by © Kathy Gates

We've all heard the expression "out with the old, in with the new". And that works quite well in a lot of instances in life. But have you seen those TV shows that take an old window and turn it into a wonderful bulletin board or shelf?

Something that was destined to be thrown out, suddenly has a new life. There's definitely treasure in your life as well, but you may need to find a new way of handling some old problems.

Just remember that in order to experience the value of change in your life, you don't have to throw out everything you already have and start all over. That's not only intimidating, it's usually just not possible, much less practical (who are we, Madonna?).

Re-examine the parts of your life, and see how you can create your own treasure. Here are some unique ways to work with what you've already got to help your life work for you instead of against you.

Find an Inspiration Piece: A room can be very dull without an inspiration piece that ties it all together. So can Life. Most people have 3 or 4 very "high goals", or goals that are the inspiration and mission of their life. It might be "create a happy healthy home for those I love". Or it might be "maintain financial security". These are things you value, that are important to you.

If creating financial security is your highest goal, let it inspire you daily on what you spend and what you save. Let it help you make decisions on everything from where you go for vacation, to what you wear. If you were decorating a room using a rug with brown, gold, and rust colors in it as your inspiration piece, it's not likely you'd add lime green and purple accessories to the room.

The same is true when you tap into that inspiration piece in your life. Whatever your highest goal, it serves as an inspiration piece, and all other parts of your life either fit, or don't - just like the lime green accessories. Be willing to re-vamp any pieces that have crept in over the years, but don't fit in with your overall scheme.

Become the Organize-Police: You may resist this because it sounds so "Martha Stewart". But it's not about being betty- homemaker. It IS about creating an environment that serves you, supports you, and contributes to the lifestyle that you want.

Organizing does not mean giving away all the things you love. But it does mean making room in your life for the things you love, instead of squeezing in everything. Holding on to things that aren't beautiful or useful to you, just means that you're taking up space for something that you could find useful and/or beautiful.

At my house, I had a beautiful formal living room - that nobody ever went into it. It was just something else to clean. Meanwhile, my office was stuck in a jumbled, crowded, windowless corner of a bedroom. Finally, I moved out the living room furniture, moved in my office, and now that space is being used in way that's beautiful and useful to me.

Make room in your life for what you really want. Start with your wallet/purse. Then clean out/organize the car. Next a bathroom cabinet, or drawers, then the closet. Take it slow, as a goal you work towards, not something you can do in a Saturday morning.

Organizing your life is definitely not a silver bullet, but it is one of the best tools you could ever have for creating a better life for yourself and those you love.

Divide and Conquer: Also known as 'compartmentalizing', this is a tool that can work wonders in your life. Compartmentalizing works best when you create visual, physical, or even mental boundaries in your life. Don't spend your time at work worrying about what you need to do at home, and your time at home worrying about what you need to do at work.

Instead, divide your time and energy into categories, and focus your attention where you want it at that particular time. In decorating, we are advised to group like items together to give them the importance they deserve. I have a collection of Norman Rockwell paintings, and I had them scattered all over my house. When I got them all together in one room, the impact was amazing.

Use the same premise in your life. Focus your energy on one thing at a time, and do it well. Housework a problem? Exercising a problem? Schedule it, and focus on it, then forget it. It will free up not only your time and physical energy, but your mental energy as well.

There's treasure to be found. Just keep looking!

About the Author:
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Copyright © Kathy Gates
This is an excerpt from Professional Life Coach Kathy Gates' Ebook, "Re-Decorating Your LIFE!" which is due out in February 2003. You can order the book, and view other books and programs designed to help you solve Real Life Challenges, and live a Happier, Easier, Better Life at http://www.reallifecoach.com

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