Clear your plate

By: Lori T. Williams, Owner/Managing Attorney of Your Legal Resource, PLLC

This blog isn’t about eating more this holiday season.  It’s about making room for what you value.  Year end is a good time to take stock of what you want, and don’t want, in your personal and business life.  Are there some things you may want to let go of to make room for something else that will better serve you?  There are many ways we can utilize this principle:

1.  Clean out your closets/drawers

A few years ago, an organizer friend of mine helped me purge some things in my closet.  She also created some new combinations of clothes from the existing ward robe.  This allowed me to retain what still served me, and let go of what didn’t.  It also made room in my closet so I could purchase a few new items to tie things together and freshen up the look.

2.  Let go of toxic relationships

Are there people in your life who drain energy from you whenever you are with them?  I don’t mean a good friend or family member going through a tough time that needs your support.  I’m referring to ‘chicken little’ who always thinks the sky is falling and that everything is negative all the time.  Or the person who can’t seem to find anything positive to say about you, but is always ready, willing, and able to offer criticism.   We all need people in our life who will speak truth to us, but if their feedback is more accurately characterized as abuse than constructive feedback, it might be time to let that person go.

3.  Remove Clutter

I need to follow my own advice on this one.  I once had a box next to my dresser that I placed there when I moved in.  However, 5 years later, it was still there and in the same condition as when I set it there.  I completely ignored it and forgot it was there.  My feng shui friend can offer many ideas of why this is unhealthy and probably blocking prosperity.  I removed my box about 3 years ago, and encourage you to remove the clutter from your life also.  It distracts us, even when we aren’t consciously aware it is there. Perhaps my sleep was less restful than it could have been because of the box located between the door and the dresser.  There have been scientific studies done that show our minds are working overtime, even when we aren’t, and it drains the brain of energy when there is something out of place or cluttered.  Our mind’s eye sees it, even if we don’t.  Give your brain a break and de-clutter. (Lori, this means you too!)

4.  Clear your calendar

In September of this year, I tallied up my current volunteer commitments and was shocked to see it was at 5!  I realized that I needed to start clearing the calendar.  I took steps to reduce my commitments to 2 volunteer roles by year end.  It’s easy to get overloaded when you enjoy all the activities and the people associated with them, but it’s also hard to devote the necessary time to your business and family when you tack on too many outside commitments.  I’ve always had a system of joining 2 groups that I am active in, and serving in some way on a board or committee for those groups, and then rotating off those volunteer roles after 3 or 4 years. I may also change groups at that time if I feel my time there has run its course.

It is important to evaluate the meetings and activities we put on our calendar.  Ask yourself these questions and make the appropriate adjustments:

• Is this appointment necessary?
• Is it important that I be there, or can someone else attend in my place?
• Is this group or activity in alignment with my current goals/objectives?