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| | Home | Coaching | Products | Retreats | Programs | Newsletters | | Resources | FAQ | Testimonials | About Helen | Contact Helen | Copyright © 2005 - 2008 Better Than Ever Coaching. All rights reserved. Address: P.O. Box 391, Brewster, MA 02631 Telephone: (508) 896-5779 Click here to Contact Helen |
Newsletters - January 2007
| Better Than Ever Coaching |
*****************************************************
What Could Be Better?
Written by Helen F. Kosinski, Professional Coach
January 2007: Volume 2, Issue 1
*****************************************************
This Month: Are You Stuck? Maybe It’s Your Clutter…
- Feature Article
- What’s Next for You?
- Resources
- Reader’s Corner
*****************************************************
Hi,
I hope you had a wonderful holiday! And, I wish you a very
happy and healthy 2007!
It’s kind of exciting, having a new year stretching in front of
you… Did you make any resolutions or set any intentions? On
New Year’s Eve, a group of us were talking about resolutions and
I think that one of my friends’ resolutions is terrific…it is
simply to have more fun! In our hectic world, wouldn’t it be
amazing, if everyone decided to have more fun everyday? Just
imagine what it would be like to get on the subway, train or go
into work and see smiling faces, instead of scowls. Having more
fun is an intention that I’ll be including in my New Year! How
about you?
Sometimes we resist setting resolution for the New Year because
it feels like as soon as we make them, we break them or we just
can’t move forward on them. There may be a number of reasons
this happens…it’s possible that your clutter may even play a
part in this. Sounds kind of strange, huh? After reading
today’s feature article about the impact clutter may have on
your life, you may view your clutter a bit differently…
Have a Better Than Ever month!
All my best,
Helen
*****************************************************
Feature Article: Are You Stuck? Maybe It's Your Clutter...
*****************************************************
The beginning of a New Year is the perfect time to decide to do
something that you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe you’d like to
start an exercise program, or find your dream career, or learn
more about a particular topic (like astronomy, knitting, or how
to play the piano). Or maybe you’d just like to make some
improvements, say take a few classes to upgrade your ‘soft
skills’. Imagine that this is really something you’d like to
do. Now imagine, that you just can not seem to get started! I
suspect, if you’re like most of us, you will come up with all
kinds of excuses, like - I don’t have time, I don’t have the
money, it will be too hard, it’s silly to want to do that - the
list of excuses could go on and on… Before you beat yourself up
too much, take a look around…maybe it’s your clutter that’s
keeping you stuck!
Yup, that’s right…your clutter may be contributing to you
feeling stuck! Actually, being surrounded by clutter can affect
you physically, like making you feel lethargic and not having
very much energy. It also can affect you emotionally by keeping
you living in the past. There has been quite a bit written
about the affects that clutter has on a person – if you’re
curious, check out the Resources section of this newsletter to
find out more.
Do you need more concrete evidence that clutter can contribute
to being stuck? Okay, here’s an example. I’ve worked with a
number of clients that have cleared out some of their clutter
and things have really started moving forward for them. But, I
had one client this summer who was really feeling stuck…to the
point that it was even affecting her health. She had a closet
that was a nightmare and she had said on a number of occasions
how much she really, really wanted to get it cleaned out. So,
finally one Saturday, she decided that was the day. She felt
wonderful after she finished cleaning out the closet! She
didn’t think she’d have any time after tackling the closet to
enjoy the rest of the weekend, but actually she was able to
reward herself by going to the movies (which she absolutely
loves). She also got a massage, in which the message therapist
was able to identify one of the reasons she was feeling so lousy
and together they put a program in place to clear that up! And,
she made significant progress on a couple of things that hadn’t
been going anywhere for months! These great things just started
happening…right after she cleaned out her closet!
Still not convinced? Here’s another example. When I began
coaching, I only had a few clients and I was very eager to build
my business. At times I was a bit frustrated, but I kept at it.
I was doing all of the right things, but my business wasn’t
growing as quickly as I had hoped. On to the clutter component
of this illustration - in a spare closet I had boxes (I mean BIG
boxes – Poland Spring Gallon Water size boxes) of loose
pictures. They were cluttering up my closet and every time I
went into that closet to get something I’d think to myself,
‘Someday, I’d like to organize those pictures and get them put
away neatly…’. Well, needless to say, I always came up with an
excuse as to why I didn’t take care of those pictures. Finally,
as part of a program that I was taking, I committed to going
through all of the boxes (and boxes and boxes) of pictures,
getting rid of the duplicates or horrible pictures, organizing
them by date and finding a way to neatly store them. Guess
what? I finished that project…and I must say it felt great to
get all of those pictures organized…and within two weeks, I had
two new clients! Amazing, isn’t it?
