Sunday, December 30, 2007

Gratitude and The New Year

As the old year passes into the new, why not take a moment to think about these questions:

- What am I thankful for in my current life - right now, this minute?
- What "gifts" did I receive in 2007 that I will be bringing with me into the New Year?
- What continuing or new "gifts" do I intend to be thankful for in 2008?

During the Christmas holiday, I discovered a beautiful song, Thankful, sung by Josh Groban on his CD titled Noel. What a beautiful expression of Gratitude this is! For a real treat, take a moment to click the link above and view the lyrics and listen to his song on YouTube.

Being thankful for what you already have is a pre-requisite for attracting and creating what you want in the future. This is why keeping a Gratitude Journal has always been a cornerstone of my Designing Your Life program.

Rhonda Byrne, author of the 2007 best-seller, The Secret, has also published a companion journal, The Secret Gratitude Book. In the Introduction to this journal, she writes:

To transform your life, you must find a way of being grateful for what you have now. As you focus on sincere gratitude for several minutes at a time, you will move your frequency to one of the most powerful frequencies there is, and all-good things will begin to appear in your life!

Focusing on Gratitude on a daily basis can take many forms, including:

- Keeping a Gratitude Journal and writing in it daily
- Saying your "gratitudes" as you might say your prayers, every morning as you awaken and every evening before falling asleep
- Include saying your "gratitudes" as you begin your meditation practice
- Expressing gratitude as a blessing before every meal
- Stopping at any moment, as you are moved to do so, to appreciate what is before you and to say "thank you"

I often find myself expressing gratitude through the opening lines of a poem titled I Thank You God by e.e. cummings:

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes...


What more powerful way could there be to usher in 2008 than to be thankful for all the blessings we bring with us into this brand new year!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Practicing Extreme Self-Care: Reprise

The very first post I wrote in this blog was on Practicing Extreme Self-Care. And now, almost two years later, I am circling around to this subject again. Why? Because when you design, create, build, and live the life of your dreams, then practicing self-care and creating potent health in your body, mind, psyche, and spirit becomes absolutely essential. It is the solid foundation of the mansion that is your life.

Henry David Thoreau is quoted as saying, If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; now put the foundations under them. Your health, your vitality, your energy are the foundations of your life. These things need to be in place - strong and solid.

Two years ago, I was just beginning to build those foundations for myself. Today, they are strong, and getting stronger by the day. Today, I can write from experience instead of from theory. Today, I can tell you that focusing on building health in all these areas, especially in the physical body, is the best thing I have ever done for myself.

So, what wisdom can I add to that original article? Here are a few thoughts:

First, fall in love with your body. For many people, that is not an easy thing to do. But it IS do-able. What it takes is acceptance, appreciation, and gratitude. Whatever body we have been given, it IS the body we have been given. It is the vehicle that houses our psyche, senses, soul, and spirit. It is, as some have said, the Temple of our soul. We need to treat our bodies with love and reverence, and take care of them as we would take care of the most precious of places or people or possessions in our lives. As for appreciation and gratitude, it is our bodies that allow us to experience magnificent sunrises and sunsets, music that moves us to tears, the sensuous taste of food like chocolate, the smell of the briny ocean or a rose in bloom, and the touch of a baby's smooth bottom or the embrace of a friend or lover. The more I have come to understand the miracle of having a body with which to experience this world and this life, the more I have come to accept, embrace, nurture, and appreciate my body.

Second, a friend recently shared with me these secrets for living a long and healthy life, and I am passing them on to you. The keys to creating perfect health are these "triple powers": Right Thinking, Nutrition, and Joy in all that you do:

Sickness is not the natural state of the human body; it is a perfect creation of the Perfect Creator. Though injuries must come to balance the wheel of destiny, sickness is a self-imposed torture that should not be. Through the triple powers of right thinking, nutrition, and joy in all that you do, the body should always be in perfect health. (excerpted from Spiritual Living, unpublished manuscript, ©Robert G. Black, 2007.)

Right Thinking means thinking positive thoughts and having positive expectations. (e.g. "I am healthy and getting healthier every day" or "I expect to live and be healthy until I am at least 100 or more".) This kind of thinking is also the basis for the Law of Attraction and the laws of Cause and Effect. To borrow and rework Henry Ford's famous quote, if you think you're healthy (or youthful, or whatever) or you think you're not, you're right.

Nutrition surely is key. I have been learning this for myself these past two years. What we put into our bodies for nourishment and fuel is absolutely ESSENTIAL to how we function on a daily basis and how we set ourselves up for the future. If you don't know much about nutrition, go read everything you can find about it. Subscribe to publications like Nutrition Action or Environmental Nutrition or Prevention Magazine, or Dr. Andrew Weil's monthly Self-Healing Newsletter, or any one of many wonderful medical school publications. Read every book or internet article you can find. [Check out these informative and entertaining books by Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz - YOU The Owner's Manual, YOU on a Diet, or YOU Staying Young.] Talk with a nutritionist, naturopathic or holistic doctor, or any other expert in nutrition. And, if you already know a lot about nutrition, but are not putting your knowledge into action, then what are you waiting for? DO IT TODAY!

And as for finding Joy in everything you do, that is what designing, building, and living the life of your dreams is all about! And here's the key: you must know what you want (and that can be as specific as a "I want to be the author of a best-selling historical novel" or as open as "I want to be happy"), believe that you can have or achieve what you want, know that you are worthy and deserve to have what you want, and then be motivated and courageous enough to actually go for it!

And believe me when I tell you that you don't have to have all the answers, or have all your ducks in a row, before you begin. You just have to start taking action, one baby step at a time towards your dream, and the whole world opens up before you!

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Thursday, December 06, 2007

Designing Your Life: Book Review

Exciting News!

Word of my Designing Your Life program and workbook is finally spreading! A review of the workbook has been published online in Training Media Review. The review, by Mireille Massue, begins by discussing the symbolism of my business logo, the butterfly, as it relates to transformational coaching; it ends with this recommendation and a 3.5-star rating out of 4.0:

Recommendation
Designing Your Life is an excellent workbook offering tools to help you scrutinize your current life and work goals, reformulate them, and transform them into opportunity and action.


