Ready to be the best YOU? Incorporate these 4 life changers.

So just a few years ago I found myself clawing for perfection. The way I spoke, behaved, and looked had to be perfect. Not perfect like no strands out of place, but more so like Nicole Kidman in The Stepford Wives ... a robot! The idea of coloring outside of the line scared the shit out of me and the thought of not being the best at everything wasn’t even an option.

During this time work was going haywire, school felt like a battlefield and family – lets just say we could’ve been better. Everything was chaotic!

My space was in shambles, my mind was emotionally cluttered and life just sucked.

I discovered that the lack of creating order in my physical environment was affecting my entire life. The moment I began to get everything in order, I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Though the light was at a great distance, it was still there. It may sound bizarre but what I’ve learned over the years is that a cluttered, dirty, or confusing environment can cause us to feel worried, sad, helpless and out of control.

Instead of throwing in the towel, I decided to get a grip and organize. Here is what you need to be the best you.

1. Clear your Mind

As we all know, where there’s chaos, clarity does not exist and clarity is necessary to evaluate every situation we are in. When your space is in order and it exudes beauty, stress diminishes and you are able to focus more.

2. Create Order around You

As mentioned before, order helps remove chaos in all its glory. As much as we hated when our parents told us what to do growing up, order had to be present for us to mold into civilized individuals.

If you hadn’t noticed organizing has been present in your life since birth.

Though it may not seem as though we were taught to categorize or systematize our existence, without it we’d be lost.

3. Calm your Spirit

In the center of our body is this wonderful magnificent entity called our soul. When you surround yourself in an environment that allows your soul to speak through you, the wonders it creates is out of this world.

Meditation is a powerful act that sanctions the body and soul to be one.

The power of organizing creates a space that makes the act of meditating achievable.

4. Invite in Money

As you probably know, I love everything about Feng Shui and what I have found us by using its techniques, it can bring in money as well.

As mentioned in my previous blog post, adding specific colors in your corners, according to the Bagua Map, can exemplify the energy that flows through it.

This method also works in your money corner aka Power & Wealth.

Purple is a color that is associated with royalty, nobility, luxury and power so be sure to incorporate purple in your money corner and see what happens!

Are you ready to receive the expert assistance, encouragement, and accountability to gain back control of your life?  Reserve your courtesy Organizing Breakthrough Session today!

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 Continue being beautiful!

Judi

How to truly live & be rich

How’d you like to learn how to organize all of your financial documents and live rich? Better yet, what if I showed you how to efficiently sort all of your documents in different categories, which will in turn alleviate all of your money problems? If either of these questions interests you and you’re ready to change your life then you may want to continue reading.  

I know! Just the thought of coming up with a system for organizing all of your financial papers is a task we usually put on the back burner. Who wants to spend their weekend rumbling through documents that involve money and lack there of. Though this process is daunting, it’s probably the most important thing you could ever do in your life. Not only that, it can take you from being average to being rich (or your definition of rich). If you are always in a blur about where your money goes and need to finally stop it from running your life, then this is for you. If you are living paycheck to paycheck and is constantly afraid of getting fired, then this is for you? If you are unsure of what will happen to your family after you die, then this is for you. And finally, if you are tired of searching for a “Get Rich” system and are ready to discover a system (created by you) that actually works, then this really is for you. Just remember, this is a process and will take some time but at the end it will all be worth it.

Items you’ll need:

• 11 Hanging folders
• 40-50 File folders
• A glass of wine (optional)

Ok so lets get started!

Hanging Folder #1 Tax Returns

This folder will have eight file folders where each folder will house all tax returns documents dating back seven years including this year (2009-2016). Documents include W-2 forms, 1099, 1040EZ and etc. — you get the idea! For example, folder one will be labeled 2009 and folder eight will be labeled 2016. It is important that you find all of your tax returns and put them in this folder because this is usually how far the IRS can go when they decide to audit you.

Hanging Folder #2 Retirement Accounts

This folder will have all of your retirement statements from your IRAs to your 401K. Depending on the number of accounts you have will determine the amount of file folders to add. For every account you have, make sure you keep every quarterly statement you receive. This helps you keep track of what’s going on with your accounts and how your money is growing.

