Do you ever feel like the universe sends you a message you need to hear? It happened to me this week. Interestingly, what I received related to the letting go theme I’m writing about this month.

You might have read about last week’s letting go mishap when I accidentally deleted my entire email inbox. I recovered, only to be challenged by another ‘adventure’ this week. It’s a doozy! Clearly, the universe thinks I need more letting go practice.

Midweek, I woke up with 500+ other neighbors to the surprise of no Internet or phone due to “cut fibers.” Our service provider assured me it would be fixed within 24 hours, which seemed reasonable. However, I was on a deadline. I was putting the finishing touches on a Zoom workshop being presented the following day. While I had no choice in the technology glitch (it happened and was being worked on,) I did have a choice in how I responded.

There was some initial panic, where I engaged in numerous “what if?” scenarios.

• What if it’s not fixed in time and I can’t present my workshop?

• What if I can’t access the information I need to compile my notes?

• What if the calm day I planned is turned upside down?

• What if…?

After the panic, technology assessment, and the realization that I could do nothing at that moment, I started letting go. I talked calmly to myself so I could switch gears and put my energy toward completing my workshop notes. I couldn’t afford to have my attitude sabotage the day. Instead, I focused on what I could work on. I let go of what I had no control over, did some creative problem-solving, and stopped the worry-stress-negative self-talk-loop.

I went to Starbucks in the afternoon for Internet access and a much-needed coffee break. I checked a few resources for my notes and caught up on email. I sat by the river and walked down the block to smell the fragrant lilacs. These actions kept me calm and focused.

“Let go of what you have no control over.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

By the evening, I finished my workshop notes and made alternate plans for presenting if I had no Internet the next day. I also realized how much more I accomplished without interruptions or distractions from the Internet, social media, and the phone.

Are you curious about what happened? When I woke the next day, the Internet and phones were restored. I gave my workshop, which went well, with good attendance and participation. Can you hear my giant exhale?

Life is full of surprises and curve balls. You can’t anticipate when they’ll arrive or what they’ll be. But as always, you do have a choice in how to respond. You can get stuck and paralyzed by the emergency or let go to allow focus, resilience, creativity, and growth to thrive.

How does letting go show up in your life? I’d love to hear your stories and thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

We are still at the beginning of the New Year, yet we can embrace a fresh start at any time. You can begin again any moment, minute, hour, day, month, season, or year. Your attitude about ‘new’ can determine an optimistic or pessimistic start. 

While I feel incredibly energized in January, I also regularly experience a positive anticipatory sense at the beginning of each day. Most mornings when I wake, I am energized by the clean slate and promise a new day brings with its plans, surprises, and quiet moments that will unfold. 

To understand other views, I was curious what my thoughtful colleagues’ perspectives were about fresh starts and new beginnings. I reached out to this generous group – Al Bingham, Felice Cohen, Juliet Landau-Pope, Christine Li, and Yota Schneider. I asked them to respond to and elaborate on this prompt-

How do you make the most of a fresh start?

Their diverse responses include having no expectations to delving deeply. My deepest gratitude goes to this inspiring group for sharing their time, hearts, and wisdom with us.

5 Best Ideas to Help You Make a Promising Fresh Start

1. Remain Open

“I make the most of a fresh start by trying to have ZERO assumptions about what is going to happen. That way, I remain open to what might be and not wound up by what I might expect to happen when I often have no idea what might actually happen. When I have no assumptions or expectations going in, I can enjoy the process and the eventual outcome without having them mean anything negative about me — and that is a wonderful thing.” 

Christine Li, Ph.D. – Procrastination Coach, Clinical Psychologist, Make Time for Success podcast Host

 2. Stay Focused

“I think of every day as a fresh start, a new beginning, a new chance to get things done. To help make the day productive, each day starts with a clean To-Do list. A list offers steps to follow, guides you toward a goal, and keeps you on target to avoid falling down a TikTok rabbit hole. (Use TikTok as a reward for finishing a task on the list.) Every task completed, whether easy or time-consuming, motivates you toward completing another. Then another. Remember, you don’t have to get it all done today; there’s always tomorrow.”

Felice Cohen – Author, Speaker, Professional Organizer

3. Be Present

“Faced with a fresh challenge, it’s tempting to look back, reviewing previous efforts and setbacks. Or perhaps to project into the future, speculating on possible outcomes. While there’s much to be learned from looking back and forward, both drive you into your head, fuelling fears and fantasies rather than forward into action. No wonder over-thinking is a common cause of procrastination. If you aim to boost motivation, adopt a more mindful approach to your present situation. Focus on what matters most, right here, right now. Then identify the very first step and take the leap.”

