Awakening

Awakening
By: Janet L. Hall

Waking up to chaos and clutter can instantly drain you of
your energy and put your spirit in a foul mood, even causing
you to become depressed.

As a professional organizer, I'm often asked, * Where do I
start? * I always suggest one of two areas, your bedroom or
your important home or office files.

Many have disagreed, stating that they would prefer to start
with a room that others may see when visiting.

But I'm here to tell you, don't worry about those areas... yet.
My saying is, * you can drop by anytime to visit me but if you
want to visit my house to see how clean it is, make an
appointment! * (there is a difference between clean, neat,
and organized, but that's another article ).

Organizing and cleaning those areas will only make your
Spirit soar temporarily. Those areas will NOT feed your
Spirit in the way it needs to be feed in the morning, BEFORE
you get out of bed! (unless you sleep in one of those areas
).

So why not start decluttering and * OverHalling * the room in
which you awake every morning? Take care of you boudoir
first! It's the first room you see in the morning and the last
room you see at night.

Your bedroom can set the stage for your day and how your
Spirit will feel, react, and cope throughout the rest of the day.

EDITORS TIP: After reading this article, place it next to your
bed with a pencil and before you get out of bed reread and
answer the following:

Now, look around you. What do you see? Chaos and clutter
or calm and organization?

What beauty can a new morning bring you? What is your
vision of your day?

Listen. What do you hear? Bickering, * Can't find....*, or
laughter and a birds song?

Start this new day by listening to nature outside your
window. Sing, whistle, hum, or play music that lifts your
spirit and refreshes. (I sing to myself, * You've got to wake
up every morning with a smile on your face and show the
world all the love in your heart...Carole King)

What do you smell? Dirty socks, moldy * stuff * or a fresh
cut lawn, sun dried sheets, or the fragrance of flowers?

Inhale and infuse yourself with power for the day with fresh
clean scents around you. A scented candle, fresh flowers on
your nightstand, scented soaps, lotions, or oils.

What do you feel? Overwhelmed, depressed, drained, or
rejuvenated and renewed?

Renew and elevate your Spirit by embracing the day upon
waking, take a big stretch, read an affirmation, your spiritual
book, or a daily inspiration. Pray or meditate.

Write down what you would like to see, hear, smell, and feel
when you first awake. What do you have to do to feed your
senses and your Spirit?

When you start clearing the clutter out of your senses, you
will begin to become open and aware to receiving those
things that can feed your body, soul, and spirit.

If you feed your spirit and your mind upon waking, you'll day
will run smoother. You'll become more aware of what's
going on around you and within you.

Alan Cohen, author of A Deep Breath of Life, writes in one of
his daily inspirations for heart-centered living:
*...Each day is like a life unto itself, and so the first minutes
of each day are the formative minutes. We must take
special care to sound the keynote that will set the tone for
our entire day. How do you begin your day? Do you spend
it with God, in peace, in attunement with yourself? Or do
you pop out of bed and immediately dive into the busy-ness
of the day, postponing your soul's needs in favor of lesser
activities? *

He goes on to say, * Take at least the first 20 minutes of
your day to meditate, pray, read an inspiring book, practice
yoga or tai chi, walk in the woods, sing, dance, or engage in
any practice that links you to a higher power. Establish your
center, and the day that follows will reflect clarity, strength,
and love. Any time you spend with Spirit will be returned
throughout the day. Even a few seconds of closing your
eyes and remembering the presence of love will make a big
difference. At the end of your day, be with God before
entering sleep. The formative minutes will build the
consciousness that makes a productive life. *

If you'd like to learn to mediate or need help in this area,
John Edward, author of Understanding Your Angels and
Meeting Your Guides, has a wonderful audio tape with some
amazing exercises.

I love the mediating exercise in which Mr. Edwards teaches;
how to * breath in Universal positive energy and force out
any negative energy you are holding in your body. Giving
your body permission to surrender your negative energy.

I'd like to give you permission to rid yourself of all the
negative clutter and stuff in your bedroom.

If something reminds you of how much weight you've
gained, get rid of it!

If something makes you sad or unhappy, get rid of it!

If something brings back bad memories, get rid of it!

If something makes you feel dated, get rid of it!

If something is broken (you'll never use it again or will cost
more to fix then replace), or irreparable, get rid of it!

If something from your past would embarrass your loved
ones after you gone, get rid of it!

If something doesn't mean anything to you any longer, get
rid of it!

Wall by wall, inch by inch, surface area by surface area, all
the clutter and stuff that you've STUFFED into the one place
you should be able to go to to relax, reflect, make love,
sleep, and meet your Spirit in the morning can be sorted
through using my TEASER technique. (For a FREE copy of
my TEASER, click: mailto:teaser@sendfree.com?subject=tohaveclutter ) This is
an autoresponder; you will receive the TEASER via email
within seconds of hitting the send key.

Nine Additional Steps to Get Started:

1. Decide how much time you have or are willing to
dedicate to creating your own personal paradise.
2. Set a timer for the length of time you have set aside to
declutter.
3. Take the phone off the hook.
4. Turn off the computer and TV.
5. Don't answer the door.
6. If you have children, make sure they have an activity to
do or have someone watch over or play with them (or maybe
they can help ).
7. Stay focused by NOT leaving the room.
8. Do NOT bring anything else into the room you're
decluttering that doesn't belong there.
9. Do NOT run out and buy storage items until AFTER you
have sorted through your stuff!

Remember it's not about being neat; anyone can straighten
or tidy up. It's about utilizing your bedroom and space for
what it's meant to do - a place to rest the soul and Spirit.

For more Organizing Tips and Exercises for your Master
Bedroom, click http://www.overhall.com/masterbedroom.htm

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life or life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of
Your existence:
The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of achievement;
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today, well lived, makes every
Yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day!
--Kalidasa (Translated from the Sanskrit)

Look for ways the Universe spoils you today and everyday.

For additional help: The Organizing and Feng Shui Wizard,
Janet L. Hall, FSII has a FREE newsletter, OverHall IT! at
http://www.overhall.com/newsletter.htm and many
organizational products for your office, home, and computer
at http://www.overhall.com/products.htm
Janet is a Professional Organizer, Certified Feng Shui
Practitioner, Speaker, and Author and can help you regain
control of your life, your time, your stuff, and your
environment.

Copyright 20001 by OverHall Consulting
P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676
All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or
distribute so long as article is kept intact, this copyright notice and full
information about contacting the author is attached