If you know someone - friend, family member, colleague, client - who would benefit from using a beautifully crafted, interactive workbook as a resource in redefining their career/life vision, plans, goals, then please send them to my web site or invite them to contact me personally by email at connie@conniekomack.com.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Goal-Free Living: A Book Review & More

Goal-Free Living - what does that mean? Does it mean that we abandon all goals and just float through life like a leaf on a river, going wherever the current takes us?

This is the question I asked my colleague, Steve Shapiro, about a year ago upon the publication of his book, Goal-Free Living: How to Have the Life You Want NOW! (Stephen M. Shapiro, John Wiley & Sons, 2006). At the time, I was holding the autographed copy in my hands, but had not yet even read the dust jacket. When I got home, I looked it over quickly and then put it aside to read when I had time. Recently, I finally made that time and read the book cover-to-cover. And then I could not wait to tell my readers and clients about it.

As a Life/Work Coach, one of the things I do with clients is to work with them on setting realistic, achievable goals, then creating an Action Plan to accomplish those goals, and finally actually taking the actions needed to accomplish those goals. I approached this book wondering, Was this book proposing that people should live their lives without any goals? Or hinting that as a coach I should stop teaching goal-setting and action-planning techniques and strategies?

As it turns out, the answer is a qualified "No". Goal-Free Living is not about letting go of all goals. It's about having some goals but not being driven by them, not being "Goal-Focused" all the time. Goal-Free Living is about living in, and responding to, the moment, being fully engaged with the here and now, being tuned in to the opportunities that are constantly presenting themselves to us, if only we are open to receiving them.

In the author's own words, "Goal-Free Living is about listening to your gut, trusting that you are moving in the right direction, a direction that has meaning for you. You take risks and try new things. You play full out. Everything you do fits with your purpose."

Ah, here's the nub: knowing your purpose. Without knowing your purpose, or having some vision of a possible future, we would indeed drift.

And in addition to knowing your purpose, I would add, knowing yourself - your skills, talents, strengths, interests, personality style, cognitive style, values, dreams, wishes, aspirations and especially your overarching life purpose. And to this mix, I would also add identifying your passion - that thing, or things, that ignite(s) your energy, imagination, and drive - and letting these factors guide your journey through life.

Use a compass, not a map. This, Shapiro writes, is the first of his eight secrets for living a goal-free life. I interpret this secret, or guideline, to mean using your purpose, passion, and self-knowledge as Aspirations (Shapiro's term) or Mega-Goals (my term) - goals that set the tone or theme of your life. These become the Compass. A Map, in this context, would be a set of specific and detailed goals leading ultimately to fulfilling your purpose and vision in a specific, predetermined way.

For example, suppose your overriding life purpose was "to make a difference". This purpose would become the Compass of your life. And in all you do, making a difference would be the aspiration or mega-goal. Let's suppose, then, that you developed a very specific vision of how you would lead your life in response to that purpose. Perhaps you set a course for a career in health or politics or social justice, for example. And then, you created an action plan that led to to fulfilling that vision - a plan that perhaps contained very specific and focused action steps for reaching that goal. The Action Plan would become the Map.

The Goal-Focused approach would be to follow that Map with much intention, which would lead to achieving your very specific vision. The Goal-Free approach, on the other hand, would be to hold "making a difference" as your aspiration, or mega-goal, and then live your life in the present moment with your ear to the ground, open to all the possibilities you might encounter that would result in making a difference. This approach leaves you open to many more possibilities in terms of expressing and living your purpose, but also can create distraction, lack of focus, and confusion.

The way I look at it, there is value in each approach, and some people are more suited to one approach than the other. The Goal-Focused approach is a more logical, rational, analytical, step-by-step approach to creating a life. It is more suited to people who are primarily "left-brained" in their cognitive or personality style. The Goal-Free approach is a more creative, intuitive, multi-layered approach, and is more suited to those who are primarily "right-brained" in their cognitive or personality style. And, then, there is always the possibility of blending the two styles, or moving back and forth between them as the situation requires.

The author of Goal-Free Living shares eight secrets for living a Goal-Free life. So far, we have explored only one. What are the other seven secrets? Perhaps we will explore these in a future blog. Meanwhile, feel free to contact author Stephen Shapiro for the answer to that question or to order the book online through Amazon.com.

Meanwhile, what is your Compass? Your overriding life and/or work purpose? How might you use your purpose, your passion, and your unique gifts and talents as your compass in a goal-free life and change (improve) the quality of your life?

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Plan To Be Surprised

Last evening I saw a delightful movie - the newly released Dan in Real Life. Dan Burns (superbly played by Steve Carell) is a widower and the father of three girls, ages 8 to 17. He is also the writer of a "Dear Dan" - type newspaper column in which he dispenses advice on relationships and family life - advice he doesn't always heed himself. I'll forgo discussing the storyline so that you might have the pleasure of seeing it unfold for yourself. But this, I'll share. In this movie, there are some wonderful one-liners, and one that stood out for me was the very last line of the movie: Plan to be surprised.

As a Career/Life Coach, some of my work with clients is around planning. It's often about identifying your ideal life and/or career, then setting goals and designing a plan of action, and finally taking actions that will lead you to your goal(s). This is equivalent to setting a destination in sailing and then plotting a course for how you will get there, depending upon the wind direction, the chart of the waters, the tides and weather, and any other known obstacles or considerations. Or it's like choosing a travel destination for a vacation and then mapping out all the sights you plan to see while there or en route.

But as most boaters or travelers know, "stuff happens". The "best laid plans of mice and men" do go astray sometimes. What happens when Life throws you a curve? When something unexpected comes your way? And I'm not just talking about unpleasant surprises here, but also about pleasant surprises - wonderful surprises - surprises beyond, or different from, your wildest dreams. What then?

Take vacations, for example. Sometimes the best things that happen are the unplanned ones. Another movie comes to mind: Under the Tuscan Sun. If you have seen the movie or read the book, you know that Frances, the heroine, takes a tour of Tuscany, at the urging of her friends, in order to get over a painful divorce. But during a planned tour stop in a small village, Frances sees a flyer about a house for sale. She impulsively checks it out and her whole life changes - in good ways - in ways she couldn't have imagined when she began the tour or even when she bought the house.

I believe in visioning, goal-setting, and planning. I also believe in flexibility and in being open to the new possibilities that are presented to us at unexpected moments in life. In sailing, you must have a destination and must plot a course in order to have a direction and gain some momentum. However, as a sailor, you also know that any number of events could arise to throw you off course, and you need to be prepared for that. Sometimes you end up at a more desirable destination. Sometimes you're shipwrecked. Sometimes you're just stalled in the water for a while until you choose a new course.