Hanging Folder #3 Social Security

This folder will only maintain your most recent social security statement. If you are not receiving social security as of 2014 you should be receiving statements three months before your birthday. For more information visit https://www.ssa.gov or contact them at 1-800-772-1213.

Hanging Folder #4 Investment Accounts

This folder will hold all of your investment account documents. For every account you have, create a file folder.

Hanging Folder #5 Savings and Checking Accounts

Create separate file folders for both accounts if applicable. Because it’s best to update your statements monthly, at the end of the year you should have 12 statements for each account you possess. If you online bank and prefer the paperless process, I’d recommend you put a note in this assigned account folder stating you’ve saved that month’s statement via online.

Hanging Folder #6 Household Accounts

This folder will contain file folders for your House title, Home Improvements (all the receipts for all home improvement work) and Mortgage (monthly statements). Be sure you constantly check your mortgage statements so that you are not surprised by charges you are unaware of. If you are renting, this folder will contain your lease, your deposit receipt and your rental payment invoices.

Hanging Folder #7 Credit Card Debt

The scary “D” word. In this folder you will create file folders for every credit card you have and house all of your monthly statements. As mentioned before, if you online bank, make sure you record your monthly statement and keep a note in its folder. This allows you to see all of the charges on your accounts and shows you your progress or your regression.

Hanging Folder #8 Other Liabilities or Loans

In this folder you will include all of your loans with the exception of your mortgage or credit card debt and put each loan in their own individual file folder. These loans include: personal loans, car loans, school loans, you get the gist!

Hanging Folder #9 Insurance

This folder will include all of the statements of your insurance policies including car, life, health, homeowners, etc.

Hanging Folder #10 Family Will or Trust

This folder will hold a copy of your will or trust. If you haven’t created a will, go do it now. You will thank me later.

Hanging Folder #11 Children’s Accounts

If you don’t have children yet then you don’t have to worry about this folder. If you do, this folder will house college savings account records and investments for your children.

Yay! We are finally at the end. How does it feel? It may feel a bit overwhelming but I promise you it is all worth it. As long as you begin this system, you have already made a difference in your life. Remember you don’t have to do it all in one day and it will take some time to master it. If you have any questions about any step or just need help creating one, please feel free to contact me.

Also, be sure to read Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner by David Bach. I’ve utilized his system (mentioned above) for one year now and it has transformed the way I view money and has allowed me to know how my money is working for me. I am on my way to becoming rich $$$.

“You don’t have to be rich to live rich”

Be Wonderful!

How to effectively downsize to an Assisted Living Community

Have you ever had to make the heart wrenching decision to send your parents to an assisted living community? Did they take the news well? The idea of downsizing period can be a difficult topic to discuss. Downsizing can be particularly difficult for seniors because of the of accumulated possessions they’ve held on to over the years. The fact is, they will not only be leaving a home that held so many memories, they will be losing tons of both space and storage space. Whether you or a loved one is downsizing, here are some tips on how to make downsizing positive and less stressful.

Arrange the new bedroom to resemble your old room

The goal of making your new space feel like home is to arrange your new space to look like the room from your previous home. For instance, arrange the bedroom so that when you wake up, you will see the same bookshelves, books, souvenirs, and family photos as it was in your previous home. Just be sure that the room has the space for it. Because the goal is to prevent new clutter from reoccurring, it is important to leave out the items that have not been used, touched or thought about.

Draw up a floor plan of the new place

Measure exactly how much closet, cabinet space and square footage the new place has (assisted living communities will provide this information if you ask) and us the comparable space as a visual guide. This will help you decide which pieces of furniture will work best in the new space and help with deciding what will fit into the new space. It also makes it easier to imagine what it will look like when moved in.

Let it go

It is easier to let go of things if we feel they are going to benefit someone else. Being a blessing to someone in need helps the process letting go more meaningful. Let go of what no longer holds value in your life. Here are three questions to ask yourself when deciding if an item adds value to your life.

1. Does it bring happiness?
2. If I went to a store, would I buy it today?
3. Will it make me rich?

If you’ve answered question 1 with a NO, then it may be time to let that item go. If you’ve answered question 2 with a NO then its time to get rid of it. If you’ve answered question 3 with a YES then “Sale It”.

