Oh, I can hear you now! I see you’re getting ready to zip me off an email with all your reasons and excuses. Please don’t, I’ve heard them all. BUT what I want you to do is write out excuses you are telling YOURSELF for your disorganization and then read following:

In January, 2001 issue of Oprah, Dr. Phil McGraw answered a person's question about losing weight in which I would like to quote here for you to think about. When Dr. Phil is speaking of weight or food you should substitute clutter or stuff you continue to bring into your life (or any other challenge you might be having):

"You aren't helpless, you aren't lost, and you don't have right to give up on yourself.

Your first and greatest challenge is not struggle to lose 175 pounds, it's to overcome self-defeating internal dialogue that has paralyzed you. You're telling yourself that you are incompetent, that you are unable to create change. You're stalled because you are responding to this kind of self-inflicted criticism, not to actual challenge of losing weight. Having convinced yourself of your ineptitude, you might even be consoling yourself with food, very substance that has contributed to your problem."

Are you consoling yourself with buying more stuff or bringing more stuff into your life that you don't really need nor have room for?

So what are you going to do about your challenges and hurdles?

You can study, learn, and gather as much information as you want, but it won't make a tiny difference in your life unless you put it to work. I've discovered a little book that helped me to make quantum leaps in implementing good ideas. My friend Rick Butts has just published The Big Butts of Life - Get Off Your Excuses and Do Big Things!

Rick has excerpted some powerful ideas from this fun and easy read, and is offering them to you FREE as subscribers to OverHall IT!. Just send an email to mailto:kicking@rickbutts.com?subject=janethall for Rick's excellent three day mini-course, and start kicking those Big Butts (excuses,) out of door and start doing things you really want!

Good Luck and let me know how you are doing.

Smiles, not Piles,

Copyright (c) 2002 by OverHall Consulting P.O. Box 263, Port Republic, MD 20676 All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute this article so long as article is kept intact, this copyright notice, and full information about author is attached.

5: Avoid any fighting and bickering over who gets what items. Write a letter like one Janet's mother-in-law wrote, that simply states: *I hope we raised you well enough not to argue over possessions. Your family and dedication are more important than things. So I'm sure you won't argue over who gets what.* As you tell your tales, explain why you selected a certain person to receive a certain item. This will go a long way toward alleviating any ill feelings. Remind them that it's memory that matters, not item itself. Encourage anyone who isn't keeper of item -- but cherishes item as well -- to get a copy of story about item. They can always read story, and visit item.

6: Eliminate items that truly don't have value any more. How many button boxes or jars of nails do you really need? Most of what you're saving isn't probably usable anymore anyway. Partially opened tubes of caulk, cans of paint or stain, tape, old twine, old spools of thread and elastic all go bad over years. Throw out anything that is cluttering up your home and drawing your attention away from your family.

7: Unburden yourself from things that are tying you to past. Is your basement or attic still packed with things from yesteryear? One man's basement had a six-foot mirror that had been shipped over from Europe, and was still in its shipping crate – nearly fifty years later! Do you have a *shrine* to a late mate or beloved child? Keep one or two *memory items* and release rest. Otherwise, you'll always be indebted to past instead of free to face future.

Above all else, don't make excuses, don't assess blame and don't postpone need to lighten your load. Too many seniors today are faced with a limited income and worries about how they will make ends meet. Your clutter is acting as a stopper to your prosperity. You can generate much needed income and free up space for even more money to come to you simply by releasing some of your treasures. You'll spend less time cleaning and dusting, and have more free time to do all things you want to do.

Travel, take up a new hobby, volunteer, play with your grandchildren, create a playroom for yourself or your grandchildren. After all, what do you want to be remembered for – your possessions or your joy for life?