So, for me, the approach I choose to take to Life and to coaching is paradoxical. My approach is to dream, to set goals, to plan, to follow your bliss and at the same time to pay attention, to live fully in the moment, and to allow your bliss to take you in unexpected directions. In other words: Plan to be surprised.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Don't Wait. Carpe Diem!

Carpe Diem. Latin for "seize the day".

This is written especially for the procrastinators out there (me included).

Three recent events in my life have converged like a perfect storm to bring home to me the importance living life full out in every moment, hitting all the high spots, and not letting the important stuff slide.

The first event was attending portions of a Buddhist retreat that was held down the street from me in my home town of Rockport, Massachusetts this past August. Though I did not attend the whole retreat, and did not experience this firsthand, I did hear that the teacher, Lama Marut, led participants in a long guided meditation on death. The purpose of doing this meditation, as I understand it, is to face and finally accept the inevitability of one's own death so that one can release the fear and begin to really live - fully and in every moment. One of the things you realize through doing this meditation is that death could come at any moment, ready or not, whether we are young, old, or in between. The purpose of this death meditation is, ultimately, to end suffering and to bring happiness to yourself and to others. [This description is a vast oversimplification, but it will have to do for now.]

The second event was hearing the description of a trip to France, recently undertaken by two friends, John and Jo Leal. They spent most of their three-week trip in the countryside near the village of Turenne, but spent the last two and a half days in Paris. This got me thinking about what happens when we take a trip to an unfamiliar location, especially to a destination hot spot like Paris. What happens when we try to see, do, experience everything in such a short space of time? We have a long list, perhaps, of what we want to see and do - tourist spots, scenic beauty, fine dining, couture clothing, eating croissants in a cafe, practicing our French, immersing ourselves in the culture; the list could go on and on. In a situation like this, most of us go for it full out. We pack it all in. We extract every drop we can from every moment. As my friend Betty would say, we "live juicy".

I put this together with the lesson of the death meditation and thought, why can't we live every day as if we only had two days in Paris? There is something about the way we throw ourselves into life when we are traveling, especially to unfamiliar and exotic foreign destinations, that brings us into the present moment, heightens our awareness and our appreciation of our surroundings, and enables us to let go, experience life fully, and "live juicy".

The third event happened just a week ago. A beloved family member died unexpectedly when he was hit by a van while walking his dog. This event brought it all home. We don't know when or how the end will come. Sometimes, as the TV ad says, life (or death) comes at you fast. As I sat in the service, I thought about Dick and about other people who have exited my life, via death or in other ways, before I had the chance to learn who they really were or to say all the things I would like to have said. I procrastinated. I thought there would be plenty of time. I waited too long.

Today, I decided to do the following things: (1) To make a list of all the people still living with whom I had unfinished business or had not communicated with in a timely way and to contact them as soon as possible. (2) To make a "Life List" - something I often suggest for my coaching clients but had not yet done for myself - a list of all the things, large and small, that I would like to do before I die. And then, to start doing them, with intention and passion.

As to item #1, I have already phoned and talked with two people on my unfinished business list; I still have several to go. It felt good to reach out and take that step.

Today, I began thinking more like a Buddhist. What if today were the last day of my life? What would be the most important thing I could do with my time today? What things would I absolutely not want to leave unfinished? Perhaps it wouldn't matter if my house wasn't clean or my office wasn't organized or I hadn't completed every business task I'd set out for myself or even if all my "papers" were in order. Perhaps what would be most important might be taking an early morning walk and saying hello to the ocean, or expressing the gratitude I feel to be living in such a beautiful spot on this earth, or phoning to wish a friend bon voyage on an upcoming trip, or phoning to express appreciation for the generosity of an ex-husband, or apologizing to a friend whose feelings I had inadvertantly hurt, or telling my son and daughter-in-law and granddaughter (and other dear ones in my life) that I love them with all my heart, or writing something from the heart, like this piece, that might inspire or support another person.

So, here's my bottom line: Live like you only had two days to spend with your beloved in Paris or live like this was your last day on earth, but above all, "live juicy", finish your unfinished business, DO IT (whatever "it" is) NOW, and Carpe Diem!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Letting Go Experiment: Month 16

The Letting-Go Experiment I started in June of 2006 is now in its sixteenth month. When I originally began this experiment, I intended it to go for a year. The idea was born out of a desire to visually de-clutter my home, and especially my office, and to prepare for an eventual move. I simply did not want to have to move any unnecessary or unwanted stuff to a new place. The move still has not happened, and this is a good thing, since I still have way more "stuff" than I need or want.

From the beginning, the Experiment was intended not only to apply to material things but also to non-material things, such as thoughts, beliefs, habits, behaviors, and the like. It also covers things in the realm between material and non-material, such as body weight and subscriptions of various kinds.

In the non-material realm, I am happy to report that I have released 26 pounds of body weight (so far), 3 subscriptions, and some non-productive thoughts and behaviors.

Of the 464 "things" I have released beginning June 10, 2006, approximately 90% fall in the material realm. This means that I have released from my possession approximately 418 items. Why then, do my rooms, drawers, cupboards, and closets seem as full, and sometimes as cluttered, as they did when I began the experiment? [And the answer is NOT that I replaced them with other things, because for the most part, I did not.]

The answer came to me recently while watching Wayne Dyer's newest PBS show, based on his book Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao. I heard him mention this statistic: The old 80/20 rule applies to our possessions in that we only use about 20% of the material things we own. The other 80% are superfluous. This statistic blew me away, and reinforced my desire to stay with this Letting-Go Experiment.

Chinese Feng Shui practitioners tell us that the excess stuff we have around us blocks the flow of chi (energy) through our homes and lives. It uses up space that we could use for new things (material and non-material) to come in. It distracts us from tasks we need to do and from contemplation and other inner work. Suddenly, I could see why backpacking and old-fashioned tent camping have such appeal, as does the old Japanese way of living in wood-and-paper houses with minimal necessities.

All this was brought home to me about a week ago, when at 5:30am I was jolted out of a deep sleep by the fire alarm going off in our condo-ized apartment building. I am on the top floor, and the fire escape routes aren't great, so I quickly put on some street clothes over my p.j.'s, frantically searched unsuccessfully for my cat (who had hidden behind a heavy bookcase where I could not reach her), then grabbed my keys and purse and headed downstairs and outside.

