SIMPLICITY IS BLISS-CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER
LIFE BALANCING WITH GOD

SIMPLICITY IS BLISS-CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER
By Susan Scholl - Life Coach

Have you ever noticed how much better you feel emotionally after you have cleaned and organized your home or work space? After you get those closets, shelves and drawers organized, life seems so much easier.

Now that summer is approaching, it's a perfect time to clear out the clutter and enjoy the summer in simplicity. Often times a clutter clearing project can appear to be overwhelming at first glance, so you may need to break it down into attainable goals each day.

This task is done most efficiently in three stages. Stage 1 is surface cleaning. Go through each room and throw away the clutter that is laying on the surface but is not needed. This may include things such as advertisements, outdated materials, old magazines and newspapers. Take the time to move things into the rooms in which they belong, even if you do not yet put it all away.

Stage 2 requires a bit more time. This is when you take it one room at a time. Depending on the size of the room and the extent of the clutter, it could take a few hours to a few days to complete a room. Go through each drawer and closet. Rearrange all the shelves so they are uncluttered and neat looking. This is when you pay attention to things that need to be repaired as well. Keep a running list of things you discover need some work, but don't start fixing it just yet-that is Stage 3. Remain focused on cleaning out the clutter in every corner of the room, every drawer and closet. Be sure to work in just one room at a time so you do not lose your focus. It's very easy to lose focus in clutter. If you come across something you have been meaning to do for a long time, jot it down and keep moving through the clutter.

As you are proceeding with this project, start noticing how you feel. Have you been thinking about emotional issues that have been cluttering your mind as well? This is normal. As you reduce the clutter in your space, you will reduce the emotional clutter as well and will start to clear your mind. Enjoy it.

Stage 3 is where you will begin to fix those broken things you have found. You will find yourself painting a room, touching up a paint job, moving furniture, fixing those little things you have been tolerating all along (such as having the telephone is an inefficient place or fixing something that has not worked for years).

Have fun with it. And if you want an extra boost of energy to do this task, be sure to do your workouts first thing in the morning. You have an excellent opportunity through www.workoutsforwomen.com to have your workouts customized for you.

LIFE BALANCING WITH GOD
By Susan Scholl - Life Coach

Today we hear so much about keeping our life in balance. Just what does it mean to live a balanced life? We can become so absorbed with the intensity of our lives that we just "can't", or more accurately "don't", take time to balance between our body, mind and spirit. Unfortunately, when we do not take a holistic view of life, one of the things we often don't take time for is our own spiritual growth. We may attend church on Sunday but that does not especially mean we are balancing our lives with God or that we are putting God first.

In order to embrace a life with joy and fullness, we need to incorporate some kind of balance. To work too many hours at the expense of ignoring our health, our family or our friends can be costly. To rob ourselves of hours of enjoying nature and embracing God's wonder deprives us of peace and tranquility that is the very essence of our beings.

I once heard a great sermon about not being able to construct a house properly without the right foundation and framework. Not only are you unable to build the house without that, but also the house would not continue to stand properly if the foundation or framework began to crumble. The same stands true with our spiritual house (ourselves). If we do not put God first in our lives to keep our foundation and framework healthy, then the rest crumbles around us.

What can we do to insure that God is first in our lives? We can make Him the priority. Put him first! If we set aside special time to communicate with God in the morning, then that will ensure that it happens. It actually becomes less likely that we will find the time as the day goes on.

Balancing includes other things besides our spiritual time. To live a healthy holistic life we must include body, mind and spirit. Taking care of your body is achieved through exercise and nutrition. Your mind is kept active through continued education or career development. Your spirit, as mentioned before, is enhanced by a daily spiritual activity such as prayer and meditation. Prayer can be thought of as speaking to God and meditation can be thought of as listening to God. Both are essential for spiritual connection. To live a balanced life also includes living a more simple and uncomplicated life, recognizing and giving thanks for your blessings, and continuing to develop interpersonal relationships.

You may find it helpful to make up a simple chart of daily activities that you want to include in your life. That way, you can begin to develop new daily habits to keep your life in balance. Remember, God comes first!