Why do you think you have a problem with being organized? Has the problem been with you for as long as you can remember? Could it be genetic? Does it seem to you some people are just born organized and some aren't, and you're one that isn't and you wish you were?
There seems to be a pill for everything and there is one for SHEs (Sidetracked Home Executives), but you don't need to take it, when you decide to get organized just enough to please you. In this blog you'll go on a trip to a place where you'll get organized enough to keep your personal path to joy swept regularly.
Just for a minute think of your home as a ship. Okay, you may as well make it a cruise ship since you love romance, excitement, drama, parties and food. Oh my, it’s a marvelous ship! It’s a beautiful ship. It’s a strong ship. It’s like the Good Ship Lollipop but unfortunately it has been caught in a perpetual storm of chaos and clutter. It has lost its direction and has been tossed and thrown by the winds and weather in the sea of life! Whew!!
Now let’s imagine that the captain (you are the captain with your incredible mind) has just received information (a God Breeze) that there’s some place called the Organized Islands in Always Always Land. As captain, you go on the internet to check it out and read testimonials from other happy travelers who have voyaged to the Organized Islands and love it there. One of them is Steven Sondheim. (Remember we’re using our imaginations.)
There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Waits for us
Somewhere.There's a time for us,
Some day a time for us,
Time together with time spare,
Time to learn, time to care,
Some day!Somewhere.
We'll find a new way of living,
We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere . . .There's a place for us,
A time and place for us.
Hold my hand and we're halfway there.
Hold my hand and I'll take you there
Somehow,
Some day,
Somewhere!As you read the words to the song, did the melody pop into it? (I knew it!)
Next stop: The Organized Islands!
You look at the maps and realize your ship is going in the wrong direction and if you want to reach the Organized Islands, you've gotta turn it around 180 degrees! You call a meeting of your passengers (your emotions) and show them this new information and sing them that song by Steven Sondheim, music by Leonard Bernstein. The passengers are ecstatic! They can’t wait to get to the New World! They’re ready to go NOW!
There’s only one problem; the crew! (you and your family's habits.) See your crew has been used to the storm, the chaos, the sailing around in circles and being overwhelmed by the outside influences of the sea and weather (life). Your crew has to change before your ship can turn around and go in a new direction.
The turnaround will take more energy, thought and action because you'll have to be constantly directing the crew until it memorizes its new set of commands and that takes time. (At least 21 days.) Once your ship gets going in the other direction then there’s not as much to do, however you can’t just point the bow of the ship to The Organized Islands and leave it at that…the waves of life will still buffet the ship around, and you'll have to make adjustments for that.
In steering a ship, it’s really a case of multiple corrections and re-alignments as we sail toward our destination. It
We’ve been raised on Jiffy rice. We don’t want change to take so much time! We want change NOW! You’ll never see headlines like these on the covers of magazines: Bathing Suit Body by June 2020!! or Get Your Home Organized in Just Three Years! or From Kitchen to Table in Five Hours or Learn Persistence and Patience in Four Decades.
Real change takes time. It takes time to learn and time to care, time to give, time to share. . . .oops I started singing and forgot I was supposed to be tying up this blog. Where was I? Oh yeah, it takes time to love your ship and the sea it’s in. Enjoy that time. You would never want to go on a cruise and get all settled and unpacked in your stateroom and have an announcement a couple hours later that you've arrived! Part of the excitement is the ride. Bon Voyage!! See you in the islands! Sometime, somewhere, someday.
My book The Joy of Being Disorganized contains the travel instructions for getting organized just enough to please you. Just click on the cover to purchase.
Love,