Fortunately, this was a false alarm. But in that space of time before knowing that there was no fire, I thought about all I might lose. And very little of it mattered. First and foremost, I was alive, and my life mattered the most. The other things still in my apartment that did matter to me were my cat, my computer and business records (the heart of my livelihood), and my photos (especially old ones of past generations of family and new ones of my son's recent wedding). I quickly realized that almost everything else could be replaced, and that this was an amazing experiment in letting go. Most of all, I realized that although I appreciate and enjoy many of my things, I am not overly attached to any of them. In some ways, starting over from scratch held some appeal, like starting a brand new painting on a blank canvas - an opportunity for something new to be created.

Since that day, I have decided that this Letting-Go Experiment is no longer a time-dated project, nor is it any longer an "experiment". It has become a way of life. And I will continue to release unnecessary or unwanted stuff from my life - material and non-material - until I am left with the approximately 20% of "stuff" that really does matter in my life.

If you could only keep 20% of your material possessions, what would you keep? Or, if you were exiting a burning building and could only bring with you what you could carry [excluding people, whom we will assume will also get out safely], what would you bring with you?

Food for thought.

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Although this blogsite is not set up to be interactive at this time, please feel free to email me with your comments:

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Thursday, August 16, 2007

How Do CRAMPS Relate to Goal-Setting?

What is a Goal?

A Goal is the ongoing pursuit of a worthy objective until it is accomplished. [from The Power of Focus, by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt, 2000.]

In the world of goal-setting, it is important to understand how to create an effective goal, a goal in which Success is the end result.

In my previous blog (Mega-Goals, Mini-Goals, and Office Organization, July 23, 2007), I described a goal-setting method called Setting SMART Goals.

Let's review the SMART goals model and then explore a new one - the CRAMPS model.

The model of setting SMART goals has been used by coaches for many years now, and it incorporates many of the qualities of successful goal-setting. SMART goals are:

S = Specific

M = Measurable

A = Achievable

R = Realistic

T = Time-framed

The CRAMPS model is one that I developed a few years ago for my goal-setting workshops. This model incorporates all the qualities of SMART goals and adds a few more that refine the goal-setting process even more and build in an even higher probability for success. Although the CRAMPS acronym is not nearly as elegant or as sexy as the SMART one, it IS memorable, and that is what is important.

So, a CRAMPS goal is:

C = Clear (Specific. Simply and clearly stated. One concept at a time.)

R = Realistic (Is this a realistic goal for me?)

A = Attainable (At all? Within the specified time frame? Am I willing to do what it takes?)

M = Measurable (Usually includes numbers and measures; always time-related.)

P = Positive (Framed in positive language; states what you want, not what you don't want.)

S = Supported (By you and by selected other people and/or other resources.)

How could the CRAMPS model help you to set more effective goals in your work or personal life?

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Monday, July 23, 2007

Mega-Goals, Mini-Goals, and Office Organization

Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are small and very doable in the allotted time frame. Other times, the goals we set for ourselves are huge - complex and often time-urgent. These I call Mega-Goals. Usually a Mega-Goal involves a big life change. Examples: deciding what to do after graduation, selling and/or buying a home, relocating to another part of the country, beginning or ending a significant relationship, changing jobs or careers, preparing for retirement.

When faced with a Mega-Goal, it is easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged. And the typical response to this kind of overwhelm, in addition to frustration and fatigue, is often either to procrastinate or just shut down and back away from the project altogether.

This feeling of overwhelm is something I experienced recently at the end of my year-long Letting-Go Experiment. I had completed my 365-day experiment of releasing one material or non-material item per day. I felt very proud of my accomplishment. However, my major reason for starting this experiment in the first place was still staring me in the face. My office! While the other rooms and storage areas in my home now had been relieved of their excess clutter, my office had not.

I need to begin this story by saying that, typically, organization is one of my strong points, my skills. I like my living space to be clean and uncluttered. The state of my office for the past couple of years has been atypical.

One room in my small home is totally dedicated to my office. While once there had been a futon in my office to accommodate overnight guests, this was now long gone. On every wall, there are bookcases, filing cabinets, or desk surfaces, and all overflowing with stuff. There are also several extra storage bins and boxes jutting out into the room. While some of the clutter involves having too many books, magazines, and working notebooks, most of it involves - what else! - too much loose paper!

Piles of paper cover every surface in my office. Mail - a lot of mail!- (most of it junk, but occasionally something valuable), computer printouts, files waiting to be filed, notebooks full of notes from various conferences, and all sorts of miscellaneous bits and pieces of paper - scraps with important notes or phone numbers. My numerous filing cabinets (I count 15 filing cabinets of various sizes) are crammed with paper, which is one of the reasons why there is so much stuff on the surfaces.

When the computer first became the primary home office tool, one of the selling points was that it would cut down on paper files. In my experience, this has not turned out to be the case. After two or three disastrous computer crashes involving total wipe-outs of my C-Drive in a three-year period, I no longer depend on back-ups. Despite the fact that I do an automatic nightly backup of my C-Drive onto a separate drive, I still keep my important documents in paper form as well. I also print out lots of information from the Internet for my personal or professional research, because I'm not confident that I'll be able to find it again on the web if I go to look for it again down the road.

So, ever since I began my Letting-Go Experiment, in June of 2006, I had my eye on the ultimate prize - a clutter-free, highly functional office. The year came and went and the office was still cluttered and dysfunctional (and my business reflected this in some ways). So, I decided that de-cluttering my office would become my summer project. Well, not my "summer project" at first. My first goal was to complete the project in one week in June. I barely made a dent that week. Then the deadline was changed to the end of June. Then, the end of July. And a few days ago, I re-vamped this deadline once again.

Why? Because this is a project that kept throwing me into overwhelm. Every time I began, one thing led to another, such that nothing really got completed. I might work on the project for several hours and then feel as though I had nothing to show for my efforts. Office organization was on my To Do List every day, but I began to find myself procrastinating. I'd do anything else rather than tackle my office - clean out a closet, take a walk, do errands, read a book, take myself off to a movie, even pay bills (something else "painful" but yet less painful than organizing my office).

