Dear Friends,

Getting rid of the CHAOS doesn’t happen over night! The CHAOS crept into your home little by little over time and before you realized what was happening you were stuck and you didn’t know how to get out of the mire!

If I told you that you had to do this great big long list of stuff every day, you would run as fast as you could to get away from me. That huge list is enough to scare anyone. This is why we start with our kitchen sinks.

Your sink is a source of pride when you get her shining! Keeping her that shiny is your badge of honor! Before you know it, the clean has moved its way around your kitchen and you are surprised at how easy it is to cook. Cooking becomes a pleasure!

Next we add getting dressed to lace-up shoes and fixing your hair and
face. While you are in the bathroom, pick up after yourself.

Along with this, declutter for 15 minutes a day. That is all it takes to start your journey toward peace. These three things will make an incredible difference in your day! You don’t believe me; then prove me wrong!

As your simple routines become automatic; this is when you add another step! We don’t add too much too fast either: In our perfectionist, all or nothing thinking: We want, what we wan,t and we want it now! We have to practice our routines. All of us hate the word practice. It dredges up those never ending music lessons when we were young. But practice can be fun if you will make a game of it with your timer.

FLYing works because you learn not to beat yourself up if you don’t get it all done! There is no more piling on the things that didn’t get done today to tomorrow’s list,  We start fresh each day. Sometimes I have been known to start fresh in the middle of the day! We don’t have to live up to anyone else’s standards.

After a few months you are ready to add another couple of steps to your routines. The key here is to put them with the steps that you already have down pat. Think of yourself as learning a new aerobic dance step. You learn it in sections. The instructor knows you can’t walk into class and get it the first session. That is why she is at the head of the class showing you the way and helping you along. When you don’t know that part you can just move to the music. This is all we do!

It is best to write your routines down on paper! This way you have a simple guide for your day; a small morning one, afternoon routine, and then an evening one. Make your routines yours. Adapt them for your family and put them in your control journal.

When I started in January of 1999, I looked at everything I needed to do in a day and just threw my hands in the air. There was no way this was going to happen; it was too much for me. So I picked one thing that I could do. Just one and guess what. from that shiny sink my home began to take shape. It wasn’t anything I had ever expected. I had failed so many times that I was scared to expect anything at all, so I celebrated every little accomplishment. In the past, because my expectations were so big that I set myself up for failure; this didn’t happen this time! I set small goals; one habit at a time!

My whole life I have heard this adage: If wishes were horses; beggars would ride: We have wished for a clean organized home forever; wishing didn’t make it happen; Actions speak louder than words. We have to put a little power behind those wishes and make them come to life!

As your home comes together; you are going to be in shock that it really is quite simple. All we needed was someone to say it is OK; you are not alone and I really know how smart and capable you are! That someone is you! You become your own cheerleader! Your own fairy Godmother; granting those wishes! This is what FLYing is all about!

Our SHEness invades all areas of our life. Getting the clutter and CHAOS out of the way frees us up to deal with those financial issues, relationships, and now our health. It doesn’t happen over night or by just wanting it to be fixed. You are strong, smart and capable! You can do this. One little dance step at a time!

Are you ready to FLY one dance step at a time?

FlyLady