Do The Hard Things – When You Need The Organizing Push
There’s a strong psychological component to my methods of working with clients, and it’s different for each one. People come from different situations, have different ways of learning, have different capacities of handling uncomfortable situations, and people are just beautifully unique.
Today I met with a client who was ready to face a space that was utter chaos and literally gross, but all the “stuff” was wasting space that she needed to function. Some of it was connected to not so happy feelings, which is part of the reason it had been sitting for so long. After reviewing all the “homework” she’d done since the last time we met, I looked at her and said: “We are doing the garage.”
There is a little cubby by the door into the house. When she first contacted me, this is the picture she sent:
Today, it was even worse. More stuff had been thrown on it. Stuff that didn’t have a home either. Clutter is like a magnet. As soon as you throw something down and start a pile, the attraction begins. And I’m not talking about the good kind!
It was cold, but we got in there and got started!
An hour and a half later we had a couple bags of trash, a bunch of recycling, and my car loaded with usable items to be donated! We cleaned off the cobwebs before packing up, of course. Among today’s drops were First Fruit Ministries and the Humane Society.
We made it around the rest of the garage as well, minus one corner that she will process on her own.
Check out the cubby now! She deemed it the spot to put her sporting goods, hammock, and beach chairs.
The best part for me, was the text that came later:
I knew she was ready for a push. I also knew that when it was over she would feel a sense of victory and gain confidence to move forward and face the next step.
When the time comes that you must do the hard things, remember that you do not have to do them alone.