Finally, I decided to coach myself through this situation. If I were working with a client who had this challenge, what approaches might I suggest?

First, I asked myself, "Other than the obvious physical mess, what else might be blocking your efforts to clean this place up?"

Eventually, I got to the underlying emotional block. For the past year, I have been thinking about re-designing my business and taking it in some new directions. But I wasn't ready to make the decisions or the changes. So, my energy has been conflicted and scattered, and my office was reflecting this. And, I was hanging on to all my stuff, even things that were seriously outdated, "just in case" I might need them in a new endeavor. However, even though I now recognize that I am in transition in my business, and still have not made any firm decisions, I have come to understand that I cannot function well in chaos and I need to get my "career house" in order.

Next came the understanding that this office project is a large and complex one. I had been treating "de-cluttering my office" as a mini-goal, where in fact it is a Mega-Goal. I began to understand and accept that I could not complete this project in one day or one week or even one month unless this were a full-time job (which it cannot be).

So, then I did what I would encourage my clients to do with this Mega-Goal: I CHUNKED IT DOWN. [This is the main tip in this article!]

On my computer, I set out my Mega-Goal (De-Clutter and Organize My Office). Then I began breaking this Mega-Goal down into mini-goals: projects I could accomplish usually in 30 to 60 minutes - a few might take longer. I looked around my office in a circular direction and identified, listed, and defined each mini-project. Next to each, I put a check-box so that I could easily check each one off as it was completed. Altogether, this project chunked down into 50 mini-projects!

Almost immediately, I felt a sense of relief, and a relaxation of the muscles in my neck and upper back. I did not have to do everything at once. And I could experience a sense of accomplishment for each mini-goal along the way: 50 wins instead of just one!

I also gave myself a different timetable - a minimum of one mini-project a day. Some days, I only have time for one, but I can always find a half-hour to do a little one. Other days, I have time for two or three, or a more time-consuming one. A few, like sorting through old piles of mail, I can do while watching TV at night. So now, I have a more realistic and reasonable time goal: 50 days. Most likely, I will be done ahead of schedule.

Coaches often work with clients on creating SMART goals, these being ones that are:
S = specific
M = measurable
A = attainable
R = reasonable
T = time-related

Chunking this large goal, which was not SMART, into 50 mini-goals that are SMART, is already making all the difference.

So far, I have completed 5 of the 50 mini-projects, or 10% of my goal. Slowly, surfaces long-hidden are reappearing, and I am finding things I thought I'd lost. On the first day, I uncovered a refund check for $73.09 - found money!

And, best of all, my business is beginning to pick up. By about 10%, I figure. This would not come as a surprise to a Feng Shui practitioner, but it did to me - a very pleasant and welcome surprise. I can't wait to see what my business looks like in 50 days!

What is your next big project or Mega-Goal? How are you going about it? It gets much easier if you take it one small chunk at a time.

If you have had experiences similar to this one, I would enjoy hearing from you. And if my story has given you some ideas about how to approach a project that seems overwhelming to you, I would love hearing about that too.

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Year-long Letting Go Experiment Has Ended! Or Has It?

June 10th, 2007 marked the end of my 365-day Letting Go Experiment. During that time, I released from my life, on average, one material or non-material item each day - or a total of 365 items!

Here's how I set up my experiment:

1. I kept a log, and recorded what I released and where it went.

2. I defined "items" as "mostly material things, but could also mean habits, behaviors, limiting beliefs, subscriptions, services, or even pounds of body weight".

3. I defined "Letting Go" as "selling, giving away, or disposing of the item, or stopping the beavior on a permanent basis".

4. I created a set of "rules" or guidelines:

A. Material items include: furnishings, household items, clothing, books, cosmetics and toileteries, weekly or monthly magazines, unopened food packages (or opened food packages that were sabotaging my healthy eating habits).

B. Material items do not include: daily newspapers, mail, junk mail, miscellaneous office papers (unless these are whole files, filled notebooks, or a full trashbag of said papers), most opened food packages or spoiled food, any normally disposable item (e.g. disposable razors and the like).

C. A pound of body weight does not qualify as an "item" until and unless the weight has been off for at least a month and is in connection with an intentional weight reduction program or process.

Now, for those of you who are interested in the details of this experiment, here are some stats I gleaned from my log, in terms of categories of items released:

*Books: 26
*Magazines: 66
*Cassette tapes: 31
*Papers/Paper Goods: 17
*Household items: 31
*Clothing & Accessories: 101
*Cosmetics/Sundries/Medications: 25
*Food & Supplements: 30
*Children's Stuff/Games: 4
*Office Supplies: 8
*"Big-ticket" items: 2
*Pounds of body weight: 10
*Other non-material items: 14

Perhaps the most interesting results are the non-material ones. The ten pounds of body weight are the result of my first six weeks on Weight Watchers. I have now let go of five more pounds, with quite a few more to go. Other releases included closing two credit card accounts and one magazine subscription, removing my name from a mailing list, and resigning from a project that was not working for me. Perhaps the biggest "letting go item" for me was releasing any residual feelings of anger or upset I may have been carrying towards my mother. (This was described in a previous blog, Letting Go Experiment: Month 11.)

This experiment brought me two major insights. The first one may not be a surprise to some of you: the physical act of letting go of clutter or other extraneous material items also had the effect of helping me to clear my mind and to release non-material attitudes, beliefs, emotions, behaviors, and the like that were also no longer serving me. I find that I have released some non-productive thoughts, expectations, beliefs, and behaviors that I haven't even recorded in my log, and this has truly been the best benefit of all.

The second insight is that although 365 items sounds like a lot of stuff, it's really not. I live in a relatively small space, and yet when I look around, my space does not appear any different than it did a year ago when I began this experiment. [And I have not added anything to replace what was released.] There are lots more books, magazines, tapes, kitchen items, clothes, knick-knacks, and stuff in storage closets still to be released. And one big project has not yet been started - the de-cluttering of my office. This is my next big push.

Most of all, letting go of all this stuff has given me room to breathe more deeply - both metaphorically and physically. I feel it in my body as a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual release. In general, my attitude this year has become lighter, more relaxed, more peaceful, more joyful. My health has improved, as have other areas of my life.

And so, I have decided to extend this experiment for another year, or as long as it takes to truly clear the material and non-material clutter from my life. Stay tuned!

