“I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

“This broken drawer makes me soo mad!  Grrrrr.”

That moment of frustration set in motion a series of events that catapulted me toward one of my heart’s desires – order.  I love how something negative can be used for good in our lives!  Definitely a God thing!

I wrote this a year ago.  I thought the end result was simply more order in my life.  What I didn’t know then, but found out months later, was that the broken drawer was the beginning of events that would change the rest of my life.  This is how it happened.

I had set myself to learn better goal setting and daily routines.  My ping-pong approach to life needed to be harnessed!  I was finding out that ping-pong is useful when combined with discipline and over-arching structure.

Back to the drawer.

“Self, you need to deal with this constant frustration.  It looks very unprofessional to clients when drawers  don’t close in the studio.”

“What are my options?”  ( I had learned to ask this question from a motivational trainer.)  “I could burn it where it stands.  I could get help to fix it, but that hadn’t worked in the past because of its poor construction.  I could replace it with a quality antique dresser in keeping with the other antiques in the room.”

Negative Nellie in my head screams, (I had learned to identify her voice from the above-mentioned trainer.), “You can’t afford a quality piece of furniture.  You won’t find a piece that fits the space you have.  It will be too much work to search for, rearrange to accommodate for, and transfer contents to . . . Bah, Humbug!  Stupid idea.”

Self, “What steps do I need to take to make this happen?  How soon can I take the first step?”  (Training kicking in again.)  “Am I willing to step out of my comfort zone and attempt something that may fail?  What will happen if I don’t try?  What will happen if I succeed? “

Negative Nellie, “You don’t even know where to start.  You don’t know what you want and you don’t know where to look for it.  Just give up.”

Self, “I should measure my crumby dresser and find an antique highboy dresser to fit in that space.  I will ask my husband to look on Craig’s List.  I will ask our neighbors who love finding cool old stuff where to look.”

Husband, “How about this one on Craig’s List?”  Poor guy, he must be getting sick of my, “No, that’s not it.”!

Neighbor, “Well, we’ve seen good quality furniture at these antique shops . . .”

One long day and many antique shops later, I’m lying in bed sleepless again.

Self, “Wait!  It doesn’t have to be the exact size of my crumby dresser.  I could rearrange the room and put it on the other wall.  I could make that beautiful Victorian dresser with the mirror I saw yesterday work!

Next morning,  “Hey, Honey?  Remember the first antique shop we went to yesterday?  The first dresser we looked at?  I want to go back and buy it.”

Patient husband deserves a medal.

Little did I know the domino effect my choice to remedy a long-standing problem was going to have.

Self, “Now write down what has to be done to get the new dresser into the studio.  Let’s see.  Before I even get rid of the crumby dresser, I must dispose of that sad, falling apart cabinet in the far corner.  It needs to be taken out now because once the new dresser is in position, it will be very difficult to get the cabinet out.  It needed to be removed  years ago because it leans precariously and it’s hard to access with the other furniture crowding it.”

Challenge- The cabinet is full.

Step One – Empty the cabinet.

Step Two –  Sort, throw out or find a home for the contents.

Step Three – Make decisions, and clean up the piles now littering the floor of the studio.

Step Four – Husband removes said sad cabinet.

Step Five – Move the desks and filing cabinets to best use the vacated space.

Step Six – Put the lovely new antique dresser in place.

Step Seven – Transfer contents from crumby dresser.

Step Eight – Organize contents in new dresser.

Step Nine – Find a new space in the storage room for the crumby dresser where no one will see it, but it can still serve a purpose.

Step Ten- Completely clean out and rearrange the storage room and closet so the crumby dresser can fit.

Step Eleven – Completely rearrange and clean out the studio to show off the new antique dresser to best advantage.

Step Twelve – Take a pick-up load of unnecessary stuff to the thrift store!

Thus began a whole house clean up and clear out.  Several pick-up loads to the thrift store later I felt lighter and more in control of my house/studio than I had for years.

What I didn’t know was that in five short months I would be preparing for a cross country move.  The head start I got by getting rid of things and organizing what remained would be a gift from God to help me keep my sanity in the turmoil of a surprise trans-continental move.

My Take-Aways

Having a written, clear goal sets me up for success.

Writing out the steps needed to accomplish the goal keeps me on track and out of overwhelm.

Taking the first step as soon as possible in spite of fears starts momentum.

One small step in the right direction may have a domino effect, sweeping me along toward other goals.

Recognizing the negative self-talk, lizard brain, Negative Nellie, or limiting beliefs – all names for the same thing- helps me set them aside and replace them with constructive ideas.

Having a daily deliberate routine greatly increases my efficiency.  Thinking through and planning the order of tasks saves me time.  A routine helps me to become a forward thinker.  What can I do now that will make my life better tomorrow?  (Or later today!)  For instance, planning supper in the morning prevents the 5:00PM “Oh, no!  What should I cook?” panic.

There is a place for my natural ping-pong approach.  Hooray!  When I am burned out on one project, I can work on another with new energy.  When I was clearing things out, I found that sorting through papers was very stressful.  So when I stalled out on throwing away accumulated notes, I ponged over to my clothes closet and got rid of tops I hadn’t worn in a year which was easier for me.

Old dogs can learn new tricks!  It isn’t too late to change.

God is kind to me and prepared me ahead of time for a big change I had no idea was coming.  Nothing surprises Him.  He is in control and gently leads me along the path He has planned.

What’s annoying you?  What can you do today to begin to change it?  What is the negative voice in your head saying?  What positive plans can you make to replace the negative voice?  What steps will you take to enact your plan?  What will you do today?

P.S.  I brought the new antique dresser with us.

P.P.S.  The motivational trainer I benefitted from is Michael Hyatt.  (michaelhyatt.com)