Start with the unsentimental stuff

Beginning the process of downsizing is already a difficult task therefore it is important to start with the unsentimental items first to lessen the difficulties of parting ways. So if the bedroom or kitchen holds a sentimental value, the best place to start would be either the garage or bathroom.

Get help

Having trusted friends and family help your loved one clear their years of clutter can be a massive help when downsizing. This makes the process less stressful because everyone around is able to take part in memories, which help make the process less uncomfortable. In a way, it turns a not so happy situation into a time for your loved one(s) to go down memory lane and share their past experiences. Also, due to their stage in life, seniors are at that age where they’re physically unable to work through task of high volume. If you’re less likely to get help from friends and family, your best bet would be to hire a professional. Professional Organizers, Clutter Coaches or Clutter Consultants are individuals that can help with the process. They are trained to deal with clutter of all sizes and understand what it takes when making a transition.

Happy Downsizing!

Why Clutter is BAD for your Health

So you come home after a busy day at work and sit down on the couch in front of the TV and plop your feet on your antiquish coffee table. As you open your eyes after waking up from your 2-second nap, you realize the piles of stuff around you. Your mind has now become distressed and goes into overdrive to process your space. The Effects of Clutter and Stress.

STRESS, the 5-letter word that is seen as both positive and negative. We try to keep it out of our lives and at the same time we can’t live without it. Stress is how we deal with challenges or threats in our lives. When we feel threatened, our body responds by releasing stress hormones called cortisol. High levels of cortisol can:

• Lower immune function and bone density
• Increase weight gain
• Increase blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease
• Increase risk of depression and mental illness
• Lower life expectancy

As mentioned before, in many cases stress is positive as it helps us concentrate, focus and stay alert, but an overload can be detrimental to our health.

Here are a few guidelines on how to stop clutter in its track and focus on living a more happy, stress-free and clutter-free life.

• Would I pay to move it? If this answer is No then it probably isn’t important enough to keep.
• Does it make me happy? After touching an item and there’s no sense of joy or good memory then it may be time to part ways.
• What is it about? What is the real reason you can’t let go of an item? Sometimes the items we hold on to bring back a memory whether it is good or bad.

At first it may seem overwhelming to know that you will need to get rid of your stuff to remove unnecessary stress in your life but with practice and persistence, it will come natural. By the time you know it, you’ll be able to slide down the hall without worrying about anything stopping you.

Resource and References

Cortisol: Why “The Stress Hormone” Is Public Enemy No.1 – Christopher Bergland five simple ways to lower your cortisol levels without drugs. (Psychologytoday.com)

Why everything that comes through your front door should have an exit strategy

Before you ask, “why in the world would I have an exit strategy for those beautiful heels I just bought yesterday” or “these towels were too expensive to ever get rid of," you first need to understand what an exit strategy is. My definition of an exit strategy is having a preplanned thought of detaching a tangible item (or intangible) from ones’ space or life. My philosophy is each item we own has a mission. Once that mission has been achieved, it is time to let it move on. This also goes for things that are intangible as a relationship. Every relationship we’ve ever been in or are currently in especially in its beginning stages before marriage has some sort of exit strategy. This is how. We enter a relationship thinking we would are either going to eventually marry our significant other or break up. Marriage or Breaking Up is the exit strategy. Marriage in that you left your courtship for a lifetime bond and breaking up; well I’m sure you understand that one. Rather then viewing “exit strategy” as being negative, it is positive occasion we need to embrace in our lives.

The reason for this post is to explain to you why everything that comes into your home must go. I’m not at all telling you to get rid of everything in home right now but I am hoping that after reading this you are able to understand how the items that we bring into our homes should have an end date. Let me explain.

You’ve just walk into your favorite shoe store at about 2:30 pm on a Friday. You know what store I’m talking about. The one that’s a couple of miles from your house but not too far to where you’d have to eat lunch afterwards. Okay so you’ve now tried on six pairs of shoes and finally found the pair that will go with that outfit you plan on wearing tonight. They’re not just beautiful, they’re comfortable and of course a “show stopper”. You purchase the shoes and head home. Twenty minutes later you are walking through the front door with those beautiful shoes swaying back and forth. You place the shoes on your shoe rack and let them seat, as you get ready for your event. Time has passed and you’ve worn them a handful of times if that and now they’re collecting dust. The love you’ve once had for them has loooong gone.

