Can Being More Organized Give Me a Balanced Life?

The simple answer? YES. (Closes blog post, back to Facebook feed or Instagram feed or Snapchat feed- I love me some Snapchat @feelfreeclub.)

For those of you who want to learn how being more organized can give you a balanced life and identify the areas you're living low , continue reading...

Being organized does not give you the kind of balance you see in movies or these new age yoga enthusiasts having. The kind of balance I'm talking about is the kind that allows you to not be easily frustrated when something unexpected comes up. The kind where your child spills something and you don't get outraged by how their curious, tiny hands could cause such a mess. The kind that allows you to feel at ease while you simply do one thing, and not stress over a million others. That kind of balance is necessary in our ever changing lives. There's no room for frigidness or perfection. Life is messy, nerve wrecking, ever changing and tricky at times. It's about how you manage all life has to offer. And don't expect it to ever run out of offerings.

 how ORGANIZATION CREATES FREEDOM

"What you have control over you feel better about."

When areas of your life are organized that means you have a handle on it. You control it. You have a good idea of how that area effects you. This practice allows you freedom. Continuously avoiding areas you fear are too overwhelming to address is doing more harm than good. Ultimately it will need to be acknowledged. You can either be forced due to life circumstances or done willingly with you in the driver's seat.

Being self-employed, I spend a lot of time at home. There were days I found myself doing  A WHOLE LOT of nothing. I would do things but none of which I needed to do. I had to make myself a weekly schedule detailing what I do each day between each hour. I'm flexible of course, but my schedule allows me to be. It creates way more structure in my day and that allows me to make time for family and friends, catch an event, or more importantly a nap. (This also made me realize I have a lot more time on my hands than I thought, and I wasn't  using it wisely.)

Being organized is about having a say on how you spend your time and the things that affect you on a regular basis. What areas in your life do you feel are out of control?

Out of frustration, I quickly scribbled this schedule one morning. Since then, I've digitized it :-)

It's my mission ( is mission too much?) it's my hope to share tips and resources with you that will help you achieve the kind of life where overwhelm, high anxiety and stress is not your bestie. Where motherhood doesn't consume every waking moment of your time and energy. Because before we were mothers, we were women. Women with hopes, dreams and aspirations far beyond raising a family. This woman still exists and deserves to be nurtured. This new mother role also deserves to be developed. You can wing a lot of things when there's only you to worry about. But there's no winging lunch time for your toddler (unless your child loves squeeze pouches which is every mom's saving grace). Motherhood is surprisingly fun with episodes of disasters in between. Being organized allows you to enjoy the surprises and make it through the disasters that much better.

DETERMINE WHAT BALANCE IS FOR YOU

The first step to creating more balance is to determine what balance looks like for you and you alone.

How would you like to spend your time?

What kind of environment would you like to live in?

What would you like to say you've done this month, this year?

Asking yourself these questions will force you to acknowledge what is important to you and encourage you to seek it out. When an opportunity presents itself to increase balance in your your life, it will be difficult to pass it up. Explore how you're currently spending your time. Are you pleased with it? Look up. What do you like about your home? And your home is where you live, whether that's a house, an apartment, or a bedroom at your parents. Acknowledge what you like and what you would like to change, then do something about it. What would make this month great? Write it down. See how each week you can make that thing possible. As long as the things that are important to you are part of your life on a regular bases, unexpected occurrences sting less. Life has shifted to where your time, space, and accomplishments are aligned. Life is filled with the things that matter to you most. And that's beautiful balance.
 

THERE NO SUCH THING AS LOVING EACH CHILD EQUALLY

I always jokingly mention how I will probably love IV more than the rest of my future children. Of course this is probably not true (probably) but it's hard to imagine loving something or someone else as much... until you do. 

Everything doesn't need the same amount of attention or time. My mother always says she loves my sister and I equally but differently. Determining which areas of your life needs organizing is crucial. There will be some areas that are more organized than others and that's because you interact differently with separate areas of your life. We all do. If you'd like to identify those areas and make alterations to managing it better check out "Organize Where You're Living Low"

We can't improve what we aren't aware of ;-).  I address how to organize many common areas people are living low on Feel Free TV. Subscribe now if you'd like some help along your journey to more balance. Until next time...

Feel Free,

Mel
 

How to Find Freedom in a Job You Hate

Labor Day is not meant to be laborious. I gladly took a day off from anything productive.

How are you supposed to feel free when every morning you walk into work it feels like you've stepped into a cage? How do you gain peace of mind when your manager is down your throat, and the very thought of work makes you anxious? There are days that your job feels like a punishment.

You ask yourself: How did I end up here? What did I do to deserve this? How will I make it out of here? Here's the thing,

you cannot look at your job like a punishment.

Just because your position is less than ideal or looks nothing like your dream job, doesn't mean it sucks. There is opportunity within every challenge.

It is possible to find freedom within a job you hate.

1st thing: See your position as a door you must go through to get to the door you really want. Once you open the door, take a look inside and take advantage of all there is to offer. Then is when the next door will appear.

2nd thing: Do something for yourself first. No one is going to care about you and your dreams more than you do. I get this philosophy from my financial practices. Finances 101: Pay Yourself First. No matter the amount of your check, transfer money into your savings before you pay a single bill. You're paying into your future dreams, your future success, your future happiness. If you take care of your needs before anyone else's, you're able to perform a lot better without the feelings of guilt or regret. You can start your day feeling good about accomplishing something real for yourself.

3rd thing: Ask yourself, what opportunity is in front of me that I'm not taking advantage of? How can you get the most out of your job? Does your company offer free certifications or trainings that will add to your skill set? Do they have networking functions where you can expand your business relationships? Can you develop you punctuality, attitude, social demeanor, public speaking, or typing skills?

There is always room for your personal growth wherever you are.

Stop looking at the job as only a paycheck. Stop acting as if the company owes you something for being there each day. Guess what, all they owe you is the amount you agreed to receive every 2 weeks. Nothing more and nothing less, but that doesn't mean you can't gain much more if you're open to it. Remember take advantage of ALL there is to offer, once you do, that next door will appear.

4th thing: Practice making friends. This is the first day of high school all over again. A few faces you may recognize from college or past jobs, but majority of the people are brand spanking new. Just like you, these people don't want to stay here the rest of their careers. This is a stepping stone to their dreams and goals. And when they are ready to open their new door, they will want to take someone along with them. I can't tell you the amount of opportunities I've gained from relationships cultivated in the midst of the moment. I received a paid internship at Emory University that I was no where near qualified for (on paper) from making friends with one of the guests I served while working at a dessert bar. I hardly ever made good money there, but I didn't leave empty handed. On top of the handy baking skills, I left that job with friendships from various backgrounds and an internship I would've never gotten without the recommendation of a guest.

5th thing: Know that you're doing something meaningful for someone else. The garbage man isn't saving world hunger, but he sure is making life a lot better for a lot of people. A job does not have to be filled with soul gushing meaning in order to be important. What you do does matter a whole lot to someone. Don't overlook this. This gives your position purpose. This gives you power. Don't take advantage of it and don't minimize it.

Lastly (This is really the most important): Do Your Best This is more vital than anything else. When you do your personal best you feel proud of yourself. You don't need the accolades or the acknowledgements, because you know you've given all you got. And more than likely this will get noticed. Each day,

have the best day you can have by being your best version of you.

Why does the cage bird sing? Not because she is asked or expected to but because she is free. She is free to be all she was meant to be. No cage can contain her greatness or her bliss. She will relentlessly shine while others stare and wish. Feel Free, Mel