My assistant, Ash, and I were talking this morning about authenticity and how so many people think of “being real” as airing their dirty laundry.  ( I assure you that no dirty laundry will be aired here.  The women of Bravo do a fine job of that if you need some drama! 😆 )

I brainstormed times where I have struggled or overcome adversity. It was really hard for me to think of many, but I realized why.

I am quick to flip my perspective to turn a struggle into a lesson, and I love helping clients do the same.

During my sessions with clients, we don’t fly through the items without a little reflection.  They are struggling with something (they hired me to help after all), so my job to help fix the problem and make sure they take away something useful from the process.

This step is part of the reason this method of decluttering is so effective in keeping clutter away long term!  (We don’t just wave a magic wand and make the excess stuff go away!)

I want to know how they are feeling.  Are there items that they will no longer buy? Did they notice things that could be replaced?  Were items held onto due to guilt or obligation?

It’s natural to have some guilt or shame when it comes to the issues that we have, but if we can turn the struggles into lessons, then we can chip away at some of those negative feelings and impacts.

Clients often show a little shame or guilt in certain areas of their homes. I remind them all the time that we all have our issues and we are on the right path.

Next time you are faced with a struggle (organization-wise or otherwise), do the best you can to fix the problem and reflect on what you learned from the situation. You don’t even need a magic wand.

 

After all, we all have struggles, but it’s what we do with those struggles that really matter.