Column 02 – Out with the Old; In with the New: by The FlyLady, Marla Cilley

Every year we have a clean slate on New Year’s day! In our book Body Clutter, Leanne and I told you that you can make any day, your New Year’s day! We just need change on our heart and we can do it!

Eventually the CHAOS takes us down to a point to where we are just DONE! We don’t know what else to do! It is when we are at our bottom that we reach out for help. This is when we realize that what we have been doing is not working.

With our perfectionism we think that we have to do everything at once to gain the peace that we are so desperate for. We don’t realize that each babystep we take will get us to the big picture that we see in our heads. In our perfectionism we don’t see how taking one babystep of shining our sink could make a difference. This is exactly where I started!

On January 1st of 1999, over decade ago, I was so tired of living in CHAOS. I wanted more to life than just feeling guilty about a messy house! I wanted to live and be surrounded by peace! I wanted a home that would bless me and my family! I wanted peace! I had no idea that what I discovered that day would change my life and yours.

I know that you are wondering what my discovery was! It was that because of my perfectionism I expected change to be immediate and when it was not, I beat myself up because I was not changing fast enough. That day I realized that I was mean to myself and that it was not nice of me to expect too much too fast. I also realized that I had never established a habit. The process was simple now that I look back at it! I decluttered two bad habits and added one good habit.

Decluttered –Perfectionism and Being Mean to myself

Added – Shining my Sink!

As I caught myself allowing perfectionism to be the excuse to be mean to me; I recognized it and turned it around to love me and build myself up! I don’t have to be perfect; I just have to be kind to me! Then I would go shine my sink. I didn’t pile on by trying to do too many habits at one time. All I had to do was keep my sink clean and shiny. As one habit was established after a month; I picked another one. The decluttering process for perfectionism and beating myself up will never stop for me. That is because I am not perfect! Every day I recognize my perfectionism and every day I am kind to myself. My consistency is the key the peace in my life!

Words can be KIND or MEAN; the CHOICE is yours in 2013.

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