Clutter Busting Coach

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The Enemy of Growth is Conformity

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Staying in our comfort zone feels safe. Conformity is a type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior to fit in with a group.

Conformity can help you abandon your bad habits. If you happen to always arrive late for an event or meeting, then the pressure placed by the group to arrive on time can spur you to make changes in your life that stops this issue and can help you make positive changes to your behaviors.

Understanding conformity can help you make sense of the reasons why some people go along with the crowd, even when their choices seem out of character for them. It can also help you see how other people’s behavior may influence the choices you make.

Does conformity limit freedom, inspiration, and independence? Conformity, defined as acting in order and in compliance with social behavior and law, is an extremely vague term, but it can mean that creativity and originality can be lost due to the standards set by authoritative figures if we take it to an extreme. Don’t get me wrong there are laws, etc. that need to be followed.

My purpose of this post is to focus on conformity keeping us stuck and not growing because we limit ourselves based on the perceived opinions of others. So, dance, sing and create. Do something that feels uncomfortable, and you might plant the seed of growth

Grateful for Life – The Good and the Bad

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When we think about being grateful, if you are like me, your thoughts jump immediately to all that is positive or exciting in life.  The word “gratitude” evokes thoughts of all that is good in our life from belongings, experiences, and to relationships.

But what about the bad? What about learning to be grateful for everything in life…even the things that are less than ideal?

Gratitude shouldn’t just be about reflecting on the good in our life. It is just as important to be grateful for the negatives in our life as well. The negatives in life also help shape who we are.

While we can’t always control what happens in life, we have the power of controlling or reaction to them or our perception about them. We can choose to be either grateful for the experience, or we can be thankful that our life is no longer as negative as it used to be. [Read more…]

Freedom to Make Mistakes

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Do you make mistakes? How do you feel when you make a mistake? Why have you labeled it a mistake? Most often we will judge our actions as a mistake based on external influences.

We unconsciously judge ourselves by external influencers all the time. And so much so that we are feeling constantly judged or that we can never do anything “right”. But who decides if are actions are a mistake?

We allow ourselves to think that we can never make mistakes…. that society or our colleagues or our friends/family will judge our actions as good or bad or that we are a failure. It is our thoughts, emotions, and perception of what our actions mean that can set us free from judgement. It is a way that we can change our view about our actions as learning opportunities versus mistakes. If we allow ourselves permission and freedom to make mistakes, we are creating an opportunity for growth. The quote above resonated with me because it is important that we make a shift in our thoughts so that we treat our lives independent of external influences. We can lead are lives knowing that there will be mistakes along the way and that is okay if we rectify them and learn from them. [Read more…]

Thoughts on Decluttering Your Eating Habits

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As I focused this month on being fit and healthy, much of that revolved around making healthy food choices.

Do you know what influences what and how much you eat? Do you know your triggers? Being mindful and planning can help you change your food choices.

Especially with the upcoming holiday and potential for celebrations at home or in gatherings, plan ahead to equip yourself to make good food choices for you that support your health goals.

Here are some ways you can also declutter your eating habits:

  • Plan your menu each week.
  • Have a grocery list.
  • Keep ingredients for one or two go-to dishes in your pantry.
  • Have two or three go-to breakfast and/or lunches.
  • Cook once, eat twice.

Using some of these tips has helped my stay true to my commitment this month. What works for you?