Christmas is, to use the familiar words of Charles Dickens, "the best of times and the worst of times." For some people, it is only the worst; for others, the best, but probably for most of us, it is somewhere in between!
I always have more intentions than I carry out, which often turns into clutter! As you've heard me say dozens, even hundreds, of times if you've been around me long, "Clutter is postponed decisions." This year I have decided that there is one critical action for me during this Christmas season.
When I began my career as a residential organizing consultant 40+ years ago, I rarely mentioned the name of Jesus. But before I went into my client's homes, I would pray that they would feel the love - His love - from me whether or not I ever mentioned His name, which I rarely did because I was afraid of offending them. As my love of Jesus and interest in studying Scripture have increased, I have come full circle and believe that the most meaningful decision you will ever make is answering the question, "Who is Jesus?" -- and my purpose this Christmas is to be bold in sharing His name.
While growing older brings outcomes that I don't always appreciate (which I won't mention here!), one outcome for me is my willingness to stand up for what I believe regardless of what happens.
As with helping people organize their lives, I don't feel responsible for convincing others, but as the years fly by, I feel far more compelled to share the opportunity so they can decide for themselves. From my experience and observing hundreds of clients, I know that the longer we wait to get organized, the more difficult it becomes. In recent presentations, I have begun focusing on a 7-step process participants can use to successfully organize one small area of their life, which they can implement repeatedly. The result will be what we call a "productive environment" -- an intentional setting in which everyone can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives -- and enable others to do the same!
At a conference, I overheard a woman lamenting that her 50th birthday was approaching. I turned to her and said, "I'm 75 years old, and I can tell you that my years from 50-75 have been infinitely more pleasant than they were from 25-50!" One of the main contributors to that outcome is my deepening relationship with Jesus, who was sent by God to this earth -- the real reason for the Christmas Season we celebrate!
One of my business coaches, Perry Marshall, defines marketing as "the art and science of helping people who need each other find each other." That definition emboldens me to offer people the opportunity to organize their lives and to share the love of Jesus.
Merry Christmas!
In 1978, Barbara took out a $7 ad in a New York City newspaper to advertise her professional organizer business. For 20 years, she focused her business on organizing paper and physical clutter for home offices and organizations. Then the Internet Age came about, and she utilized her principles and expertise to help clients with digital clutter.
Over the past 40+ years Barbara has helped 1000's of companies, and became an icon and top expert in the industry. She has been featured on national media platforms such as Good Morning America, The Today Show and CNN Nightly News. She has also been showcased in publications including USA Today, New York Times, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, Real Simple and Guideposts.
Barbara and her team teach business owners a 9-step system to go from overwhelmed to optimized. Step 1 is a free Assessment that can be found at https://scorecard.productiveenvironment.com/