I hope the sharing of this experiment has inspired you to let go of the "stuff" in your life that is no longer serving you. If you would care to share your letting-go experiences, I would love to read them.


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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

What's in a Name (or a Title)?

Have you ever noticed that the titles of some self-help books can be a lesson in and of themselves? I buy a lot of books, including self-help books, and many have great titles. But there are a few whose titles so skillfully capture the author's message that you don't even have to read the books in order to integrate the author's wisdom in a deep and powerful way. Here are ten of my favorites. May their title messages empower you!

I'm O.K. - You're O.K. (Thomas Harris, Harper & Row, 1969)

Love is Letting Go of Fear (Gerald Jampolsky, Celestial Arts, 1979)

Don't Push the River (It Flows By Itself) (Barry Stevens, Real People Press, 1970)

Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow (Marsha Sinetar, Paulist Press, 1987)

Do What You Are (Paul Tieger & Barbara Barron-Tieger, Little, Brown, 2001)

Happiness is a Choice (Barry Neil Kaufman, Ballantine, 1991)

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (Richard Carlson, Hyperion, 1997)

Relax, You're Already Perfect (Bruce Schneider, Hampton Roads, 2002)

How You See Anything is How You See Everything (Gail Van Kleeck, Andrews McNeil, 1999)

Simplify Your Life (Elaine St. James, MJF Books, 2001)

And if you want to delve beneath the surface of these wonderful titles, they would all make great summer reading. Enjoy!

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Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Monday, May 28, 2007

Letting Go and Suze Orman

What does letting go of material clutter have to do with creating wealth? Here's what I learned from Suze Orman.

The other day, I picked up and began reading Orman's book The Courage to Be Rich: Creating a Life of Material and Spiritual Abundance (Riverhead Books, 1999, 2002). I didn't get too far into it before I encountered Chapter 3, The Courage to Make Room for More Money. Immediately, Orman began introducing the concept of clearing away material clutter in order to make room for more abundance of every kind, including financial abundance. Because her discussion fits so well with my 365-day Letting Go Experiment, I paid particular attention to this chapter.

Orman talks about how clutter in our lives creates obstacles to financial wealth in a variety of ways:

--First of all, the material things we have purchased that we do not use represent money that was not spent in a carefully considered way - i.e. money wasted.

--Second, the clutter takes up space that could be used for other things. And consider the money that some of us spend to store items that we are not using in a storage facility.

--Third, clutter distracts us from what is important in our lives. And it slows us down.

--Fourth, clutter usually leads to messy financial practices - misplacing bills and not paying them on time, misplacing currency that lies scattered around the house, misplacing or losing important financial documents, not keeping checking, savings, and credit card accounts current and reconciled, not paying attention to credit card rules and terms, not paying attention to investments, or creating and building debt.

Orman proposes a exercise she titles Four Steps Towards Clarity (pp 52-55). Briefly summarized, this letting-go exercise goes as follows:

1. Go through your home, garage, etc. and find at least 25 items that you are willing to throw away - just discard completely. And toss them.

2. Go through your house again looking specifically for money - loose change and bills - that might be lying around, or hidden, or lost. Look in places like drawers, countertops, pants pockets, unused purses, in and under furniture, etc. (I found a $2-bill in an old purse. Orman says that most people end up finding much more than that.) Collect all that you find and put it in one container that you would think of as your jar or bowl of abundance. Place that abundance container near the area where you pay your bills.

3. Go through your house a third time and find 25 more items that you no longer want or use but that are still in good condition. Give those items away to a place or to a person that could really use them and would appreciate them.

4. Go through your house a fourth time and identify all the items that are especially precious to you, things you would never part with. Take time to reflect on these items and appreciate them.

So, embedded in this exercise is a process for letting go of at least 50 material items from your home. If you're not up for releasing 365 items in a year-long exercise, you could easily do this exercise and release 50 in one day. Suze suggests getting your entire household in on the exercise, including the kids.

I like this exercise because Orman takes us beyond the mere act of discarding things by encouraging us to think about how we sometimes waste money by purchasing things that we don't really need or don't serve us well - the clothes that never really fit right or flattered us and just sat in the closet, the food that sat in our refigerators until it spoiled and had to be thrown away, the gadgets that never worked right but we never returned or had repaired, etc. She also encourages us to really appreciate and prize the things that have served us well or are precious reminders of our past or are symbols of things we prize now or aspire to in the future. She teaches us to respect our money by using it wisely and well.

How could clearing out the clutter in your home open up the space for more wealth to flow into your life?

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Friday, May 25, 2007

Letting Go of Fear

I want more LOVE in my life! More love shared with family and friends and perhaps even with that Special Someone I have yet to meet. More love of the work I do. More love of humanity, the earth, nature. More self-love. More love of LIFE!

As I meditated about what, if anything, might be blocking the flow of love in my life, the answer came to me: Fear. Yes, F-E-A-R (False Expectations Appearing Real).

Now, as the process of letting go and clearing the clutter out of one's life goes, releasing long-standing fears comes pretty high on the list of challenges.

Fear of what, you might ask.

We all have our own pet fears, generated from past experiences of one sort or another. You have yours; I have mine. Mine come, as most do, from childhood experiences, and the most obstacle-producing ones come as a doubled-edged sword: a fear of rejection and a fear of being trapped. These equal-but-opposite fears have created some real challenges in my life; they sometimes create a tremendous push-pull tension between the desire to engage and the desire to flee.

Then there are the bodily-harm-what-if-I-die fears, which, for me, mostly take the form of a fear of heights, thus preventing me from sky-diving, free-falling, bungee-jumping, tightrope walking, cliff climbing, trapeze flying, doing roof work, completing a high ropes course, painting above the first story of a building, hot-air ballooning, or flying in an airplane. This is mostly OK with me, as I have very little interest in any of these activities, except perhaps for hot air ballooning, which seems divine, and flying which I have done on occasion, both for business and for pleasure, despite my fears.

In terms of blocking our relationship to anything or anyone in life, Fear inserts iteself between you, or me, and the Other, and creates a host of barriers including guilt, anger, caution, doubt, distance, anger, withdrawal, judgement, misinterpretation, miscommunication, mistrust, refusal to cooperate, isolation, and inability to be intimate or to commit.

What might it be like, I wonder, to live a life free of most fears - especially those that are made up in our minds, have no relationship to the present moment and therefore are not real? How does one go about letting go of Fear? You can't just put it in the trash or give it to Goodwill or sell it on eBay or at a yard sale, now can you?

