With reserves comes freedom.freedom to choose instead of being subject to your circumstances. Instead of allowing circumstances to control your reaction, you are able to make a choice about how to handle situation, instead of letting circumstance dictate it for you. When you have "it" (time, money, energy, love) to give, you're not depleted.

Reserves, however, don't fall out of sky. They are created. They are planted, nourished, fed, and grown. They are a conscious choice.

Stockpiling is obvious way to create reserves: . Healthy relationships create a reserve of support . Extra money in bank creates a reserve of emergency funds. . Extra shampoo, batteries, medicine, or food creates a reserve of necessities. . An organized environment creates a reserve of space. . Extra cell phone battery creates a reserve of communication

Another way to create reserves is though simplification: . To find a reserve of time, first simplify by delegating a task to someone else, dumping task if it's no longer important, or saying NO to things that don't meet your goals. . To find a reserve of space, first simplify by clearing out things that don't bring you joy. . To find a reserve of love, identify and weed out people in your life who are "extras", and not supporters. . To find a reserve of energy, identify and remove things from your life that drag you down (lack of self care, regrets, lack of boundaries).

An often overlooked way to establish a reserve is to identify and fix whatever is draining reserves you already have. Is your mortgage too high, and is draining your bank account? Is your job difficult and is draining your energy? Has clutter taken over and is draining your reserve of space? Plug up those holes! You can't create and build reserves if they're draining out as fast as you add them.

What I want to stress here is that any plans to change your life that fails to include reserves is doomed from start. Change of any kind only has staying power - sustainability - if it has firm ground to stand on. With reserves, you operate from a base of stability and security.

You can't predict, you can prepare. Experience power of making decisions based on security instead of worry, readiness instead of reluctance, abundance instead of lack. Use what successful people have always known -- if you want something better in your life, begin with reserves.

Clean out one closet, pay off one credit card, set up one system, return one thing borrowed -- it all adds up.

The idea is to think about your life in individual small steps instead of "outcomes". Begin to look at what you are doing only TODAY. Begin to imagine your life like a daily planner, and you can't see next page. . Does that mean not to plan for tomorrow? Absolutely not. In fact, just opposite.

What it means is that what you do today, small things, each choice or non-choice, will add up to your tomorrow. A well lived present will equal a wonderful future. All those small steps are moving you towards tomorrow, but with your eye right on road in front of you.

Paint a little, write a little, sing a little, laugh a little, save a little, clean a little. Whatever you want more of -- or less of -- in your life, do a LITTLE today!