Celebrate Letting Go Of Resistance!

Have you noticed that we can become very attached to our routines, traditions and rituals? Sometimes to the point where we just can't let go of them at all. How do we respond, though, when one day life steps in and everything changes right before our eyes? Our best friend has a wonderful job offer ten hours away and has to move. Our weekly group meeting has to find a new home. Or there is a tragedy that rocks our world. The most natural response is to resist, protest and struggle to find a way to make it go back to the way it used to be. We are true creatures of habit. This year among the many things I let go in my life I had to let go of the weekly routine of meeting with my friend before our weekly spirituality group. For...

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posted on: 11/19/2009 12:00:00 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side

Letting Go Reflections--Celebrate Commitment!

As we wind down 2009, The Year of Letting Go at A New View, let's reflect on how you have shifted over this year. What have been your biggest gains and losses from all that you have let go? Where is it that you need to make a commitment to improve? Let's celebrate the gains and make a renewed commitment to make 2010 even more organized, more spacious and more peaceful.   Here's an inspiration from Ralph Marston to get your juices flowing.     Committed to make it work +++++++++++++++++++   Do you hesitate to take action because you're not sure if you'll be effective? Remember that achievement is built on efforts that work as well as efforts that don't...

Letting Go Of Distractions

Distractions are receiving some very negative press these days, don't you agree? I was thinking that if we gave as much attention to being focused as we do to being distracted, we would probably find ourselves more focused--just a thought. It's interesting that we have chosen to make distractions the enemy because in doing so we have given them power. However, distractions aren't the problem, we are!   On any given day I can be distracted by a dozen different things. Some of these distractions go unnoticed because I'm not conscious of them, but most of my distractions are very noticeable, some are even welcomed. How I respond to them, though, makes all the difference in how I experience them.   The saying...

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posted on: 11/5/2009 12:00:00 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side

Spending Alert!

Do you spend consciously or unconsciously? Staying alert to how you are spending your money, especially given the current economic climate is key to the quality of your life. There are three major spending habits that can wreak havoc on your well-being and your pocketbook. Do you engage in any of them? Habit #1: Bargain store spending. If you love a bargain, but don't know where this bargain is going to live when you get it home or you don't have an immediate use for it, it becomes instant clutter. You might as well write "clutter" on the shopping bag. Is the bargain worth your freedom and spaciousness?   Habit #2: Spending to feel good. We live in an instant...

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posted on: 10/29/2009 12:00:00 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side

Ending The Morning "Rat Race"!

One of my clients, a busy physician, is having some challenges with getting out of the house on time in the morning. I have never met her because all of our work has been remote, but she has put many new habits in place around organizing and she is ready to shift this pattern! Managing ourselves around time is one of the most important organizing tasks. We talked about her morning routine and prioritizing and possibly eliminating some of her tasks. As we talked she was able to realize that some of what she does in the morning could easily be done in the evening after dinner. There were others, like making breakfast for her fourteen year old son, that were not negotiable. Our conversation led to my favorite organizing tip—"End every...

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posted on: 10/22/2009 12:00:00 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side

Moving Beyond Doubt

Doubt is a powerful emotion. It will stop you dead in your tracks from completing important tasks. It's the energy behind procrastination, avoidance, and overwhelm. It's what creates the piles of paper, the overflowing laundry basket, the cluttered attic or garage; doubt blocks your ability to make clear decisions about moving forward. When you wait for the "perfect" time or situation to get something done doubt is present. Zig Ziglar says, "Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly." He means that the first time you do something will never look like the twelfth time you do something, so do it now.   You can recognize that doubt is present by tuning in to your body. Doubt is very heavy energy as opposed to the lightness...

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posted on: 10/15/2009 12:00:00 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side

The Two Minute Rule--It Will Change Your Future

Thought for the week: "If you can do it in under two minutes, do it now." I love "The Two Minute Rule". So many people I speak to don't want to even think about organizing because they imagine hours of their free time spent in a crowded cluttered space toiling away. They're right, who would want that?   Clutter usually happens when you're in a rush, don't have a proper, easily accessible home for the item and put the item down where it's convenient. Now we've all done this. This is not about judgment, but it is about making a choice to work for yourself, not against yourself. You truly don't create the clutter on purpose, but you do create it, so you can uncreate it, especially if you have two...

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posted on: 10/8/2009 12:00:00 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side

Letting Go Lessons From Trees

Fall has arrived here in southern Maine and it is just beautiful! I was out walking on the estuary reserve this weekend and color was everywhere. Nature makes change look absolutely effortless. There are no signs of struggle or resistance. I wasn't hearing the leaves say, "No, I can't turn red, now, I'm not ready!" I watched as they fell effortlessly to the ground, too. We could certainly take some lessons from nature around letting go. The difference between us and nature is attachment. The leaves aren't attached to staying on the tree, but humans tend to create their struggles by attaching themselves to ideas, stuff, traditions or relationships. You have been conditioned to form attachments and the very first...

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posted on: 10/1/2009 12:00:00 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side

The Lighter Side of Paper Purging

Taking care of the paper that comes into our lives can become our greatest nemesis. One thin sheet of paper swiftly gathers forces and literally takes over our space before our very eyes leaving us scratching our heads wondering how it happened so fast. This week I want to take a look at the lighter side of paper management and share with you a contribution from one of the members of the A New View community.  Here's Claire's "Top Ten Signs That It's Been WAY Too Long Since You've Purged Your Files":   You find:   1. A referral to a doctor who died ten years ago. 2. Proof of jury duty served since 1991. 3. A coupon for scuba diving lessons that expired in 2004. 4. A USA guide book of youth hostiles...

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posted on: 9/28/2009 3:35:00 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side

Prosperity Challenge Day 21

September 18^th Day 21 The final day of our challenge! Where are you? Have you noticed any shifts? Even the most subtle of shifts are important to mark for yourself. When you notice these shifts you have now stepped into being conscious, aware of how you are being as you live from day to day. When you are aware you now have the power of choice. You can choose to shift your reality at any time.   Remember, prosperity is not about things or money or status. Prosperity is about choosing how you will show up in the world. When you show up being joyful, loving, willing and compassionate to others as well as to yourself that is when everything will come to you. It is a practice, a skill you learn.   If disorganization...

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posted on: 9/17/2009 3:27:03 PM  by Maggie McCauley
category: The Mental Side