We turned the page on the first month of the year and have arrived in February. Is anyone else wondering, “Where the @!#?! did January go?” I sure am. Last month, many of us were motivated by the fresh start signal a New Year brings. This month, we are poised and ready to embrace change. What will that mean for you? What changes are you pursuing? Is there a secret to initiating successful change? That’s where this story begins.

It isn’t the first time I’ve written about my love of fortune cookies. Yes. I do like the taste and their unique shape. But it’s the fortune that I really love. To me, it’s thrilling to discover a well-timed message tucked into my cookie. So when we order takeout, I always buy additional cookies- at least a dozen. Because why skimp on fun? Over the weekend, we did just that. When it came time for dessert, my husband and I started eating the cookies and reading the fortunes. Some fortunes were so-so, and others made no sense. But then, I read this one, and I knew I had to share it with you.

“The greatest lever for change is awareness.”

— Fortune cookie

A Wow Moment

Let’s savor that one. “The greatest lever for change is awareness.”  How can we change if we don’t know what we want to pursue, what challenge needs solving, or the next step? The changes we pursue begin with awareness. Noticing might be subtle at first. It could be a rumble, inkling, or a feeling. It could show up as frustration, like the challenge of getting dressed when closets are overflowing and disorganized. Maybe you feel overwhelmed and stressed because your schedule is filled with so many commitments that you have no time to breathe. Change is only possible when you notice and become aware. Change begins there.

Master Awareness Skills

We are constantly scanning our day, using cues to transition, change, and maintain habits. We wake in the morning as the sun rises. The daylight cues us to begin the day. We feel a twinge in our stomach, which indicates it’s time to eat something. We see the snow falling, which clues us that shoveling-time is coming. We see the sun setting and know workday wrap-up is close. We walk in the door and see the bowl, which reminds us to drop our keys in their ‘home.’ All of these things are tied to awareness. Change begins by noticing a distinct cue or indicator. 

“Change begins by noticing a distinct cue or indicator.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

Our awareness increases our readiness for change. As you pay attention to the cues to maintain your habits or transition from one part of the day to the next, you develop your awareness skills. Your noticing abilities are available to help you discover the indicators, which will encourage change.

Have you experienced rumblings that might indicate it is time for a change? What have you noticed? What change are you ready to make? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

Have you ever tried to create a new habit or behavior? Altering your habit cue will encourage a different result. For example, if you want to stop losing your keys, you can put a small bowl in a landing spot to catch your keys when you enter your home. The bowl becomes your new cue and helps to change your habit. No more misplaced keys because you have established a specific home where you will always find them. This sounds good, right? What happens when you successfully put your keys in the bowl for days, even months, and then one time you forget to do it? You frantically hunt for your misplaced keys and berate yourself for losing them. How do you bounce back from there? Do you give up? Do you engage in negative self-talk? Will you embrace a fresh start even after your break in continuity?

Recently, I had an upsetting experience with one of my habits. I’ve been practicing mindfulness meditation for four years. I’ve meditated almost daily with a gap here and there. For a while now, Insight Timer has been my favorite meditation app. Aside from the app offering diverse meditations and teachers to choose from, it also tracks my activity. So I know how many consecutive days I’ve meditated. To help keep me committed to my practice, I also use a daily repeat on my to-do list that cues me. 

So what happened? I intentionally deviated from my normal morning routine, including mindfulness meditation, so I could make a special birthday breakfast for my husband. My plan was to meditate later that day or at bedtime. However, the day got away from me for various reasons, and before I realized it, it was past midnight. I missed my practice that day. I’ve missed meditation practice a day or two at other times, so why was I so upset? I mentioned before that Insight Timer tracks my activity. Up until the other day, I had 390 consecutive days of practice. By missing that single day, the consecutive days counter restarted. I was so disappointed in myself. How could I have missed a day? The negative self-talk was quite insistent. And then something happened. I asked, “What lesson can I learn?” I wanted to shift my unhelpful thinking to a more positive, growth-oriented mindset.

“What lesson can I learn?”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

3 Lessons Learned From My Break in Continuity

1. It’s just a number.

Seeing the consecutive days’ number increase after each meditation gives me a motivation boost. But the reason I meditate has nothing to do with the number. I meditate to feel calmer, provide quiet space, practice focus, shift attention, and be more mindful. None of those things have anything to do with a number. I don’t meditate for the gold star or days tracked by the app. However, by missing one practice, I recognized how reliant I had become on the tracker, which wasn’t healthy.

What I know is that the more I practice, the better I feel, and the more I’m able to regulate my emotions. The 390 consecutive days I practiced aren’t lost. And the meditations ahead will continue to be helpful. I reminded myself to use the tracking if it helps, but recognizing it only represents a tiny part of the entire story. 

2. Understand the “what-the-hell effect.”

I recently attended a meeting with fellow Executive Mom Nest Advisor, Monica Moore, a health and fertility coach. She talked about habit change and how certain actions can derail us. Monica described the “what-the-hell effect,” a term behavioral scientists use. It’s a feeling of shame we can experience when we mess up and deviate from a habit we’ve established. For example, let’s say you committed to not eating ice cream. You successfully eliminated it from your diet. Then one day, you eat a small spoonful. Instead of stopping there, you down the entire pint thinking, “I already screwed- up, so I might as well keep going.” 

