Harmony At Last, LLC

July is known for fireworks, long sunny days, ice cream, and summer carnivals. It’s also a time for vacations where the purpose is to (hopefully) kick back and relax.

If you will be traveling, you won’t want to miss The Harmony Travel Planning & Packing Checklists now available for just $9.95 (plus applicable tax). It’s filled with travel tips and checklists you’ll need to plan your trip and pack for everyone from adults to small children and pets. Plus, this handy guide is customizable for your unique needs and it’s available electronically for added convenience. Kid-tested and parent approved, I’ve personally used this for years and am excited to now make it available to everyone who wants harmony on their next trip!

I just read a great article in the Burlington Free Press called “Sustainable Living in the Suburbs”. Tim Nitz’s desire to be environmentally friendly by living a simple and sustainable lifestyle is impressive. The concept of “going green” has been gaining momentum in recent years and Nitz’s story goes well beyond a simple fade.

The one kitchen-size bag of garbage a month really caught my attention. Compare this to an Environmental Protection Agency statistic that in 2006, of the 250 million tons of garbage generated, Americans only recycled only 33%. Sweeden does much better with recycling 85% of their garbage. While the goal of one bag of garbage each month may feel out of reach to some, taking some simple measures to reduce each person’s impact on the environment would be great. I admit, while I am an avid recycler, my family is not even close to this number. This has motivated me to see how low I can go with limiting our garbage creation.

Take action… Does your area have a recycling program? Are you using it? If no recycling program exists, be a proponent of creating one. If one does exist, use it to the fullest extent possible. Form a new habit- recycle even when it’s not “convenient” to do so! If we each take this one step, it would make a big positive impact for our earth.

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s book, “Change Your Thoughts- Change your Life” has proved to be very powerful reading for me. In this book, Dyer includes the 81 verses of the “Tao Te Ching” or “Great Way” with his analysis of how to apply these verses to modern day living.

Verse 11 really caught my attention regarding the value of empty space:

“Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub;

it is on the hole in the center that

the use of the cart hinges.

Shape clay into a vessel;

it is the space within that makes it useful.

Carve fine doors and windows,

but the room is useful in its emptiness.

The usefulness of what is

depends on what is not.”

There is a high value for empty space when it comes to successfully completely an organizing project. Consider typical comments of someone who is telling me their goals for what they want an organized space to look like…

“I want to see my kitchen counters again.”

“I want to have nothing on the floors so it is easy to vacuum.”

“I need to be able to find things easily. Right now there is so much stuff that I can’t get to anything.”

“I just want to make this mess disappear. I can’t breathe when I look at it. It’s too overwhelming.”

In every case, these individuals are desiring more empty space. The amount of possessions they have has filled up the emptiness to a point that the space’s usefulness and serenity is diminished. To reach their goal, they will need to relocate, reorganize, or remove some of this excess stuff so that they can reclaim some of the “emptiness” that they desire.

This does not mean that one needs to get rid of every meaningful possession. Additionally, there are some people that choose to live more simply than others. (Check out Voluntary Simplicity if you want to learn more.) The key is to balance the empty space that they person desires with the need to have their possessions honored and available for use in their space. A truly empty space void of everything may prove useful for meditation although would not be helpful if you are sitting on the floor for dinner because you let go of your dining table! Ahhh… everything in moderation!

Ultimately this verse is a bit counter intuitive although very accurate. A person will feel more “full”, “alive”, and “light” when they are surrounded by a bit more “emptiness” in their space.

I just read a great blog post by Melissa Stacey about Stressful Clutter. She highlights the connection between stress and clutter and provides a few ideas on where to start. I have noticed that people don’t often begin this process until they are completely overwhelmed and stressed about the situation. In an ideal world, one would begin to change their relationship with stuff and clutter before reaching this more extreme feeling of overwhelm. As with any transformation, a person truly has to be ready to begin. Even the smallest step will begin the journey.

Plans can be great… you can schedule appointments or anticipate working on a specific project. Planning helps you think about what you’re going to do and when you’d like to actually do it.

Now enters the issue of “control”. There are some things within our control and somethings that are outside of our control.

When we are engaged in the planning process, ideally we are anticipating things that we can control that would impact our plan if something went awry. We might even develop a contingency plan to account for potential problems.

