During my first career as a professional ballet dancer, I was trained for over two decades to follow directions, to execute exactly the steps I was shown. 

If you tell me or show me what you would like me to perform, I will then learn, practice, and carry out the directions until there is a successful performance as a result.  This is how it was done

Another example of knowing the steps to follow is when we look at a recipe that has detailed directions laid out to make the perfect dinner.  We follow each step which makes us feel sure we will get a yummy dinner.

But what if there is no director telling you his vision and what exact steps to dance to get there?

OR

No recipe to follow but just have a pile of ingredients on the table?

Would you find yourself saying the following phrases/questions

I don't know how to......

I don't know where......

I don't know what........

I don't know when......

I don't know why........

That is the default pattern our brain tells...

Saying goodbye is hard.

Most of us don't do it enough. which is why we have reached a place of  overwhelm in our home, mind and life.  

Let's look at a process for saying goodbye to the things in your life that no longer serve you, that are outdated, and that you don't truly want.

Just a warning- When you declare this intention, you mind will churn out reasons of why you shouldn't proceed. Expect all the "shoulds" and "should nots" and recognize them as expected but unnecessary visitors to entertain.   

The 3 step process to letting go applies to items in your home, relationships, jobs, and thoughts.  

The beautiful prize of following the steps is summed up with the phrase- Goodbyes allow for hellos.

If you want to have a new version of your life, you’re going to have to learn how to say goodbye.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are considering decisions in your home, mind and life.

• Would you buy it today?
• Would you start a...

Does God really care if we are organized or not?

I mean, isn't it trivial to focus on the number of sheet sets there are for each bed?  The mess isn't really hurting anyone, or is it?  Why would God be concerned that our drawers are stuffed to the gills or we've over scheduled ourselves until our patience runs thin? 

Of course he cares!!!! ! The God who has counted every hair on your head and who knows when a sparrow falls from a tree cares deeply about the things that matter to us and shape our lives.

Clutter is a real problem for many of us American's. 

• There are an average of 300,000 things in an American family household (think of every thumb tack and each cotton ball).
• The average American spends a year of his/her life searching for lost items. 
• People do not look at 80% of the papers and information they keep (hello, appliance manuals!) 
• 25% of Americans with two car garages, can't even park their car in there.

If you are a person of faith who...

A little bit of everything is just too much. It adds up so quickly.

Mail is delivered almost everyday and if you order something from Amazon your mail delivery may come twice a day!   How about the plastic bags you get from each store you make a purchase.  Do you have a place for them or recycle them regularly?  Not to mention the build up of art projects the kids bring home.  How can we throw away such precious things they are proud to show us?

Many people believe that if they keep all the good stuff, it will add up to having a lot (which is a good thing, right?). The truth is, it just adds up to too much stuff.

This is true with all things in our minds and all things in our lives.  The reason most people have cluttered lives, that are simply too much for them, is they haven't learned the skill of clarity.  Yes, it's a skill that needs to be built- knowing how to gain clarity.

The great news it that going through the process of organizing...

Can you relate to this at all my fellow faithful moms?

My external world was physically in chaos.  It looked out of control. 

My internal world felt overextended, overwhelmed and over it all.  It felt out of control. 

My eternal world, Thank God, then stepped in and took control of it all.

This is an example from my own life where once my internal world was organized, then my external became organized too.  My story went something like this:

I had so many things on my plate.  We were in the middle of a home renovation, with contractors coming in and out of the house with decisions to be made.  We were living in a mess, a literal construction mess.  My three children were in two different schools, each with different pick up and drop off times.  The kids each had several after school activities they needed to be driven to daily.  I was moving my older parents into a new home (across the street from mine!) and I needed to help them...

Do you spend hours getting lost browsing Pinterest boards, finding pictures of homes, that only leave you feeling envious?

Feel defeated after watching 5 consecutive episodes of Fixer Upper thinking your home could never look that good ?

Have you entered the HGTV Dream Home sweepstakes every year hoping to win because you believe a bigger house and starting new would end your overstuffed room struggles? 

Instead of choosing to pass the time by Imagining what your home could be like, let's started Loving it to be perfect for your family and your life, right now!

It's not only possible to love the house you live in right now, but it feels much better than waiting on a sweepstakes win.

 Here are three ways to love the home YOU have, right now.

1.  Make a gratitude list of all the things you are thankful for about your current home.

Gratitude means to show appreciation and kindness for.  Start appreciating all that you do have instead of what you lack. ...

You need to start organizing your mind before you start organizing your life, otherwise, the changes you make will only be temporary. 

Why?  Because your external life (the amount of stuff you own, clutter, piles, things in your home) is always the result of your internal life (mind, thinking, beliefs, thought patterns).

Have you ever spent a bunch of time cleaning something up only to have it get messy again a few weeks later? That's because you didn't get to the root cause of the mess in the first place.  

The thoughts in your brain will create the reality in your life. How? 

Because what we think, causes how we feel, which drives what we do or don't do.  Ultimately, what we do or don't do, then creates every result we have in our lives. 

So, if we want to organize our life (the result), we must first organize our mind (the thoughts). 

it is vital that you investigate what's going on in your mind.  The first step to doing this is...

 I truly believe life is better when we choose to simplify our lives.    

I don't even know where to start is the phrase I am most presented with from clients who are feeling heavy and strangled by mountains of stuff they own. I see that they stop even before they start. Instead of lacing up some sneakers and just starting with one area to declutter, they run AWAY from the very place that will get them to an organized home, the starting gate.

"The Best way to get something done is to simply begin."

Begin small, begin big, begin by dedicating 15 minutes or begin by setting aside 3 hours, just get to the starting gate.  Next, is the key to getting and keeping the momentum. It's time to discover your WHY behind getting organized.    

A sure way to set yourself up for success from the beginning is to find and hold on to your compelling personal WHY.  Ask yourself, WHY do you want to accomplish the goal in the first place? Why do I want things...