So…doesn’t it make you curious about what might happen when you
start removing your clutter?
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that getting rid of your
clutter will cure everything. Look at it this way - even if
nothing happens or you don’t catapult forward in an area that
you’ve previously been stuck in, whatever you de-cluttered will
look great and every time you look at that space you will feel
great!
I’m off to get rid of some more of my clutter…how about you?
*****************************************************
What’s Next for You?
*****************************************************
This month I’d love to see you pick one thing to de-clutter
and see what happens! Pick something that you’d just love to
clean out…it can be small - like a drawer, a desk top, or a
kitchen cabinet. Or, you can go a bit bigger, like a closet.
Or, you can go really BIG, like a basement, attic or garage!
You also don’t have to do the clutter elimination in one
‘sitting’…it took me weeks to go through all of my pictures.
When you finish de-cluttering the space, notice how you feel
and be sure to celebrate your accomplishment! Then, notice
what else happens…
Would you like to share with us what happened after you
completed your de-cluttering project? Please send an e-mail to
mailto:Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com with a brief description
of your de-clutter adventure and I’ll include it in a future
issue of ‘What Could Be Better’. Please let me know if you’d
like to remain anonymous.
*****************************************************
Resources
*****************************************************
-- Articles --
"Clutter’s Side Effects: How the State of Your Home
Affects Your Life" by Stephanie Roberts
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Roberts26.html
"Journey to a Clutter-Free Life" by Andrew K. Roberts
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Roberts16.html
"Taking Control of Your Clutter" by Paula Eichermuller
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Eichermuller1.html
"The Top 10 Tips to Help You Declutter" by Beth Densmore
http://topten.org/public/BD/BD681.html
-- Books --
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston
The Clutter-Busting Handbook: Clean It Up, Clear It Out, and Keep Your
Life Clutter-free by Rita Emmett
One Thing at a Time: 100 Simple Ways to Live Clutter-Free Every Day
by Cindy Glovinsky
-- Website --
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_988/text/0,,HGTV_22056_42540,00.
html - ‘Easy Organization Tips, Videos and Clutter Control Strategies:
Home and Garden Television’
http://www.juliemorgenstern.com/ - Julie Morgenstern is an
organization expert
http://onlineorganizing.com/Home.asp - Online Organization ‘A
world of organizing solutions…’
http://www.napo.net/ - National Association of Professional
Organizers
Note: Mention of any of the above resources does not
indicate endorsement.
*****************************************************
Reader’s Corner
*****************************************************
In my last newsletter, I asked readers to share your favorite
ways to celebrate…here’s how Liz celebrates:
‘I like to celebrate by taking time to meditate or walk either
alone or with Carl in the woods. I like to take time to feel
grateful and spend time in meditation and prayer - to get off
the track of accomplishments and get centered again, because so
often, in order to meet a goal, I have to get way off-center,
and push myself into the hectic world to: 1. show art. 2. sell
art. 3. socialize or contribute in a meaningful way (workshops,
demos, etc.) to my community.’
- Liz Perry
Brewster Artist
(http://www.lizperry.com/)
That’s a great way to celebrate, Liz! Thanks so much for
sharing this with us!
It’s not too late…do you have a favorite way to celebrate that
you are willing to share with us? Please send an e-mail to
mailto:Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com with a brief description
of your favorite way to celebrate. Please let me know if you’d
prefer to remain anonymous.
*****************************************************
Is 2007 the year you get serious about living the life you were
meant to live? If so, there are still a couple of openings in
the up-coming Now What? program. It starts on February 1st, so
sign-up today to secure your spot! To find out more about this
program, please visit
http://www.betterthanevercoaching.com/services-nowwhat.html.
Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. It is published
every month, except for a combined issue in November/December
and July/August. To cancel or change your subscription, please
refer to the link at the very bottom of this newsletter.
Do you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter? Please
send the entire issue intact and unaltered to them! Thank you!
To subscribe to this free newsletter, please send a blank e-mail
to mailto:Helen20-192607@autocontactor.com. When you receive
the confirmation e-mail, please follow the instructions to
complete your subscription. As a special Thank You for
subscribing, you will receive Three FREE Success Journal Secrets
to Creating a Better Life!
Your privacy is important to me. I do not give out or sell my
subscriber list to anyone.
Please send any questions, comments or insights to me at:
mailto:Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com or P.O. Box 391,
Brewster, MA 02631. Or you can give me a call toll-free at:
(888) 294-5779.
Be sure to visit my website at:
http://www.BetterThanEverCoaching.com for more information.
