Noooo, don't go left! Someone screamed at me. Crash! Of course, I went left. I had just learned how to ride a bike and was still a bit nervous about it. I didn't trust myself and was listening to everyone else, and what I heard was left!
The words: no, not and don't, dissolve, especially for children and animals. They want and need straight and positive talk.
With time we learn and adjust to this negative way of communicating, but even for adults, directions about what not to do are not the most effective.
Thoughts shape emotions and actions, so focusing on what we don't want to do instead of what we do want to do is counterproductive.
One effective technique for getting what you want is visualization. You can use it for both private and business goals.
The idea is to paint a vivid and detailed picture of how you want your outcome or goal to be.
Using visualization before you start your decluttering journey
We are headed towards the end of summer, and it's the time of the year when we want to freshen up, learn something new, and get good habits going. But what exactly do you want to do?
The best way to find out what you genuinely like is to do a thorough decluttering of your house and all your belongings.
The best method, in my opinion, is the KonMari TM Method from Marie Kondo. When you follow her instructions, you will come out at the end of your tidying journey with a clear mind of what you genuinely like and love to do. If you sign up for my Newsletter here,, you'll get a short ebook where I've summarised her way to get you started.
But once you have decided to do this, take time off and sort your house out, you still need to do one more thing before you start.
You need to visualize your outcome.
More specifically, how do you want to live your life in your house when you are finished tidying?
Is there something you have been longing for but it's such a mission to organize it or get going?
For example, if your goal with tidying your house is to create more space and start a yoga routine every morning, visualize it. See yourself doing it. See the fitness corner. Lay on the yoga mat, and imagine yourself stretching and bending - without bumping into foot lamps or crashing the TV.
Or maybe you want the outcome of quality family dinner time, but right now it’s chaos even before you start. The kitchen never seems to have any free areas to do the work of making a meal, like cutting and chopping.
You want to listen to music while cooking, but where can you put the CD player (ok I'm from the stone age), and it takes you half an hour to get that going.
Maybe you want to entertain guests and friends more often (We are not born to be isolated, Corona!), but it needs to be easy for people to mingle, so people can relax and have fun.
You want to have a special play corner for your kids, space that is just theirs and where they can play safely and still be around you.
Do you want to make your house more friendly for your companion animals, without you having to worry about every move your dog or cat makes?
You need a space to work and concentrate, maybe a room or part of a room. Clearing the kitchen table isn't working anymore.
These everyday things should be smooth and enjoyable. And if you plan and visualize how you want it to be when you are finished, you will have a constant motivator during the decluttering process.
Kondo says: that what you are really doing is clarifying why you want to tidy and envisioning your best life. She says: that the tidying process represents a turning point in your life.
To do this, you can sketch it out, or describe it in a notebook. Or you can cut out photos from magazines and make a cool collage.
Some visualization techniques
You can even start to use visualization in other areas of your life. And to make it easier for you to get going, go ahead and check out this article by Jack Canfield
Canfield says: The daily practice of visualizing your dreams as already complete can rapidly accelerate your achievement of those dreams, goals and ambitions.
Jack Canfield is a bestselling author with a Master's Degree from Harvard in psychological education and he is one of the most successful business coaches in the world. He has developed methodologies and results-oriented activities and has some easy-to-follow strategies on visualization on his website.
It’s actually logical
Imagine this scenario: You are invited somewhere fancy and you want to wear high heels. But it was ages ago since you wore them, so now you are worried that you are going to stumble.
If you say to yourself, I won't stumble, I won't stumble, the chances are that you actually will stumble. Because you are focusing on the word stumble and repeating it in your head like a stuck record.
But if you say to yourself, I will glide in gracefully and walk with straight posture - which is a side effect of high heels - then you will. Because you have focused on the outcome of walking tall instead of the outcome of falling.
Instead of screaming, don't go left! Scream go straight!
Find out what you genuinely like and what you would like to learn this fall. Get started by decluttering your home and visualizing the outcome you desire.
Scoop up your free eBook to start your decluttering journey here.
