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 Restoring
Order to Your Home
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CBN.com – Are you constantly reacting to the hottest
burning “fire” in your life? Do you feel like you
are standing in the batting cage of life just
frantically swinging at all the balls coming your
way? If so, you may be living reactively instead
of in the proactive manner that we were called to
live.
My clients are not the only ones living in this
out-of-control way…their children are, too! Some
of my clients tell me they have inadvertently
become a 24 hour concierge service for their
children. Living like an on-call personal
assistant is running them ragged. They would
discipline their children for failing to plan
ahead, but that would require them to live by
their own rules.
Knowingly or unknowingly, many of us are living
our own lives haphazardly. We’re trading
foresight, responsibility, and preparation for a
last-minute lifestyle. If you (or your family)
always seem to need a “bail out,” I hope this
organizing principle will inspire you to change
your habits.
If you find yourself living out-of-control, you
can put and end to wasteful ways and reclaim your
boundaries. Through preparation, you can get ready
for action and become available to live your
dreams. The Preparation Principle™ is this:
choosing organization for your life can help you
reclaim control and equip you for opportunity.
You can practice The Preparation Principle and
reclaim control by:
- Evaluating and ending your
wastefulness: It can be a major wake-up
call to take stock of all that you are wasting
by being disorganized (late fees on bills,
missed appointment fees, wasted gas, wasted
utilities, replacement costs, overbuying, wasted
time). Once you see what your disorganization is
really costing you, put an end to the siphoning
of your resources.
- Establishing boundaries:
Haphazard living often results from a life
without boundaries. It’s time to start laying
some ground rules for you and your family. If
you work from home, maybe you need to set work
hours so your professional life doesn’t bleed
into your personal time (and space!) Maybe you
need to give yourself a half hour a day to
process through the day’s accumulation and
prepare for the following day. If your children
are living out-of-control, you will bless them
by establishing some expectations for them,
sticking to them, and providing consequences. If
they can learn healthy boundaries at home, a
teacher, spouse, therapist, or policeman won’t
have to lay down the law in the future!
You can practice The Preparation Principle and
equip yourself for opportunity
by:
- Preparing for action: In
the professional workplace, employees that are
quick, hard-working, and prepared are the ones
who advance. An employee with an organized,
prepared approach to work is highly valued in
any organization. The necessity of preparation
is just as true in our personal lives. When we
are perceived as messy, haphazard, and lacking
follow-through, our credibility can be damaged.
Conversely, we are perceived as dependable and
believable when we are prepared. Our credibility
affects our integrity, which in turn affects our
witness.
- Making yourself available:
Living in an orderly way creates space in our
schedule and our life. Preparation equips us to
recognize and seize opportunities that come
along. When we create availability in our life,
we can pursue our dreams. When we are simply
reacting to the chaos in our life, we are no
longer available to opportunity. We become
inwardly focused. We put our heads down and
grind through the mayhem of our day. We see only
what is right in front of us, and, in so doing,
we can miss the opportunities that lie ahead.
Preparation is one facet of living in order.
When you are prepared you are attentive and ready
for action. You are honoring your boundaries and
making yourself available when you are prepared.
Preparation helps you avoid living wastefully and
squandering your time and resources. When you plan
ahead and take proactive initiative, you are
prepared to live life to its fullest. If you want
to reclaim your personal or professional life, you
can apply The Preparation Principle to improve
your quality of life.
Adapted from: Reclaim Your
Life™ copyright © 2007 by Vicki Norris (available
now at
www.RestoringOrder.com. Published by Harvest
House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission.
About the Author: Vicki
Norris is an expert organizer, business owner,
speaker, television personality, and author who
inspires people to live out their priorities.
Norris is a regular on HGTV’s nationally
syndicated Mission: Organization, and is a
recurrent source and contributor to national
lifestyle publications including Quick & Simple
magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, and Real Simple
magazine. Norris is also author of Restoring
Order™ to Your Home, a room-by-room household
organizing guide. |
