in our hair when we left. Something I learned from my own dad, hard work pays off and being disciplined feels really good. The most important thing is to always keep your goals in the big picture. This will allow you to see your hurdles or obstacles as necessary steps to getting you closer to who and where you want to be. Then when you step back, you can be proud of your accomplishments and you will know that the sweat and dirt were the means for that accomplishment and your job or chore truly becomes your reward! Oh and my dad never sat me down and told me these things, I learned them by watching him. I love you dad!! The photo below is what our client left on her hubby's workbench, a six pack of beer and a card. Thanks, K! What better way is there to begin a new life with someone than to tidy your belongings ensuring you both "fit" together? Our new client, M, loves her shoes.....a lot!! And her jeans and her dresses and her leggings and her shoes and workout tee's and her shoes and her.......everything. This lovely business owner will soon be saying "I do" down south in Mexico and we wanted to make sure she felt settled and ready to be a newly-wed when she returns from her trip. She and her fiancé have a house in the mountains for the winter and a posh condo in the city for the summer and M doesn't like to schlepp her belongings back and forth and we don't blame her! The only request by D, her fiancé, was that he didn't lose any of his space in the closet. Keeping this in mind, we had a bit of work to do!
The KonMari Method tidying lesson #1 is clothes, so I urged M to pick only the items that spark joy. As I pulled all the shoes off the shelves she quickly selected several pairs to discard which lacked any spark at all and the pairs she kept, you couldn't mistake the sparkle in her eyes for anything other than absolute joy. She did the same with several tops and bottoms and when she opened the dresser drawers to see her newly folded jeans and workout clothes, she squealed with joy! M showed D and he was happy that she was happy! This method of tidying will change your entire life! We categorized and neatly folded all of her clothes so that they would fit comfortably in their newly designated space and at the end of our session everything fit perfectly. M said, "I'm moved in!" All of her belongings now have a spot and everything is visible so nothing will be forgotten. D was even given an extra shelf on his side of the closet, woot woot!! ;) She was very proud of herself for discarding several items and as we were leaving, D was placing a dozen pink roses in a vase and she was getting ready to pack for her NOLA bachelorette party. Congratulations, M & D, we can already see you will have a life filled of much joy-sparking together!! Where would we be without our mothers? One of the happiest times I can remember as a child with my mom is spending Saturday mornings organizing my room. It's when I discovered my gift. I wouldn't actually realize it for another 20 years but I definitely remember those mornings pulling everything apart and putting it back together in a newly arranged way and the feeling of newness, as if I could be a whole new me. Moving my things around and giving them a new home seemed to give my room new life and energy and it definitely inspired my creativity and gave me a new perspective on my world. Today, I still do the same thing. I think I've rearranged my closet half a dozen times, my cowboy boots that have turquoise leather and flying sparrows on them are now displayed on the top shelf instead of being stored away in their box. I've let go of all the shoes I used to wear to my office job along with all my office clothes. Now when I open my closet, I feel the newness and the possibility of a new me. I love you, Mom, and thanks for teaching me why tidying feels so good! I'm realizing more and more why it's so important to monitor my thoughts. When I don't, I just create the same things over and over. I had the idea for a dream board 4 years ago and I started it but didn't finish. This time around I wanted to love it, so I went to a few stores and decided I would only buy the things that sparked joy and I would only choose images that spoke to my heart. I have a few goals that I'm trying to attain and so I thought I would find images that represented them and one of them is yoga. Lately I've been seeing these images in my mind of doing yoga poses and they come out of no where. I'll be sitting at a traffic light and all of a sudden I'll have a vision of myself in the lord of the dance pose. I know, weird. So I decided to start doing it in my living room and the feeling it gives my body can only be described as love which I guess must be endorphins...I'm not sure. I love how it makes me feel, so peaceful and calm. I will keep doing it and hope to eventually master it. Another goal I set for myself is self-love. Yes, it sounds cliché but when I listen to my thoughts, I can be very hard on myself most of the time which causes my shoulders to practically touch my ears. Another goal I have is to start running again. I actually had a dream last night that I was running and doing 10 minute miles. Next on my board, there is a circle-shaped image of a man and a woman laying in hammocks above a body of water. This is my goal for a relationship, easy, loving and adventurous. I also love to paint and want to master that as well so I chose a photo of Van Gogh to represent this goal. I actually painted the other day for the first time in months and I'm very happy with the result. Self realization is a goal because I'm constantly yearning to find out who I am and what my life is for so I put it at the very top because it's the most important to me. I also included a map of the world and marked all of the places I'd love to travel to not just for leisure but to teach the benefits of tidying as well (getting my passport might help). I chose the word MASTERFUL because it describes my intention for everything I do. I want to master it, no matter what it is. I put 3 of my business cards to remind myself why I love tidying and helping others achieve their goals through tidying. I chose 2 fortunes my son and I found one night after having dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant. The first one says, "A dream will always triumph over reality, when it is given a chance." The second one says, "Make your life an exclamation not and explanation." These came at a very appropriate time and I am listening to their wisdom. I chose a turquoise vase full of pink peonies because both the colors and the flowers are my favorite and