Those shoes that you purchased for that event and others after had served its purpose and is no longer needed. This is where everything needing an exit strategy comes into place. Instead of holding on to those shoes or other things that are sitting in your homes with no purpose, you should remove them from your possession.

Below are three tips on how to exit your items:

1. Donate them — give your items either to your local charity or to someone who needs them
2. Sell them — host a garage sale or sell your items on eBay
3. Trash them — if your items are unsalvageable throw them away

I’m not at all telling you to go into your homes and get rid of the things you don’t use. I’m also not saying if you haven’t used, touched or worn an item within the last year to throw it away. I am just trying to explain to you that everything we buy, are given, borrow or even make will always need an exit strategy. This exit strategy will not only prevent your home from being cluttered, most importantly keep your sanity.

Interesting fact: According to the LA Times, the average American household has 300,000 items in their home. That's mind blowing!!!

Be Wonderful

3 quick & easy tips on how to effectively clean up after the holidays

Okay so lets be honest, cleaning up after any event yet alone the holidays is probably the least fun thing to do. Oh the dreaded CLEAN UP . The worst part about all of this is you will probably end up doing it alone. DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!!! Well no need to worry any longer, Judi is here to help you combat this issue and end the New Year on a positive note.  

Below are 3 Tips that will help you master this process:

1. Rock your Body — Adding music (your favorite tune) while you clean up really helps with your mood. According to many studies music actually triggers the releases of the ‘pleasure chemical’ dopamine. This is the same chemical that gets released when you eat your favorite food like pasta, French fries, or my old favorite vanilla bean cheesecake. I’m hungry now. By the time you finish, you’d be in such a great mood you’ll probably end up cleaning up the whole house.
2. Ready set GOOO!!! — Using a timer to time yourself both keeps your attention and also makes the process fun. Yes the "F" word again. Here are three reasons why timers are beneficial to use.
   1. It helps you transition from an un-preferred activity to a preferred one. For example, put your timer at 30 minutes. Now you have 30 minutes to finish cleaning up. When those 30 minutes passes, you will be done and now you can move on to doing something you enjoy doing.
   2. It makes it easier to stay on task. When cleaning it’s easy to lose focus and get distracted but when a timer is included your likelihood of going off course is less likely.
   3. It helps make cleaning feel like a game. Who doesn’t like playing games? I do!
3. Give it a Home — If you didn’t listen to the previous suggestions this one is the most important. In order for your space to remain clean after cleaning up it is important to put everything back in its place. Put your faux tree back in its box, put the decorations (in 1 box) back where it goes and don’t forget to remove those holiday lights outside and put them back in their home.

P.S., a quick way to put away Christmas Light is to first unplug them, then fold them in a V-shape motion, next scrunch them together, then wrap the remaining wire around the center then you’re done! Click here for detailed instructions

Be Wonderful!

5 tips that will help you stick to your New Years resolutions

Tip #1 — Make one small change a day It’s much easier to make a small change then a big change. By the time you know it, all those small changes will turn into big changes. Always start small.

Tip #2 — Make them easy to stick to

Allow your resolutions to be realistic rather than wishes. For example, If you want to lose weight rather than saying you want to lose 50 lbs in three months make a goal of losing 10 lbs in your first month. This way you are more likely to reach your goal instead of getting frustrated and reverting to your old habits.

Tip#3 — Start today

The reason we put things off is because either we enjoy living in a fog of complacency or we fear failure. What we need to understand is the least resistance goals never makes an impact in our lives and that the greatest failure of all is not trying. So rather than starting your resolutions in the New Year start them today and see your accomplishments sooner than later.

Tip#4 — Make it FUN!!!!!

Making something “difficult” Fun instantaneously increases your motivation and decreases your boredom and also makes it require less effort, which results in less agony to handle. For example, if your resolution is to find a new job rather than doing so the standard way, make the process fun by taking entertaining personality tests. These tests will help you figure out what career matches your personality and it’s fun to do. It takes out the stress and boredom of job searching.