Even with the best created plan, there is the possibility of something happening that is outside of our control. When these challenges occur, it is up to us on how we deal with them- we can become angry and frustrated or we can choose to embrace flexibility. Flexiblity allows us to better roll with life’s surprises and deal with them in the best possible way that the situation allows. After all, our thoughts are usually not as clear when we are angry, resisting what is, complaining that our productivity is impacted, all because it’s not what we want it to be.

A palm tree in a hurricane can provide a great visual image of the benefit of flexibility. Instead of resisting the strong winds and snapping in two, a palm tree has the ability to withstand the winds by bending. It’s ability to be flexible allows it to survive and to resume it’s stately posture once the winds have passed.

It’s great to make plans. When life happens, let’s take a lesson from the palm trees and embrace flexibility to weather the surprises that come our way.

Julie Cubino recently provided expert insights for the article Spruce Up the Flower Beds and so Much More, by Kristi L. Gustafson. This article provides a lot of great tips on both indoor and outdoor organizing projects. Take the opportunity to celebrate the beautiful weather and spruce up your home too!

Alphabet Soup Part 1… I achieved my Certified Professional Organizer® (CPO®) designation in January 2008 from the Board of Certification for Professional Organizers (BCPO^SM). This required me to have completed over 1,500 hours of paid work experience and pass a written exam. I was excited to be one of the first to receive certification in the organizing field.

Alphabet Soup Part 2… In April 2008, I achieved my Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization® (CPO-CD®) through the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD). This achievement culminated 80 hours of specialized study, training, and directed coaching in addition to passing a peer review board over an 18 month period of time.

Right about now you may be asking… so what?!?!?

I am now one of less than 10 individuals in the United States to have achieved both certifications (and I’m the only one in the state of Vermont). More importantly to my clients, though, is my continued desired to learn and develop myself professionally. I’m passionate about helping people say goodbye to chaos and hello to calm in their work, home, and life. Continuing to develop my skills adds value to my clients every day as I can share new learning and ways to approach challenges.

My clients are my inspiration and I’m thankful for each of you in allowing me to support you on your journey. Thanks!

Julie Cubino was recently featured in a Lowe’s For Pros article by Dennis McCafferty entitle “For the Record, Yes, You Should Consider Hiring a Professional Bookkeeper.”

Check it out to get tips on when to hire a bookkeeper and how to utilize them effectively!

I had the pleasure of attending the 2008 National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Conference in early April. One of the highlights of this conference was being able to participate in Peter Walsh’s “Visionaries for Change” workshop.

In this presentation, Peter spent some time discussing consumerism in our society. There is one point in particular that I want to share with you. He said, “People buy products but invest in the promises.”

What does that statement mean to you?

Whether you are purchasing a pair of jeans, new kitchen cookware, or the latest technology gadget, you are buying more than just the product. As a society, myself included, we are so captured by the marketing messages that go with the product. (It makes sense that the marketing works too. Companies spend a lot of money to hire intelligent marketing people to craft the message that is going to entice us to actually buy the product.)

We believe that the jeans we buy will make our butt look better, the cookware will allow our family to eat meals in harmony like the Cleaver family in the show “Leave It to Beaver”, and that the technology gadget will allow us to accomplish 15hours of work in half the time. We invest in the promises of the products.

What happens when we buy too much? We bring more stuff into our lives than we can utilize, our homes become overfilled, and we cease to have space to breathe, think, or be. As Peter Walsh went on to say in his presentation, “Our homes are filled with products and littered with promises.”

Take a close look at how you are spending your money. What promises have you invested in? Is it at a manageable level or has it become excessive? Are you ready to recognize the marketing influence on your purchasing decisions and release yourself from the need to buy when you don’t really need the particular item?

Picture the ideal balance for yourself as a boat smoothly sailing in the water. The breeze is comfortable, the boat is steady, you are making meaningful progress, and enjoying each moment of the day. The term “smooth sailing” really fits when the balance is ideal. Now think of that same boat sailing in a storm. It’s teetering in every direction and taking on water. You are focused on keeping the boat from capsizing. The term “rough waters” now applies—your overbooked, overwhelmed, overtired, and you are certainly not in harmony with each moment. Complaining about this situation is not enough! When you sense that you are in the “rough waters” place, take a step back to assess what needs to be changed and then actually make these changes.