Five Simple Ways to Organize Your Closet Today!Written by Renu Dalal-Jain
Do you have an overstuffed, bulging closet (or two) full of clothes, and yet wear same three or four outfits repeatedly? Do you have few clothes and despair every time you put something on because you know it just does not look quite right? Would you like to be able to wear EVERYTHING you have in your closet? And know that you look good every time you do?Renu Dalal-Jain, a certified image consultant and owner of Flair Consulting in Philadelphia, PA, works with men and women to help them put their best personal face forward in social or corporate settings. Renu teaches her clients how to organize their closets and shop smart so that they always have right clothes to wear for right occasion. Renu teaches five easy steps that you can follow today to organize your closet so that you can understand what you have and what you need to purchase to complete your wardrobe! FIRST – Prepare! Set aside at least three to four hours for task, and make sure you have access to a full-length mirror. Wear neutral undergarments, as you will be trying on everything you own. All hangers should be of same size and type (all plastic, or all wooden) and made for specific clothing items – top/dress hanger, pant hanger, etc. This will save you precious space in your closet. Hangers.com is a wonderful website (www.hangers.com) that sells all types of hangers at less than one dollar apiece. SECOND – get organized! Dump your entire closet out onto floor of your bedroom and be brutal with yourself. Those bell-bottoms from 1973 – get rid of them! The shoe with broken heel that you never got around to fixing… gone! You will be surprised at how much you can get rid of, and how little you really need it. One rule of thumb that Renu always use is that if you haven’t used it in at least one year, YOU DON’T NEED IT. Some of you might think, “Well, it’s got sentimental value – I have to keep that old sweater that I got in fifth-grade band camp!” Well everyone understands sentimental value but it doesn’t belong in your closet. Put it in a box with your scrapbooks and old photos and put it in attic. Now you will have room for key things that you are always going to wear, and always going to feel good about. Wear clothes that make you feel radiant, not reasonable! THIRD – Divide what you have kept of your wardrobe, into business, casual and evening wear. And if you are one of lucky ones who actually got that long-promised Caribbean vacation, make a section for vacation/resort wear. By organizing your clothes this way, you will know what section to turn to in a snap. When you are dividing your wardrobe, pay attention to your “comfort zones”… do you wear only black slacks and sweaters to office? Do you have sixteen white button-down shirts? Make notes for yourself so that when you next go shopping, you are aware of what your comfort zone is, and resist purchases within that zone. Stepping outside your comfort zone will help you expand your wardrobe and experiment with other styles.
| | A Bellyful of MindfulnessWritten by Maya Talisman Frost
Taco Bell, a huge Mexican fast-food franchise, has a new ad campaign focusing on slogan, "Get full." The commercials show people ecstatically announcing that they are full--thanks, of course, to huge value meals now available at Taco Bell. We know that feeling full isn't simply a matter of building a bigger, better burrito. There's a whole lotta emptiness going on, and it's not always filled by what we put into our bellies. The search for connection, for meaning, for love-- these are longings not met by bags we pick up at drive-thru window. To feel full in truest sense, we must figure out what we are lacking in our lives. We're not always mindful of this quest. Seeking satisfaction in activity? That can work. Be honest here--is your time spent actively avoiding emptiness or actively seeking fullness? These are two different things. If you find yourself with a full calendar and an empty heart, you're bathing yourself in distraction, and sooner or later, that's going to plug up your bathtub. Being full doesn't mean you're packed with positive thoughts and emotions all time. We need whole enchilada to help us develop as caring, compassionate humans, and sometimes that means we are full of frustration, sadness or despair.
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