Ah-ah moment into my own procrastination

Have I told you I'm taking a course called Zero Procrastination?  I'm taking it to improve my skills in clutter clearing to help others, but you know how that goes...I'm learning a lot about my own procrastination.  Funny how life works out.  Anyway last night before dropping off to sleep I was reading from Natalie Goldberg's book called Writing down the bones.  It gave me a serious ah-ha moment into my own procrastination tendencies.

For those of you who are kindred spirits in procrastination this is for you...and me;-)

   "  Some days you don't want to run and you resist every step of the three miles, but you do it anyway.  You practice whether you want to or not.  You don't wait around for inspiration and a deep desire to run.  It'll never happen,  especially if you are out of shape and have been avoiding it.  But if you run regularly, you train your mind to cut through or ignore your resistance. ...
   "That's how writing is, too.  Once you're deep into it, you wonder what took you so long to finally settle down at the desk.  Through practice you actually do get better.  You learn to trust your deep self more and not give into your voice that wants to avoid writing."
               Page 11, Writing as a practice

Isn't that perfect for clutter and procrastination??? Now I can't wait to feel that moment of resistance and see if I can learn to turn and face this resistance and ask what and why am I feeling resistance.  And then with practice just do it!!!  Ha!  Love it!  

   Wishing you all ah-ha moments into your spirit and soul,
            Denise

A little less tension a little more flow

Yesterday my sister, 8 month old niece and I walked the Seattle Half marathon. Since we had a little baby in tow, we took our own sweet time.   Instead of racing we strolled, carrying baby through Seattle and all the runners and walkers.  With our thoughtful pace we got the worlds best view of the Seattle marathon- they ran right by us!!  At one point it did feel a little like we were in a stampede but besides that. it was amazing

  While meandering, there was plenty of time to wonder and contemplate.  We got to see the beginning and the finish of the top marathon runners and most of the 1/2 marathon walkers

   As you can imagine the variety of running and walking styles were off the charts.  I really started to notice the different postures and gates of the runners and walkers.  Did their style look easy or did it look like the following day was going to be very painful?  Were they fluid or tight?  Did they have healthy posture or did they somehow look twisted or bent over?

  Towards the end of our walk, the marathon winner flew by us.  He was fluid, strong and looked as if he was out for a weekend run and not at the end of a 26 mile race.  His ran with little effort!!  Not everyone's race looked so easy.

   As I walked, I was ever mindful of my own posture and tensions.  When it comes to tension and constriction- less is more.  The same as it is in our homes.  Think of clutter as tension.  Lots of clutter causes stress and tensions in our homes and bodies.  As we clear out the clutter in our lives, our ability of flow becomes more like the marathon winner and less like those who finished- with maybe great toughness, but lots of tension and whole lot of struggle.

When you struggle life is harder than it needs to be.  By letting go of tension, clutter and anything that causes you to tighten up, your life can start flowing.  Your walks, runs and days can start to flow with an effortless and inspiring ease.

May you be blessed with less tension and more flow.  And congrats to the Seattle Marathon winner- beautifully done!!
         Denise

Your home is a reflection of yourself

   After 24 years in homes, I have come to many conclusions.  First of all, there is simply no such thing as a perfect home.  There may be perfect moments but a perfect home is a stressful and unattainable goal.  Some homes are full, some are almost empty, some dancing with people, some are peaceful, some are stressed and some are funny but perfect- nope!

    Have you ever heard the expression, "your home is a reflection of yourself"?  This would be like saying I am a little white house, built in the 1960s.  That is silly- of course I'm not a little white house.  Houses give us a reflection of where we are at the present moment.  I do believe our homes can be great teachers.  I can always tell when I'm too busy or too rushed- I start throwing my shoes in my closet.  When I see a pile of heels and laces, it is time to pause and breath! 

    Just like our bodies we are always in search of balance.  Our homes surround us, keep us warm, safe and let us rest.  Our homes are where we can be free to express our lives and enjoy our families and friends.  Sometimes our homes- just like our bodies- get a little out of balance.  They can get stressed and even sick.  Our homes are living structures, there is no such thing as perfection or completion.  They are every changing and in search of balance 

    Growing up we lived on a farm with cattle.  I always found it funny, that when a pen was empty of cattle it would quickly start falling apart.  Homes and pens need life and movement.  Seasons chance, energy changes and our lives change every day.  Using our homes to re-connect to ourselves is one of the simplest ways of finding our balance.  Using clutter clearing as a way to find your personal balance gives you the added benefit of accomplishing your to-do list at the same time!

  If your life or home feels a little out of balance, pause a second and breathe.  You are probably judging your life and home too harshly.  Take a few minutes and clean out a drawer.  The little tiny act of cleaning out often gives us comfort and de-stresses our beings!

Wishing you a home that nurtures and a life that flows with the seasons.
            Denise

5 minutes of Magic

Procrastination is a form of clutter.  Clutter leads to procrastination.

            They are both sticking points to your energy and flow

In our homes, clutter is really a form of procrastination.  When you procrastinate on putting something away or not making a decision, this creates clutter.  If you have an abundance of clutter it creates stagnation.  This feeling of stuck-ed-ness is really your procrastination holding you back.

  Don't over think this one, just use the law of motion:  An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion.  

 Get your motion back on with this little 5 minute jump start idea by Lynda Wallas-A certified positive psychologist coach.

      "...There is a real magic in simply beginning.  

           How?  Give yourself a 5 minute start.  Tell yourself you're going to start with 5 minutes on the task and then take it from there.  Most of the time inertia- the law of movement - will keep you moving"  

5 simple minutes gives you freedom.  You don't have to continue or even commit to a big project.  Getting started is always the hardest part.  Once started, even if you only plan for 5 itty-bitty minutes, this energy of motion will carry you on to 10minutes- 20minutes and beyond.  

    Give 5 minutes a whirl and discover magic in minutes!!

Wishing you a light load and brilliance in movement!

       Denise

And in case you are wondering Stuck-ed-ness can in fact be a word!!  Maybe not an official word but a good solid discription of stuck energy!  There is no need not to have fun on your journey of getting unstuck:)