they spark much joy when I look at them. I included a drawing that my oldest son did for me. One night after Easter he left little drawings for me all over the house as if they were Easter eggs. They all had loving messages and pictures and I chose the heart he drew that says "best mom". Being a mother is a constant challenge and I need many reminders that I'm doing my best. The last image I chose was of a photo of a chair that sparks joy in a living room that I love, but more importantly there is a picture on the wall of an Audrey Hepburn quote. "She said, I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe the happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles." All of these statements spark joy and I love re-reading them, it's become my mantra. A dream board will help you to remember why you have begun your tidying journey and when it gets tough and you feel like you can't keep going, your dream board will remind you why you can. It's been 2 months since my last blog entry. I don't understand why time is flying by so quickly. I almost feel like I'm being robbed of my memory. My oldest is 10 and my youngest is 6 and no matter how hard I wish for things to slow down, they won't. Does anyone else feel this way? I'm sitting in my living room reading Spark Joy which is the follow-up to Marie Kondo's first best selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's a refresher-course on tidying and it solidifies all the important reasons why it's necessary to get your living space in order. Some of you may have already started the tidying process (did you know she has an app that helps you tidy?) and some of you may have never heard of this book. I'm an advocate of the KonMari Method simply because she requires that before I can receive my certification to being a KonMari tidying specialist, I must first tidy all my belongings. That means walk my talk, practice what I preach, buy what I'm selling. It's genius. I've always felt this way about any profession. You must say what you mean and mean what you say. Otherwise it would be like hiring a dead doctor, paying for a life coach that has a drug or sex addiction, or donating money to a charity that pockets the profit. How does she verify if we are tidy? We must submit before and after photos of each category and if you know about her method you cannot fake it. Now I'm posing a simple question, does your life spark joy? Maybe you don't equate your living space directly to your level of happiness but I'm here to tell you they are woven as tightly as two hands clasped together and are mirror images of each other. You cannot have one without the other. I've had clients look at me like I'm nuts when I tell them that tidying their closet will change their life. I've actually had some clients roll their eyes when I ask them "does this spark joy?" We aren't taught to be intuitive. We're taught to rely on external data. I believe we are inherently intuitive beings and when you listen to your gut you make the best life decisions specifically tailored to you. Oh and by the way, those clients that rolled their eyes, I rephrased the words and said, "do you like this, does this make you happy, can you see yourself using this ever again?" and then they were on board. After my 3 day training with Marie Kondo's team and embarking on my certification I've come to a realization and it's something I originally posted on the very first version of my website about 3 years ago, long before I had ever heard of the KonMari Method. It's very simple.....you must first envision the life you want to live or rather view from the end of your set goal. Whether it be a photo on your bedroom wall, cut-outs on a poster board in the kitchen, a Pinterest page or even inspiring words written on a sticky note stuck to the dashboard of your car. We must have a tangible object that keeps us on track. Why do we do this? Because we must be able to see the finish line. We are all running a race and without a well-intentioned ending point we are merely floating along with no direction, rarely making progress, leaving our goals unmet. In sports, earning a college degree, child rearing, going to work, you have a deadline or an ending point. The quarterback sees the end zone, the working professional knows the date the project is due, the student counts the credit hours and days needed for graduation, the parent realizes they are raising an adult. All of life demands beginnings and endings...constantly. Tidying your life calls for these same beginning and ending marks. But more importantly, without the vision of crossing over the finish line, starting the race holds no meaning. Have you ever heard someone say "I'm really good at starting things but I'm terrible at finishing them." It's because they failed to envision the end at the beginning. You can also call this setting a goal for yourself and once again, without the benchmark the goal is useless. I'm determined to lose 10 lbs and every day I wake up I envision what it looks like and feels like to be 10 lbs lighter and I'm getting closer to my goal simply by envisioning the end result. I have another goal of spending more quality time with my kids and before they come home I envision what we will do together that evening whether it be to put on a puppet show, bake cookies or paint and draw together. When I fail to do this, our evening tends to be a bit chaotic. I have also set a new business goal and it's to create a new blog entry once a month. I'm in the process of writing a book and these blog entries will allow me to develop more content for it. So I guess the blog is the starting point and the book is the end goal. Right now, my goal is to tidy the kitchen and laundry room. If you're terrible at finishing projects, if you find yourself in a living space full of clutter, if you have a job that you hate or if there is one little thing you wish you could change about yourself, close your eyes right now and envision the life you want. Next, put it out there, on paper, on your phone, on a sticky note and lastly, aim. Let's get out from under the physical and emotional clutter and start living! The photo is of my first marketing product. A year or so ago I knew I wanted something tangible to give to people other than a business card and recently I was visiting my mom in AZ and she had a lip balm that had a business advertisement on it. I loved the ingredients so I called the manufacturing company and I now have 500 of them in a box in my office ready to give to new clients. Thanks for reading and keep it tidy! |
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