With new flowers and buds appearing daily, spring brings hope and encouragement. My clients are letting go and lightening up. However, they sometimes place obstacles that make the process more challenging. Those roadblocks appear as unhelpful thoughts.

Have you noticed the power of the words you say and think? Your messages can inspire action or inaction, trigger motivation or discouragement, and help or hinder the letting go process.

Suppose you have decades of old bills in filing cabinets, piled on shelves, or stored in boxes. You’re questioning whether to keep or release them. The internal struggle begins. They aren’t bothering anyone and have an established ‘home,’ but they are taking up space. You haven’t looked at them in years and will unlikely ever refer to them. They have no financial value or record-keeping significance, yet they sit. You remain undecided about their fate.

The debate about the documents will continue until you make a decision. You might choose to keep or shred them. But until you decide, the papers will occupy physical and emotional space. Their weight is felt. Sometimes, you hold on because you anticipate the potential effort required to edit and let go. Yet, it also takes energy not to decide.

Deciding to hold on instead of letting go is a valid action. You can stop investing your mental energy once you choose to keep or release. Remember that choosing to hold on is not the same as ignoring to make a decision.

“Your messages can help or hinder the letting go process. ”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

A Great Question When You’re Struggling to Let Go

I promised to share a great question when you’re struggling with decision-making. Your words have power, and semantics are potent. A slight tweak to how you pose a question can significantly affect the outcome. Inquiring in a particular way can make it more purposeful, encouraging, gentler, or less guilt-inducing.

A great question is the one that works best for you. The options below have similar meanings yet are phrased differently.

• Is it time to let it go?

• Is it time to put it down?

• Is it time to release it?

• Is it time to edit it?

• Is it time to reduce it?

• Is it time to move on?

• Is it time to let it be?

Which one resonates most with you? Which one will help you choose and act? I’d love to hear your thoughts and invite you to join the conversation.

If you need help letting go, I’m here to help. Please email me at linda@ohsorganized.com, call 914-271-5673, or schedule a Discovery Call. Letting go is possible, especially with support.

Do you find it challenging to let go of things? If so, you’re not alone. One of the phrases I frequently hear from my clients during the decision-making process is, “I might need it someday.”  Have you heard or said that?

Recently, one of my clients shared a passage from the CliftonStrengths assessment she took, which described her top strength, Input. She said the narrative deeply resonated with her. Since I thought this would interest you, I asked her permission to share it.

Input – CliftonStrengths 34

“You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information-words, facts, books, and quotations- or tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don’t feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It’s interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.”

The idea, “I might need it someday,” can be answered with more questions. Tease out the value of that “thing” you are holding onto. I don’t advocate letting go for the sake of that alone. Releasing comes from a place of readiness and purpose. What might have been of value to you in the past may no longer feel as useful or essential.

“Releasing comes from a place of readiness and purpose.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

What is your goal? Is it to live with less, reduce clutter, or downsize a lifetime of belongings? Is it to release the weight of the past to make space for how you want your life to be now? Holding onto things for “someday” may feel less relevant for certain things. There are no hard and fast rules here. It’s more of an opportunity to examine and use your curiosity to ask great questions. Your decision will become clear.

Click here for 21 letting go questions. Which one speaks to you? What helps you let go? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Let’s face it. Making a change involves taking risks. No matter the size of the risk, you’ll need the courage to dive into unknown waters. Your risk tolerance level will influence how easy or challenging it will be to pursue change. If you are comfortable taking risks, you will more likely welcome change and take necessary actions without too much deliberation. If you are risk-averse, change is still possible, but the journey will be more difficult.

Risk Tolerance Scale

Your response will vary depending on the scenario and type of risk. Consider your risk tolerance level concerning change using a scale from 1 to 10.

1   =   Risk-Averse:  Reluctant to take risks

10 =   Risk-Taker:  Eager to take risks

Imagine the change you want is to have less clutter in your home. Part of that process will include editing and releasing things. Using the Risk Tolerance Scale, you recognize how easily you can let go of junk mail and old newspapers. You give yourself a 10 because you can recycle them without much thought. However, when it comes to mementos, you struggle to make decisions because of your emotional attachments. You feel a sense of loss when letting go of things from the past, and give yourself a 2.