Juliet Landau-Pope MA, PG Cert AP, CPCC, FRSA – Productivity Coach, Virtual Organizer

“We are still at the beginning of a New Year, yet we can embrace a fresh start at any time.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO™

 4. Manifest Attention

“During the big reveal on makeover shows, the heroes don’t endlessly harp on how lousy things were before. Instead, there are tears of joy, wonder, gratitude, and love for the fresh start they’re receiving. Discomfort and dismay may provide sparks that light the desire for change, but they're a lousy fuel source for enacting it. A fresh start involves three primal actions: bringing something forward, organizing it, and releasing something. Each needs careful attention. Love, wonder, and gratitude helps keep things roaring. When these ‘ends’ inform your ‘means,’ your awareness remains open to finding novel paths forward during the refresh process!” 

Al Bingham, e-RYT500, YACEP, FAFS – Yoga Teacher, Author

 5. Nurture Reflection

"At the threshold of a new beginning, it is important to stay open, curious, and honest. If I don’t want old patterns repeating themselves, I have to decide what to leave behind and how to show up. I love taking long walks and drives and having intimate conversations with myself. I reflect on what I love about this fresh start. Then I ask, what are my fears? What habits, behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes could undermine me? Am I ready to let them go? What’s next? As answers and insights bubble up, I grow more confident, clear, and excited about the journey ahead."

Yota Schneider – Life Coach, Retreat Facilitator, Blogger

While January is almost over, there will be more opportunities for fresh starts. What helps you make the most of a fresh start? Are there specific periods you are more energized than others? Which ideas resonate most with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Over the past few days, I had several outdoor opportunities to appreciate the changing fall landscape. One of my favorite things to do is to walk and take photos while breathing in the fresh air, wooded and water scenes, and scents that surround me.  What I enjoyed most on these walks were the lovely surprises. Each one lifted my spirits and made my heart beat faster. The sightings included the bright purple (yes, purple!) berries and the bush with the half red and half green leaf. Each finding inspired a sense of awe, change, and possibilities.

These ideas relate to my organizing work with clients. There are always discoveries as in lost things that get found. There are possibilities inherent in transforming a cluttered space into one that functions as intended; free from unwanted objects. There is the pursuit of change along with excitement about possibilities. Perhaps one of the results I treasure most is seeing how happy my clients are after we’ve cleared and organized a space. They feel lightness, relief, and hope.

So when I notice a leaf changing color or a serene river landscape that too brings happiness, hope, and an opening for new possibilities. I’d like to share some of my recent sightings with you. I hope the scenes inspire you to create your possibility intentions.

Click to watch video . . .

What surprises have you discovered this fall? What possibilities are you noticing? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to come and join the conversation.

Words like harmony, evenness, stability and symmetry come to mind when I think about balance. Yet to find that right balance, we have to shake things up to enter a more calm and balanced state. I also equate balance with a certain amount of predictability or sameness.

Here’s the thing. What if we purposefully decided to poke at our balanced state in order to change that status quo? What if we made one small change? That might be forming a new habit like waking up or going to bed earlier. It might mean tasting a new food you never thought you’d like. It could mean letting go of something old to replace something new coming in. Changing the balance on purpose might open your perspective to something you hadn’t thought of before. One small change could unleash a host of possibilities.

You might find this odd that I’m suggesting to purposefully mess with the status quo or your balance. This might seem particularly strange coming from a professional organizer who often writes about “finding a balance that’s right for you.” I do see the value of stirring things up every so often.

This inadvertently happened when I was shopping recently for a replacement journal. I’ve kept a journal for over forty years. Every year or so, I buy a new one when the journal is filled. For over ten years, I’ve happily used a black Moleskine® sketchbook journal. I like the thick, smooth paper.

This time the stores didn’t have the exact style that I wanted. The interior paper was either too thin or it had lines, dots or grids. The black-bound, thicker paper, blank Moleskine® journals were not in stock. I did find the right journal with a red (not black) cover. I immediately dismissed the idea of buying the red one. It seemed too radical, too different, and just too scary. All my other journals were black. How could I break from tradition? What would happen if bought a different color? I could feel my heart palpitating at the idea of making an unexpected choice. Was it fear or excitement?

I kept coming back to that question. What would happen if I bought a different color? And then it hit me and I thought,

“Stir things up, Linda! Break with tradition. Try something new.”

As small and insignificant as this may seem, it represented a willingness on my part to be daring. I thought this would be a great way to enter the New Year by messing with (in a good way) or teasing the status quo.

My new, red journal sits on my nightstand ready to be written in. I can’t wait to make my first entry. I know. I know. It’s just a journal…a red one. However, there’s something about the red color, the different color that suggests interesting possibilities, inspired ideas, new experiences, and unexpected surprises. There’s also something quite cheery about the red. It’s bold. It’s bright. It’s hope wrapping the pages of days yet to be.

Have you ever purposefully messed with your balance? Has one tiny change unleashed new possibilities? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!