Tip#5 — New Years Resolutions/Self-improvement Goals

Because the term resolution is becoming a phenomenon and now a days its hardly ever kept, the efforts toward self-improvement changes your psyche therefore changing your habits. This method also allows you to be passionate about your resolution and committed to making the change in your life. Which sounds better to you resolution or self-improvement? I know my answer.

Be Wonderful!

Top 10 2016 New Years resolutions for the HOME

Lets get right to it ...  

1. Arrange your furniture to increase positive energy (Feng Shui) — It’s believed that everything and everyone possess a certain energy (chi), and how we arrange objects in our spaces can affect all aspects of our lives. The belief is that there’s a prime place for every object (bed, books, couch, desk even for small things like books) and by moving it to its proper location, we can benefit. Check out this article for further explanation on the benefits of arranging your furniture to gain a happier life. Click here

2. Schedule your Cleaning — Creating a weekly cleaning list allows you to clean your home faster, in a more effective way, and guarantees that all important areas and items that need to be cleaned are not overlooked. In my experience my cleaning list has helped me tackle every corner in my house in less time than without the list. Definitely a game changer! Check out this free printable

3. Appreciate your Home — it may sound funny but the best thing you can do for your home is to show your appreciation. What I mean by that is talking to your house more. For example, every time you walk through the front door say “Hi House” or when you leave tell it “Bye House and thank you for protecting me” If you are like me and believe that the things around us hold on to energy and that energy reflects on to us then this tip is for you.

4. Get rid of unnecessary stuff — I know this tip may be a difficult one to stick to but it’s the most important of all the tips to date. The saying ” the less stuff we have, the better life is” is actually true. What this means to me is the less baggage/items we have to worry or thing about, the more we are able to focus on important things. The easiest way to get rid of your stuff is to use the 1-in-2-out method. This means if you bring home one item, you have to get rid of two items. Though this process works well, the most effective process is to in one day get rid of all items in your home that don’t ignite happiness. What I’m saying is when you put an item in your hand and it doesn’t spark joy then that item needs to go. Remember less is more.

5. Become a Minimalist — When transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle you will first need to remove all things you don’t need in order to focus on what you do need. Instead of indulging our lives with material possessions therefore creating stress, we should create spaces that fill up our lives with meaning rather than stuff.

Minimalistic Living Space

6. Fix all items that need repairing (annual inspections) — because our home is our sacred place, it is crucial we treat it that way. From fixing the A/C to the tiny hole on your bedroom wall, our homes deserve to be cared for at all times.

7. Downsize to one television in the home — this concept was a challenge for me in the beginning because the TV in my bedroom had always been comforting at night. I grew up with a TV in the bedroom yet alone all rooms and thought this was the norm. It wasn’t until one Monday morning I was brave enough to take the plunge and haven’t look back since. According to statistics, we are more likely to sleep longer hours and connect better when the TV is out of the bedroom. The reason I suggest downsizing to one TV in the house is because it just better to do so. The less TVs in the home the better everything else.

8. Change all air filters monthly — this unfortunately is a task many of us don’t do as often. It’s usually put on the back burner because we don’t see the dirt in the air so that means it doesn’t exist. Right? Well that’s wrong of course. Once you make the habit of changing your filters often at least once a month, you’ll reap the benefits.

9. Start Gardening and Grow your own produce — as we all know most of the produce bought in the stores are doused with pesticides which are bad for us. Sure you can buy organic which is a better alternative than conventional but can be very expensive. The best option is to grow them your self. You not only skip the middle man you get to monitor what happens to your produce and of course see it GROW.

10. Add beautiful things around your home — this goes hand in hand with appreciating your house. A great way is to add beautiful items, flowers and/or plants around it. For example, adding a bamboo plant to your home is used to achieve harmony in your home. The Areca Palm plant can remove all indoor air toxins, which if you didn’t know is a thing. Who knew! While the Snake Plant converts CO2 into oxygen at night. The great advantage of having these plants is that they are easy to maintain especially for those who lack a “green thumb”. Check out these plants! They're beautiful.

Be Wonderful!