Half Marathon in Clermont Florida 2010
I haven’t always been organized…and I haven’t always been fit. If I told my mother 18 years ago that I wanted to be a professional organizer she would have laughed until she was blue in the face. If I looked in the mirror at myself 10 years ago I would have never thought it possible to lose 40 pounds and keep it off. Well, I guess I’m living proof that the seemingly impossible is possible. I am a professional organizer and I lost that icky 40 pounds and have kept it off for the past 10 years!
When I reflect on my journey to getting and staying fit I realized that it’s a lot like the journey to getting and staying organized. Let me explain:
Both are a lifestyle change. It requires commitment and dedication. Sure you’ve been overweight or disorganized most of your life but that doesn’t mean you are doomed to be that way forever. For years I played the victim…my job was too demanding…I didn’t have a fast metabolism…nothing worked for me…it’s wasn’t fair that skinny girl could eat whatever she wanted but if I just looked at a piece of cake I gained weight. Well, you can stop playing the victim and deal with whatever your circumstances are. You can make a choice to make a change. Most changes require a tough look at how we are living and identifying habits that aren’t healthy for us. Once you take a hard look at what’s holding you back then you can focus on making changes to make a difference in your life.
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They don’t happen overnight. Like I stated above, it’s a lifestyle change. I was tired of looking for a quick fix. With every yo-yo diet came increased aggravation and increased weight. It was a real pivotal moment for me when I finally decided to make fitness a priority and part of my everyday routine. A priority that I would continue to focus on for the rest of my life. The same goes for getting organized. You’ve got to decide that being organized is a priority and that mental and physical clutter will take a back seat and no longer control your life.
They can be discouraging at first. Yes…it can be very discouraging to look at your overweight and unhealthy body or your overcrowded and cluttered rooms. You’ll wonder how you’ll ever get the energy to move forward and take action. You’ll wonder if you’ll ever see or feel the difference. You’ve got to get past the doubt and think positive. For years I told myself, “I can’t do it. It’s not in my genes. There’s no way.” But then I told myself, “Give it a shot. What have you got to lose? You’ve accomplished so many other things in your life…you can certainly conquer this!” There is tremendous power in positive thinking.
At times they can be hard to maintain. Two weeks of absense from fitness and my body instantly feels the pain. The same thing goes with organizing. It’s ok to slip and get laxed every once in awhile but if you let it go too long you’ll feel the hurt. It happens to the best of us!
You can rebound! Life happens and sometimes our fitness and organizing have to take a back seat to other pressing priorities. That’s ok. Just don’t lose sight and let them drop off your scope forever. You can rebound and get back in physical and organized shape. I found myself having to rebound this past summer. My family and I had so many things going on with my husband’s retirement from the Air Force, my sister having a baby, me getting carpal tunnel surgery on my wrist and then moving back to Texas. We were living out of our suitcases for two months which naturally threw my fitness routine off course. But I’ve rebounded and feel great!
Once you get in the groove, they can be addicting. Ask my husband…I can be a real grouch if I’ve missed a few workouts and if my house gets too cluttered. That’s because I’ve gotten addicted to the results and love how they make me feel. Feeling comfortable in my clothing and in my home are incredibly elating. You’ll feel the same once you get in the groove. These are healthy addictions in my opinion.
You’ll love to shed/shred. Nothing is more gratifying than shedding unwanted pounds. A close second, is shredding unwanted clutter. Sure it’s tough and a long haul to get there but once you start shedding/shredding you won’t want to stop!
You’ll increase your energy and decrease your stress. Regular physical activity increases your deep sleep which in turn helps reduce stress and gives you energy. The same applies to getting organized. Being organized saves you time, effort and money and therefore decreases your stress and anxiety. Not a bad side effect if you ask me.
Most of all…you’ll love the results! Creating goals and setting out to achieve them is one thing…accomplishing them is nothing short of AWESOME! Challenging yourself and achieving your goals fills you not only with a sense of accomplishment but a sense of confidence as well.
So, are you committed…to start exercising your power to get and stay organized? All it takes is a little mental shift and some dedication. Common, let’s do it!
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Can I add “getting your finances in order to be financially secure” to that list?
Anything people find boring or difficult can be very daunting at first.
I say .. baby steps!
“Once you get in the grove, they can be addicting.” I think you probably meant groove.
Ooo..thank you! I did mean groove. I read and edited this post probably 15 times and still had a typo. I think I’ll start reading my posts backwards before posting them…I used to do that when I had to edit reports. It’s a great trick. Thanks for letting me know!
I agree! Managing your finances can be such a struggle…ask me how I know. I haven’t always had the grasp on my finances as I do now. Tired of the stress and burden of debt, I decided to get a handle on it. Just like you suggest…I did it with baby steps and now I rarely stress about it because I’m in control. Physical fitness, financial fitness and organizing are all about being in control and paring things down to the essentials so that you can truly enjoy life.
Very nice and inspiring article.
Thanks! I’m very passionate about fitness as well and being organized. As I’ve mentored others on both topics I realized there were so many parallels. I thought it would make and interesting and possibly inspiring post like you mentioned. As with all my posts, if I can have an impact on just one person, it makes what I’m doing worthwhile. As always…thank you so much for your feedback.
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