Then, I remembered a book I had read in the 70's, pulled it out of my bookshelves, and read it again. The title really says it all: Love Is Letting Go of Fear (by Gerald G. Jampolsky, original edition published by Celestial Arts in 1979).

Amazon.com describes this short (131-page) tightly written book this way: "An inspirational classic since 1979, LOVE IS LETTING GO OF FEAR remains one of the seminal works in the transpersonal movement." I agree that this book is a classic, every bit as wise and as timeless as it was when it was first published 28 years ago.

After devoting some pages in this book to exploring the ways in which fear inhibits the flow of love, Jerry Jampolsky provides a series of 12 daily lessons, which can be reviewed in a few minutes each day and repeated day after day until they become integrated into your life. These lessons are based upon some of the teachings contained within The Course in Miracles.

Some of the lessons are:
--Giving and Receiving are both acts of love.
--Forgiveness is the key to happiness.
--Letting go of judging anyone or anything is a way to inner peace.
--Staying in the moment almost always eliminates fear (fear is almost always based in the past or the future rather than in the present moment).
--Changing how you think about things is the key to letting go of fear.

So, in the abstract, Love is Letting Go of Fear. How does that translate to everyday life?

Here's an example from my life: I am working on a new work project for a client - a project I want very much to love and commit to. But those pesky fears are raising their nasty little heads and getting in the way. They have names like "fear of scarcity" and "fear of loss of control". I am a work-in-progress on this one. My intention is to work through and release these fears and have a joyful work experience. Time will tell.

What fears might you be ready to release? Perhaps Jampolsky's book could be your coach? What have you got to lose? No, a better question would be, what do you have to gain?

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Monday, May 14, 2007

Letting Go Experiment: Month 11

As of May 10th, I have completed 11 of the 12 months in my year-long Letting Go Experiment. The BIG 365-day milestone is coming into view. And although I may be about to cross the finish line on this particular marathon experiment, I doubt that it will really be over for me on June 10th, for I still have a lot of letting go to do.

In the 11th month, about a third of the 30 items to be released were unopened cans and jars from my pantry that went to a food drive. Another two lines on my daily log were taken by the first two pounds I lost on the Weight Watchers program a month ago.

Another line went to my giving up the use of a brand of deordorant/anti-perspirant which I have depended on for years. This was letting go of a long-standing habit, as well as a material item. This product is very strong and is highly effective, but contains aluminum. I have heard for years that deodorants/anti-perspirants containing aluminum are not healthy for us, but have refused to do anything about it. Finally, I listened, tossed out my "old faithful" brand and replaced it with a healthier non-toxic, though less effective, brand. I think this move is allowing my body to release some toxic waste via my lymph glands, and thereby helping to cleanse my body. Old habits die hard, but I can tell that releasing this one will be worth the struggle.

This month, I still have a significant number of backlog lines that have not been filled, which is another way of saying that I am behind on my letting go of material items. But I am not sweating this (note the pun, re the above), since there is a significant rummage sale coming up in June, and I will be gathering all sorts of items to donate to that event.

As with other recent months, the most significant letting-go experiences have been, and continue to be, in the non-material realm. The most significant one of these is the letting go of fear. This is a BIG topic, and will be covered in a future blog.

Another non-material letting-go occured yesterday, on Mother's Day. This was the day when I released any remaining negative feelings I may have been holding toward my own mother, who passed away on September 2nd, 2003. It was suggested on one of Oprah's shows last week that we do more than give or send cards to our mothers, but that we actually write letters - letters that detail our appreciation and gratitude for all they do, or have done, for us. Although my mother passed away four years ago, I decided to write her a letter. And on Mother's day, I did. In that letter, I finally was able to see and accept her as she really was - with all her gifts and flaws - and not as I wanted her to be. I was finally able to take responsibility for my share of whatever breakdown there was in our relationship, and to not only accept and appreciate her for who she was, but also to accept and appreciate who I am - and to forgive us both for disappointing each other. What a HUGE letting-go this has been!

So, how about you? What have you released from your life this past month? What would you like to release in the near future? How will you do it? What's stopping you, if anything? And how will you overcome any resistance you may be feeling?

Remember the Nike ad: Just DO It!

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Monday, April 30, 2007

Letting Go Experiment: Month 10

Recently, a friend who has been following my letting-go experiment in this blog said to me, "Wow, when this year is up, you will have released 365 things from your life. That's a lot of stuff!"

My friend is clearing her home (and barn) to move and was wondering where she would find that many things to let go of. I have found that it's really not that hard. At this point, I have released nine and a half months worth of stuff - approximately 285 items, about 95% of it "material" (as opposed to non-material items such as beliefs, habits, behaviors, negative thoughts, body weight, and the like). And yet, when I look around my home, it still looks as full of "stuff" as when I started.

There's a lot of "stuff" we accumulate that we never seem to use - in closets, drawers, cupboards, cabinets, and in boxes stuck away in attics and garages. Feng Shui practioners tell us that this excess "stuff" blocks the flow of energy in our homes, even if it is out of sight. [To me, there is a parallel between this blocked flow of chi energy in the home and the blocked energy we experience from excess stored fat that many of us carry on our bodies.]

What this experiment is revealing to me is that I accumulate much more "stuff" than I need, use, or really want. As I think of this, I begin to understand the correlation, for me, between accumulation of material things, accumulation of body weight, and the inability to accumulate money in savings. And I think, "Well, if I don't even notice or miss the 285-plus items I've released this year, then clearly I'm over-consuming "stuff" just like I've been over-accumulating stored energy in the form of pounds."

This month, material things I have released include more weekly magazines, some costume jewelry, a few small knick-knacks, a phone, and a lot of foodstufs from my pantry and refrigerator (including some unopened items that count for this experiment). But again, as in last month's report, the biggest victories have been in the non-material realm.

For one thing, I joined Weight Watchers this past month (hence the clearing out of foods in my kitchen) and have already let go of about 5 pounds. Although these lost pounds do not "count" in my experiment until they've been gone at least a month, they will show up in next month's count. But it's not just pounds I've lost, it's also some non-productive habits, a lot of resistance, and some developing health issues that seem now to be fading away.

What have you released from your life this month? I'd love to hear your story.

