The last week of December, before
we prepare to write a new date on each letter and check, is normally a time set
aside to reflect on the year gone by (auld lang syne) and make “resolutions”
for the year ahead: lose 15 pounds, set up a regular cleaning schedule, quit
smoking… and so on.
Before we start shouting out our
declarations, or mumbling them so as not to find ourselves too committed,
here’s a suggestion that offers a way of taking a different approach to Jan. 1.
Rather than declaring what you
will do or not do in the coming year, how about declaring how you want your
life—home, work, relationships, etc.—to be. Sure, we can organize our desks, our rooms and our time to
be tidier, prettier or more efficient, but let’s take a pre-New Year minute to
ask ourselves “Why?” Why set up a
schedule for cleaning and paying bills, start a useful filing system, or have a
closet that doesn’t attack you when you open it?
Put aside an hour this week and
walk through each room of your home.
Stop for a few moments to envision a scene in that room that you would
like to see happening. For
instance, having a glass of wine while chatting with a friend in the living
room or playing a board game with your kids or grandkids at your dining room
table. Then sit down and write
your visions, one for each room of your house. You can even write one for each of your relationships and
jobs.
These visions will give you the
Why for the What that you resolve to do in the New Year. (Examples: I will keep
the living room clear and tidy so that I can invite a friend in any time, I
will put clothing away immediately so my bedroom is a peaceful happy place to
walk in to at the end of the day, etc.)
You can use this list as a way to
check in with yourself throughout 2011.
Keep it in a nightstand drawer or tape it inside your medicine
cabinet. The list will act like a
mirror to hold your actions up to in order to see if they are reflecting your
visions. Ask yourself, “Will this
action help me create the picture that I want to see?” If the answer is no, then whatever it
is might not be something to spend your time doing.
Letting our visions guide our
actions can be the most valuable resolution we ever make, not just for the New
Year.
May these last days of 2010 be
filled with peace and joy for you and those you hold dear.
*Annette Reyman is a
member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO®) and Board
Member of its Greater Philadelphia Chapter. Visit her blog, www.areyofhope.blogspot.com
or her website at www.allrightorganizing.com
or follow All Right Organizing on Facebook.
To contact her for gift certificates, organizing work or speaking engagements
in the Greater Philadelphia area, call(908-361-7105 or email her at annettereyman@gmail.com.
About Annette Reyman
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