This made me think about missing my morning meditation practice. I could have gone down the “what-the-hell” path. But I rejected the ‘all or nothing’ thinking. Yes, I made one sidestep that I was unhappy about. However, I stepped back in the following day, practiced, and gifted myself a fresh start.

3. When all else fails, let go.

I woke up to face the Insight Timer app. After my morning meditation, I knew that the consecutive days displayed wouldn’t increase to 391 but would revert to just 1. Ouch. My berating began again, which wasn’t helpful. I wanted to reframe my negative thoughts. I selected one of my favorite practices, Letting Go Meditation, guided by Annemaree Rowley. Before the meditation ended, she read a poem by Erin Hanson. I love the last line, “. . . not everything you ever lose, is bound to be a loss.” How true that is. I lost consecutive day 391. However, in doing so, I strengthened my commitment to my practice, remembered my why, and let go of the negative self-talk. 

“. . . not everything you ever lose, is bound to be a loss.”

— Erin Hanson

Is it possible to embrace a fresh start, especially when your habit or goal get derailed? You always have the opportunity to begin again. When you go off course, what helps you move forward? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.

We’re halfway through the first month of the New Year. How are you doing with your fresh start and goal setting, planning, new habits, or resolutions? Making time to set goals, write them down, and implement them is integral to how some function. However, for many of us, planning is elusive, or our intentions quickly get derailed.

Does this sound familiar? You want more organization and less clutter, so you commit to decluttering and organizing your entire house. While the goal is doable, it’s so big that you feel overwhelmed and unmotivated. You give up and go down that negative self-talk path. What if you had the right support to help you clarify what is most important, create a doable way to reach your goals, and provide accountability and advice? Can you feel the big exhale?  

It’s all about surrounding yourself with people that will help you thrive. Marcy Stoudt, the founder of Revel Coach, understands the value of teams. She launched The Nest, an exclusive network of women whose vision of success includes career, family, and self. The Nest is a unique and trusting community for new moms to explore ideas, ask for feedback, and seek advice. Members have access to Advisors in diverse industries, including marketing, finance, design, nutrition, life coaching, and organization.

“Surround yourself with people that will help you thrive.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

I’m thrilled that Marcy invited me to join the Executive Mom Nest as their Professional Organizer Advisor. To celebrate the New Year, The Nest has an incredible giveaway that I’m participating in, and excited to share with you. 

Fabulous ‘New Year, New Me’ Giveaway

Giveaway Description:

The Executive Mom Nest’s ‘New Year, New Me’ giveaway provides you with support and guidance to become the best version of yourself as a mom, businesswoman, and mompreneur. It’s a chance to close the gap between who you are and who you want to be. Bring harmony to your career and home.

Prizes: 

The giveaway winner will receive three amazing prizes from Nest Advisors:

• A one-hour virtual organizing session with Oh, So Organized!, and a signed copy of the book, The Other Side of Organized – courtesy of Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVPO

• A business introduction video paired with branded graphics for social media – courtesy of Branded Interviews, Alison Nissen

• A one-hour executive coaching session with Marcy Stoudt – courtesy of Revel Coach

Rules for Entry:

• Follow Revel Coach on Instagram.

• Tag three friends in the comments on the Giveaway post.

• Get a bonus entry if you share the post to your Instagram Story.

• The giveaway closes on January 22, 2021, and the winner will be contacted shortly after.

How are you doing with your New Year plans? Have you taken on any new projects or goals this year? Have you run into any snags? Who is on your success team? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation by adding your comments below, and pop over to Instagram to enter The Executive Mom Nest giveaway.

We have arrived in the second week of the New Year. Are you excited about the possibilities for the next twelve months? Are you in a reflecting and planning mode? Are you contemplating how to make the most of your fresh start that each New Year brings? Or do you feel frozen or stuck? Perhaps you started this year with a solid plan and are already in pursuit. Wherever you are in your fresh process, I discovered a secret sauce that can enhance it. 

As you might know, I practice daily mindfulness meditation. I prefer guided meditations and often use the Insight Timer app, which has thousands of meditations and teachers to choose from. One of my favorite guides is Tomek Wyczesany, a scientist, meditation teacher, and author. It’s fascinating that I often hear something new while I can practice the same meditation multiple times. This happened the other day when I was working with one of Tomek’s meditations. He said, “You are the active ingredient in everything that is about to happen.” 

What a powerful statement! Let’s think about that. He’s saying that you are the secret sauce, the “active ingredient.” How do we move through life? It starts with you, your desire, idea, or motivation. It is your rumblings for action that put things in motion. 

Does it mean we are the only active ingredients? I don’t think so. For example, when I’m working with my virtual organizing clients, they are active drivers of their organizing process. However, I am supporting them with focus, clarity, or ideas. We have become an active ingredients team. 

“You are the active ingredient in everything that is about to happen.”

— Tomek Wyczesany

In another context, think about how powerful it is to recognize the concept that you are “the active ingredient in everything that you do.” That means your mindset and actions are the drivers in your life. That can be positive or negative depending upon the messages you tell yourself. If things are not going as you want, you can change the path by shifting your thoughts and deeds. 

If you are struggling with moving forward, remember that you have the ingredients to activate. If you want to create an activation team, reach out to a family member, friend, or professional organizer like me.

Are you in a fresh start mode? What helps you to activate? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I invite you to join the conversation.