*****************************************************
Better Than Ever Coaching
Partnering with Professionals to
Confidently Navigate Change
*****************************************************
Copyright © 2007 Better Than Ever Coaching.
All rights reserved.
*****************************************************
What Could Be Better?
Written by Helen F. Kosinski, Professional Coach
January 2007: Volume 2, Issue 1
*****************************************************
This Month: Are You Stuck? Maybe It’s Your Clutter…
- Feature Article
- What’s Next for You?
- Resources
- Reader’s Corner
*****************************************************
Hi,
I hope you had a wonderful holiday! And, I wish you a very
happy and healthy 2007!
It’s kind of exciting, having a new year stretching in front of
you… Did you make any resolutions or set any intentions? On
New Year’s Eve, a group of us were talking about resolutions and
I think that one of my friends’ resolutions is terrific…it is
simply to have more fun! In our hectic world, wouldn’t it be
amazing, if everyone decided to have more fun everyday? Just
imagine what it would be like to get on the subway, train or go
into work and see smiling faces, instead of scowls. Having more
fun is an intention that I’ll be including in my New Year! How
about you?
Sometimes we resist setting resolution for the New Year because
it feels like as soon as we make them, we break them or we just
can’t move forward on them. There may be a number of reasons
this happens…it’s possible that your clutter may even play a
part in this. Sounds kind of strange, huh? After reading
today’s feature article about the impact clutter may have on
your life, you may view your clutter a bit differently…
Have a Better Than Ever month!
All my best,
Helen
*****************************************************
Feature Article: Are You Stuck? Maybe It's Your Clutter...
*****************************************************
The beginning of a New Year is the perfect time to decide to do
something that you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe you’d like to
start an exercise program, or find your dream career, or learn
more about a particular topic (like astronomy, knitting, or how
to play the piano). Or maybe you’d just like to make some
improvements, say take a few classes to upgrade your ‘soft
skills’. Imagine that this is really something you’d like to
do. Now imagine, that you just can not seem to get started! I
suspect, if you’re like most of us, you will come up with all
kinds of excuses, like - I don’t have time, I don’t have the
money, it will be too hard, it’s silly to want to do that - the
list of excuses could go on and on… Before you beat yourself up
too much, take a look around…maybe it’s your clutter that’s
keeping you stuck!
Yup, that’s right…your clutter may be contributing to you
feeling stuck! Actually, being surrounded by clutter can affect
you physically, like making you feel lethargic and not having
very much energy. It also can affect you emotionally by keeping
you living in the past. There has been quite a bit written
about the affects that clutter has on a person – if you’re
curious, check out the Resources section of this newsletter to
find out more.
Do you need more concrete evidence that clutter can contribute
to being stuck? Okay, here’s an example. I’ve worked with a
number of clients that have cleared out some of their clutter
and things have really started moving forward for them. But, I
had one client this summer who was really feeling stuck…to the
point that it was even affecting her health. She had a closet
that was a nightmare and she had said on a number of occasions
how much she really, really wanted to get it cleaned out. So,
finally one Saturday, she decided that was the day. She felt
wonderful after she finished cleaning out the closet! She
didn’t think she’d have any time after tackling the closet to
enjoy the rest of the weekend, but actually she was able to
reward herself by going to the movies (which she absolutely
loves). She also got a massage, in which the message therapist
was able to identify one of the reasons she was feeling so lousy
and together they put a program in place to clear that up! And,
she made significant progress on a couple of things that hadn’t
been going anywhere for months! These great things just started
happening…right after she cleaned out her closet!
Still not convinced? Here’s another example. When I began
coaching, I only had a few clients and I was very eager to build
my business. At times I was a bit frustrated, but I kept at it.
I was doing all of the right things, but my business wasn’t
growing as quickly as I had hoped. On to the clutter component
of this illustration - in a spare closet I had boxes (I mean BIG
boxes – Poland Spring Gallon Water size boxes) of loose
pictures. They were cluttering up my closet and every time I
went into that closet to get something I’d think to myself,
‘Someday, I’d like to organize those pictures and get them put
away neatly…’. Well, needless to say, I always came up with an
excuse as to why I didn’t take care of those pictures. Finally,
as part of a program that I was taking, I committed to going
through all of the boxes (and boxes and boxes) of pictures,
getting rid of the duplicates or horrible pictures, organizing
them by date and finding a way to neatly store them. Guess
what? I finished that project…and I must say it felt great to
get all of those pictures organized…and within two weeks, I had
two new clients! Amazing, isn’t it?
So…doesn’t it make you curious about what might happen when you
start removing your clutter?
