New Year, New Me, New Life
Hey loves it's me Shannon of Ana Olivette. It’s been quite a while since I last wrote. I’ve been very busy with many projects and making new changes in my life. Spring is finally here and I’m taking it in each and every day. I awaken to the birds chirping and on extra special days, the sun is shining bright. This morning, I decided to send my sister a good morning video and she replied with the cutest morning inspirational pick me up. That’s my girl right there! My #1 fan as she likes to say. I’m truly blessed to have her. So, it was so wonderful seeing her face and hearing her voice as I continued to get ready this morning. I really liked the way that made me feel so I think I will add that morning video to my morning routine. If it feels good keep it! If it doesn’t let it go!
Spring is one of my favorite seasons of the year (Fall being the other) and since that signifies change and I’m focusing on changing my life for the better, I began in my bedroom starting with my closet. My bedroom is my focal point because to be successful in anything that you do, you must focus on yourself first. Since I’m married that also includes Ray. We are one and we have a lot of responsibility with our five children. We have to be at the top of our game. We have to live in a good place mentally, physically and spiritually. This is what will enable us to provide a healthy example for our children.
Self-care is extremely important in working on oneself. Being connected to oneself is essential to being balanced and having harmony. Cleaning is also a form of self-care. I put cleaning and organization as a top priority for me this upcoming season. This new season of change is exciting for me in my marriage, my family, my career and in my new business Ana Olivette. I'll tell you about that soon in an upcoming blog. Needless to say, I really needed to get myself in order and my life together because things just have not been the same ever since we went into lockdown last March. Life for all of us has changed so no biggie. Out with the old and in with the new. Ride that wave!
This is a new year, a new me, a new life with a very new perspective. I also now have my husband who has decided to walk beside me in this life. We’ve made the commitment to focus on our goals together and to grow and strengthen our familys foundation. Ultimately changing the future of our family for generations to come. So, where do you begin? I think O R G A N I Z A T I O N! I really need to work on organization. Staying organized is absolutely a must if you want to progress in life, if you want to feel more peace in your life, if you want to have better relationships and if you want to succeed at your goals. Organization is a MUST. Organization brings peace. It brings balance. It brings harmony to all environments. I so very need and want to stay in that sort of space. I deserve it actually!
I’m reading The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. It’s funny because I actually decided to reorganize my life before the book even came in the mail. As soon as I opened it, I noticed that I was making many mistakes. But really, it’s not a big deal. I decided to keep going with the way I do things so that I could learn. If you don’t know me that well, I LOVE to learn. I actually live for it! It is my passion and it drives me. Everything in life is a new learning experience. I began by taking everything out of my closet and putting back only the things that belonged. Which means, I got rid of clothes that did not fit me, things that I didn't love, things that I hadn't worn in the last year, things that didn't make me feel anything when I picked it up. I had read the beginning of the book where she says and I’m paraphrasing here, if something doesn't give you a feeling of being alive or having joy when you're holding it then it's not serving you. If it’s not giving you anything such as peace and joy, then let it go! Give it to someone else and let it do something for them. Thank the item for what it has given to you and your life and let it go.
The next thing that I that I started to do was let go of all types of things that I was holding onto that I had no clue I was holding onto. But yeah 10 garbage bag donations later, my closet looks and feels amazing. It is organized by clothing types and by color. Yes ladies, by color too! All my hangers are white (my sister Michelle would be proud and so would my mom. No wire hangers!) but everything has its place again (Oh btw, I stole all the white hangers from Ray’s closet and now it’s a mitch match mess lol). I continue to read my book in the evenings when things settle down. Even if I pick it up for 10 minutes, it is a time for me and a time for new ideas. I like to take things in chunks. It helps me to process things better. Sometimes slowing down is the only way. I know this book is not about just tidying up. It's about a mindset. A different mindset and a different way of living. So, I am absolutely thrilled and over the moon excited to finish reading this book and to start organizing my life. As I take on new ventures this season, it’s going to be the key to me remaining balanced and being successful in what I put my energy into.
The next project I want to work on in our bedroom are our night stands because they just seem to constantly get overrun with things that we don't necessarily need. They become a junk drawer and not very organized. It doesn’t make sense so I want to fix that for us. Our bedroom is an important part of our home. I want our bedroom to always feel peaceful and inviting. Ray and I work many hours and both have long commutes. I want us to be able to come home and know where our things are. I went out to the store and I bought organizational inserts that compartmentalize the drawers to make it more functional. This way everything will have its own place and it won’t become a drawer that we just throw things in.
I'm going to keep reading the book and let you guys know what I found out. I can’t wait to see if her method works for me. For most of my life I've always used the practice of cleaning up one room at a time. If I reflect back to my childhood, my mother would have had the whole family work as a team and God bless her heart I don't know how she did it. I know that I did it because she told me to. I'm looking for suggestions from everyone, hence reading the book. If you have any organizational ideas or hacks or if you’ve read the book drop me a comment. Until next time loves, keep shining your bright light! Speak to you soon! Shannon of Ana Olivette.