Preparing for Change

There are a few ways to facilitate change. Using the example above, refer to the Risk Tolerance Scale to identify the areas that feel less risky to work on, like junk mail and newspapers. As you build confidence and progress in those areas, you’re preparing to tackle the more challenging things next.

Another idea, which is especially helpful in risk-averse scenarios, is to ask the question,

What risk are you happy you took?

Revisiting risks you handled in the past that had successful outcomes will help build confidence in taking new risks and making changes. Invest time in remembering.

“Making a change involves taking risks.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

Taking Risks in Pursuit of Change

There’s no question that when we pursue change, letting go occurs. This can include physical stuff, places, people, or ideas. During a recent virtual organizing session, my client shared something while gently releasing a category of papers from the past. It spoke to one of the benefits of embracing risk in pursuit of change and was so moving. She said,

“I’m letting go of part of my life that is no longer part of my life.”

What an insightful recognition that in moving forward and embracing change, you can let go of those things that no longer have a place in your present.

How does your risk tolerance level influence the changes you seek? In what ways have you noticed a connection? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

There have been many words used to describe 2020. In a recent article in The Washington Post, readers offered their one word or phrase for the year, including “exhausting, lost, chaotic, relentless, heartbreaking, transformative, and the year of missing.” Perhaps the word that I heard (and possibly used) the most was unprecedented. It was that kind of year. We tried our best to navigate the unknown, find strength when life got worse than ever imagined, extend compassion and grace to ourselves and others, and find some balance in a continually changing situation. 

It’s been a harsh year, a year of struggle. We needed love, compassion, support, and connection more than ever. With pandemic restrictions reducing in-person contact, technology played a starring role to help us virtually spend time together. I blogged and had meaningful conversations with you throughout these past months, as we experienced and worked through this year together. We shared our silver linings and losses.

Being a reflective time of year, I am revisiting the past before moving ahead to the future. As part of the review, I selected highlights, one from each month, of the most compassionate organizing concepts of 2020. My hope is you discover a seed idea that will inspire your New Year. 

Where do you want to focus on creating the level of organization and balance that you desire? Which people and projects will receive your time, energy, and attention? 

12 Compassionate Organizing Concepts

Winter 2020

Fresh Start - How to Choose Words That Will Positively Affect Your Fresh Start

“Your life and success will not be defined by the nouns you choose. It will be defined by the verbs.”

— Todd Henry

Embrace Change - 3 New Ideas That Will Help Inspire Your Change

“If you’re not sure about the change you want to make, give yourself some ‘wander time’ and see what transpires.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Next Step - 7 Uplifting Discoveries That Will Help You Cope With Next

“Next might need to be a big dose of self-compassion. Or, perhaps it will be you reaching out to someone else that is hurting.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Spring 2020

Letting Go - How to Let Go of Guilt During the COVID-19 Crisis

“What expectations of normal am I letting go of today?”

— Rick Breden

Clutter - How to Release Mind Clutter That Makes You Worry

“Mind clutter worry is unproductive. And as it turns out, it’s a good teacher too.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Time Management - Are You Making Time for ‘The Good Stuff’?

“In your mix of doing, are you making time to notice and embrace the good stuff?”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Summer 2020

Motivation - Big Lesson I Learned How Motivation Is in The Growing

“Motivation is in the growing.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Enlisting Help - How to Get Help Setting and Celebrating Your Big Goals

“A goal doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We need help with accomplishing our goals and celebrating them along the way.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Mindfulness - How Do Mindfulness and Focus Remarkably Appear in Your Life?

“It is in the practice of shifting attention, awareness, and return that we become more mindful.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Fall 2020

Possibilities - 7 Valuable Lessons I Learned About Weddings, Hope, & Possibilities

“We live in challenging times. Yet even in the darkest days, there is hope. There is love. There are possibilities.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Wonderfully Human - How to Enjoy Pandemic-Time Holidays With More Gratitude and Creativity

“The initial sadness for not being able to gather has morphed into positive anticipation for the ways we’ve reimagined the holiday.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Life Balance - How to Effectively Balance the Extremes of Your Holiday Season

“Feeling balanced is a fluid and a continually shifting dynamic.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

My deepest gratitude goes to you for being an integral part of this vibrant community. We’ve had an incredible year of conversations and sharing. You bring learning, growth, support, and inspiration to every exchange. Thank you for coming back again and again to participate and share the best of who you are. 

What inspired you this year? Which compassionate organizing concept resonates most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.