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that getting rid of your
clutter will cure everything. Look at it this way - even if
nothing happens or you don’t catapult forward in an area that
you’ve previously been stuck in, whatever you de-cluttered will
look great and every time you look at that space you will feel
great!
I’m off to get rid of some more of my clutter…how about you?
*****************************************************
What’s Next for You?
*****************************************************
This month I’d love to see you pick one thing to de-clutter
and see what happens! Pick something that you’d just love to
clean out…it can be small - like a drawer, a desk top, or a
kitchen cabinet. Or, you can go a bit bigger, like a closet.
Or, you can go really BIG, like a basement, attic or garage!
You also don’t have to do the clutter elimination in one
‘sitting’…it took me weeks to go through all of my pictures.
When you finish de-cluttering the space, notice how you feel
and be sure to celebrate your accomplishment! Then, notice
what else happens…
Would you like to share with us what happened after you
completed your de-cluttering project? Please send an e-mail to
mailto:Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com with a brief description
of your de-clutter adventure and I’ll include it in a future
issue of ‘What Could Be Better’. Please let me know if you’d
like to remain anonymous.
*****************************************************
Resources
*****************************************************
-- Articles --
"Clutter’s Side Effects: How the State of Your Home
Affects Your Life" by Stephanie Roberts
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Roberts26.html
"Journey to a Clutter-Free Life" by Andrew K. Roberts
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Roberts16.html
"Taking Control of Your Clutter" by Paula Eichermuller
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Eichermuller1.html
"The Top 10 Tips to Help You Declutter" by Beth Densmore
http://topten.org/public/BD/BD681.html
-- Books --
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston
The Clutter-Busting Handbook: Clean It Up, Clear It Out, and Keep Your
Life Clutter-free by Rita Emmett
One Thing at a Time: 100 Simple Ways to Live Clutter-Free Every Day
by Cindy Glovinsky
-- Website --
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/pac_ctnt_988/text/0,,HGTV_22056_42540,00.
html - ‘Easy Organization Tips, Videos and Clutter Control Strategies:
Home and Garden Television’
http://www.juliemorgenstern.com/ - Julie Morgenstern is an
organization expert
http://onlineorganizing.com/Home.asp - Online Organization ‘A
world of organizing solutions…’
http://www.napo.net/ - National Association of Professional
Organizers
Note: Mention of any of the above resources does not
indicate endorsement.
*****************************************************
Reader’s Corner
*****************************************************
In my last newsletter, I asked readers to share your favorite
ways to celebrate…here’s how Liz celebrates:
‘I like to celebrate by taking time to meditate or walk either
alone or with Carl in the woods. I like to take time to feel
grateful and spend time in meditation and prayer - to get off
the track of accomplishments and get centered again, because so
often, in order to meet a goal, I have to get way off-center,
and push myself into the hectic world to: 1. show art. 2. sell
art. 3. socialize or contribute in a meaningful way (workshops,
demos, etc.) to my community.’
- Liz Perry
Brewster Artist
(http://www.lizperry.com/)
That’s a great way to celebrate, Liz! Thanks so much for
sharing this with us!
It’s not too late…do you have a favorite way to celebrate that
you are willing to share with us? Please send an e-mail to
mailto:Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com with a brief description
of your favorite way to celebrate. Please let me know if you’d
prefer to remain anonymous.
*****************************************************
Is 2007 the year you get serious about living the life you were
meant to live? If so, there are still a couple of openings in
the up-coming Now What? program. It starts on February 1st, so
sign-up today to secure your spot! To find out more about this
program, please visit
http://www.betterthanevercoaching.com/services-nowwhat.html.
Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. It is published
every month, except for a combined issue in November/December
and July/August. To cancel or change your subscription, please
refer to the link at the very bottom of this newsletter.
Do you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter? Please
send the entire issue intact and unaltered to them! Thank you!
To subscribe to this free newsletter, please send a blank e-mail
to mailto:Helen20-192607@autocontactor.com. When you receive
the confirmation e-mail, please follow the instructions to
complete your subscription. As a special Thank You for
subscribing, you will receive Three FREE Success Journal Secrets
to Creating a Better Life!
Your privacy is important to me. I do not give out or sell my
subscriber list to anyone.
Please send any questions, comments or insights to me at:
mailto:Helen@BetterThanEverCoaching.com or P.O. Box 391,
Brewster, MA 02631. Or you can give me a call toll-free at:
(888) 294-5779.
Be sure to visit my website at:
http://www.BetterThanEverCoaching.com for more information.
*****************************************************
Better Than Ever Coaching
Partnering with Professionals to
Confidently Navigate Change
*****************************************************
Copyright © 2007 Better Than Ever Coaching.
All rights reserved.
*****************************************************
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