Gifts can be a tricky area, one thing to keep in mind just because someone gave you something, it does not mean you must keep it forever. So that figurine that great aunt Edna gave you years ago or bird made of shells from a friends vacation does not need to keep collecting dust on your bookcase.

Now, you may wonder about things from your children. I use to keep everything my daughters brought home from school. Finally, I decided to go through and keep one or two items from each grade, put them into a plastic storage box labeled Sherri & Ashley – School – K-12. Now all school memories are safe and in one place, this is a useful idea for grandparents.

Once you have finished your resort, you have a couple of choices for those “Definitely Not” items, depending on their condition, either just pitch them, give them away or have a tag sale and make yourself a little money. 4. Organize & Store What Is Left Now is time to put what is left away, by organizing you will not only have tidy shelves, closets and cabinets but you will be able to put your hands on what ever it is you need.

There are numerous storage options for every room in your home. Plastic boxes come in a variety of sizes and colors and are inexpensive. Stacked on a closet shelf, clear smaller sizes make perfect storage for extra shoes, winter gloves, pictures or how about extension cords, nails, packages of hooks or hand tools. Larger sizes can keep extra winter coats, blankets, odd season clothes or seasonal decorations neat and in one place. Baskets, hampers even seldom used suitcases can be useful, stacking plastic milk crates are perfect for kids room.

How about those cluttered kitchen cabinets, plastic tiered risers work wonderful for stacking cans of soup, veggies or spaghetti sauce, this makes use of wasted space and you are able to see at a glance what you have. One area everyone has is famous “Junk Drawer”; these can be kept organized with silverware trays. By buying individual pieces in different sizes, you can customize each drawer to fit exactly what you need. The lesson here is that by having a little patience, taking your time and giving some thought to your storage needs, you can not only “Clear The Clutter” but also have an organized home.

EQ COMPETENCY: Being adamantly and relentlessly self-forgiving.

Understanding that we’re human, and that we all make mistakes is what this is all about. It takes a lot of practice for most of us to ‘get’ this competency. It involves self-talk and learned optimism, and managing emotions of failures, losses, rejections and mistakes. It isn’t good for your health, your work, or your relationships to be a perfectionist!

7. ACAs have difficulty in identifying, understanding, and expressing their feelings.

EQ COMPETENCY: EQ!

The cornerstone of Emotional Intelligence is self-awareness – being able to identify and understand your feelings. If you lived in an environment where feelings were not welcome, denigrated, mocked, punished, ignored, denied, or lied about, it will take some practice to be able to bring them up, identify them, and understand them. That’s what EQ coaching is all about!

8. ACAs over-value approval of others, and will ignore their own values, preferences and beliefs in deference to others'. Feeling vulnerable, they protect themselves by being overly anxious to please others.

EQ COMPETENCY: Integrated Self, Personal Power and Intentionality.

These competencies help us stay centered, and act with intent, based on our own values, preferences, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs. When we own and claim our Personal Power, we can aim to get along with others with good will, but are no longer driven to please someone else at our own expense.

9. ACAs tend to be addicted to excitement. They are risk seekers who prefer constant upset to workable solutions.

EQ COMPETENCY: Understanding, accepting and processing emotions, operating with Intentionality, and often being able eventually to modulate emotions.

EQ means learning where emotions come from and how they operate and being able to make choices instead of knee jerk reactions. We learn different ‘feel’ or emotions from reptilian brain and limbic brain, and when and how to blend this with thinking brain, neocortex. Understanding where need for excitement comes from allows us to manage it, and avoid chaotic situations that self-sabotage. EQ is all about workable solutions and how to achieve them.

10. ACAs are imprisoned by childhood reactions.

EQ COMPETENCY: Emotional Intelligence.

Emotional Intelligence means understanding where emotions come from, and being able to experience them, consider them, learn from them, and then make a decision to respond (or not), instead of reacting without thinking. Developing your Emotional Intelligence will help you avoid being entrapped in any unrealistic, rash or un-reasoned reaction.