I leave you with these words of wisdom: Spend Calories; Save Money!

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Letting Go Experiment: Month 9

I am discovering that there is a correlation between letting go of material things and letting go of mental and emotional "stuff" - ideas, beliefs, habits, patterns, automatic reactions and feelings. This month I am definitely behind in letting go of material things, but I've had some interesting experiences in the non-material realm, the most recent being in this past week building up to the release of my monthly e-newsletter.

I have been writing and sending out an electronic newsletter (LifeWork Letter) once a month for a year and a half now. And in all that time, no newsletter has come out late (i.e. after the month is over) - until now. This time, my March newsletter came out in April.

Now, I am usually very good about keeping to schedules and doing things on time. And I used to get anxious and upset if I thought I might be late for anything - a party, a date, a movie, a meeting with a client, a newsletter release. This time was different.

I attribute this difference to the letting-go "practice" I have been doing since last June. This time, as I got close to my end-of-the-month release deadline and found myself in a time crunch, I was able to let go of this deadline and of the anxiety and stress it would normally cost me to do this. I accepted the reality that getting this done by March 31st would be very stressful, and would require a significant loss of sleep, and so I just let go and said to myself, "Oh well, this month the March issue will be late - so late that it will come out in April. How can I turn this lemon into lemonade?"

My first idea was to bring the newsletter out on April 1st and call it an April Fool's joke. That seemed like good "lemonade" to me. I could have fun with that. But then, I had an important family committment on April 1st, so that plan didn't work out and the newsletter finally came out on the 2nd - almost at midnight.

So where's the "lemonade"? Well, for one thing there will be two newsletters in April, and this will be a great opportunity for me to continue my exploration On Being a Peaceful Warrior in a Part 2 issue. In addition, this letting-go experience has been a great lesson for me, and now I hope for you also.

Perhaps you'll have the opportunity to say "Oh, well..." and just let it go!

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Letting Go Experiment: Month 8

I must confess that this month I am about 15 items behind in my one-a-day letting-go process. But that's not a problem, because I tend to let go of items in batches, as I go about sorting through closets, shelves, drawers, and other stashes of stuff. The hardest thing to let go of this month so far has been my subscription to Poets and Writers, a magazine that intriques me though I never seem to get around to reading it. Perhaps I'll pick it up again in a year or two when I have more time to devote to writing.

The best thing I did for myself this month in this Letting-Go Experiment involved a purchase rather than a discard. I have a huge problem with the rapid accumulation of junk mail that seems to land on my dining table, which is close to my front door. A couple of weeks ago, I purchased a shredder designed especially for the quick and convenient disposal of junk mail and other papers with personal information in them - mail that could compromise one's privacy. Well, I put this handy dandy shredder right near the table where I have been dumping my mail each day, and now I immediately go through the day's mail and run all the junk through the shredder.

What system do you use to handle your junk mail? How could a shredder help you conquer your clutter?

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Choice Point - Get a Job or Start a Business?

So many people today face this decision at some point in their working life. Some right out of the gate, after high school or college. Some after being downsized or fired. Some in midlife, when a desire for change is at its peak. Some at retirement.

The question is: which is the best decision for You?

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. There are many factors to consider. Some are internal, or are specific to you. Other factors are external, and are influenced by factors outside yourself, such as economics, business climate, competition, politics, family issues, social issues, finances, and other external factors.

In the next series of Blog articles, we will explore many different aspects of entrepreneurship and what it means to be an entrepreneur. We will start with some of the internal factors, such as personal qualities, risk tolerance, and financial readiness - all meant to help you answer the question, Is Entrepreneurship Right for Me?

Tackling this question, this decision, this choice point, reminds me of the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken. It is a definite choice point in one's life - a decision as large as deciding to marry or to have children. It is a decision that deserves to be carefully considered, for entrepreneurship requires a strong committment. And perhaps, if you choose the entrepreneurial path, you will find yourself one day echoing Frost's words:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Letting-Go Experiment: Month 7

As of January 10th, I have completed 7 months of my 12-month Letting-Go Experiment, in which I have committed to letting go of at least one thing (material item, behavior, practice, habit, etc) a day for a year. The list for that 30-day period contains several magazines and one magazine subscription. But the most significant letting-go activities were the ones related to my decision to downsize the Christmas holidays this year (described in the previous post, A Different Kind of Christmas).

Occasionally, I receive responses to my articles about this experiment, and this time I thought I would share one of them with you. This one was written by a family member and life coach living in Michigan:

I received your newsletter the other day, did a bit of poking around and discovered your blogs about your grand journey to let go. It struck a chord in me and I've thought about it several times since I read it. I, too, have a yearning to clear and simplify and it was inspiring to read about your experiences over the past several months.

I recently moved from a downtown office into a newly-created home office, and in the process got rid of several oversized, unneeded pieces of furniture, old files, etc. As you've found with letting go of some of your old stuff, it wasn't easy for me to say goodbye to a roll-top desk we've had for years (collecting dust and serving as a great storage place for anything that didn't have a 'home') and a Lazy Boy recliner that took up too much space but reminded me of an old chair I had growing up. Once they were gone I felt that both the room and I could breathe.

As I schlepped box after box of stuff from my old office, I made the vow that I would only put things I absolutely loved into my new office space. How fun looking at old books, doo-dads, etc. and hoisting any and all that had the slightest bit of negative energy attached. I am now working in a space that is lovely, and as I look around the room at the things on my bookshelves, etc., I feel a sense of delight.

Now, for the rest of the house. I, like you, struggle with the "what-if's" of so many things in closets, attics, basement, corners, etc. - what if I need it next week, month, year - and so I'm overwhelmed with stuff. I realize, however, as you've so eloquently spoken to, that this stuff and my hanging on represents the clutter in my mind, body and spirit, and it also shows me how much I am hanging on to old patterns and thoughts. It's time to clear, however, and like you, I yearn for clarity, simplicity, and a fresh breeze blowing through how I live, work, and play. Thank you for your inspiration to continue towards that vision.


Notice the parts of her sharing that I highlighted in boldface: I felt that both the room and I could breathe. and I feel a sense of delight. These are the true rewards and benefits of streamlining and de-cluttering your space and your life.

Do you have a story to share?

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Although this Blog site is not set up to be interactive at this time, feel free to contact me with your comments.

Email: connie@conniekomack.com
Web: www.conniekomack.com