Okay, that might be a bit of a dramatic title to this blog post, but honestly it’s totally how I I’ve been feeling for weeks, if not longer!! I know you are probably thinking…
“What the heck?
I thought you loved organizing…so why are you cursing Marie Kondo?”
Well, here’s the deal, this is pretty much a repeating and frustrating pattern for me…
I’m passionate about something, decide to jump in, and then a hurdle comes along that totally throws me off.
Then I give up because I tell myself that the timing is all wrong, and it just isn’t meant to be.
How about this perfect example to illustrate my point?
About 13 years ago I met a brilliant woman who was teaching classes about essential oils.
Back then NO ONE knew what the hell essential oils were, and I thought they were absolutely AMAZING!
They helped my family immensely, so I wanted to share my enthusiasm about oils and spent a couple of years teaching classes.
And you know what?
Truthfully, everyone thought I was a weird hippie, granola girl (and I’m convinced there were even a few people who were suspicious that I was dabbling in witchcraft).
At that time, I guess Midwest America was not quite ready for aromatherapy, and I gave up on sharing about oils.
Then, as you likely know, a decade later EVERYONE AND THEIR FREAKIN’ MOTHER (and father, and great aunt, like seriously everybody) are using them!!
Even those people who thought I was weird are now cray-cray for oils!! Funny timing, huh!?!
Need ANOTHER example??
After the essential oils disappointment, I started working on this TRULY AWESOME idea for a candid, witty book about life’s obstacles, the lies we women tell ourselves, and how to overcome those life challenges.
It was going to be a real heart to heart read for moms, and I was going to title it, “Girl, Brush Your Teeth”.
Well, you know how that one turned out!
Thanks a lot, Rach, for beating me to the punch!
Okay, maybe the Rachel Hollis story isn’t exactly true, but that’s pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling about the KonMari Craze!!
I’ve LOVED organizing my entire life (seriously, it’s like the essence of my soul) and have considered being a Professional Organizer a handful of times, but I just never felt like the timing was right.
We were moving, or my husband was changing jobs, or the kids were too little, or we got a new puppy.
My list of reasons (maybe more like excuses) was long and always felt totally legit.
About 6 months ago, my son started his final year of elementary school (my two older girls had gone there too), and their school has been the hub of my social life and relationships for the past 10 years.
I’ve been Room Mom for over a dozen classrooms, Art Mom, Classroom Volunteer, PTO Secretary, Girl Scout Leader, Assistant to the Director of the school play, Substitute Teacher…about anything that I could be stressed out about and not get paid for, I did enthusiastically (just ask my husband who was thrilled how much I worked for FREE )!
Knowing that this phase of being a “Volunteer Extraordinaire” was quickly coming to an end, my husband had been really encouraging me to find something for “me”.
Honestly this whole organizing as a career kind of seemed like a shot in the dark.
What in the world could I possibly do?
I was sure I didn’t want to go back full time to the education world, and I knew I really didn’t want to start my own Professional Organizing Business, so I thought maybe I could start blogging about my LOVE of all things ORGANIZING!!
It could be a creative outlet for me while helping other people who are feeling overwhelmed by life, and so that was my plan!
If I’m going to be completely transparent, I was a wee bit scared – actually like, REALLY SCARED!!
There were all sorts of things that I didn’t know how to do…build a website, find non-copywrited images, create newsletters, take professional photographs, begin the social media game…and seriously what the hell is SEO and how do I do THAT!?!?
All of those “technical” things felt overwhelming, but what was even more frightening for me was putting myself out there. What if people hated me and thought what I was sharing was lame??
Yet with lots of encouragement from my hubby and my BFF, I decide to just go for it!
So my plan was to create, implement and share a 12 Week “Purge Party” where I’d declutter and organize my own house, and show other people how they could do it too. I decided to start at the beginning of the New Year, and it seemed like a solid idea until…
KONMARI CAME ALONG!!
Yes, the EXACT date (January 1, 2019) that I was going to take the first step of launching an organizing blog and website was the EXACT day that Netflix released “Tidying Up” with Marie Kondo (aka KonMari)
Say what?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!?!
In case you have been on another planet or are living a life of a recluse (with internet access), the idea of “Tidying” has taken over.
Everyone is clearing out their homes and asking themselves whether things “Spark Joy” or not! When I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE!
My entire social media feed is filled with people “tidying up” their spaces and posting about it.
Food bloggers are tidying up…pet experts are tidying up….travel bloggers are tidying up…Geez!
My idea doesn’t seem so original or novel anymore.
Not that I had bought the domain name for “organizing” or cornered the entire market, BUT come on, really?
So I did what any rational person who do…
I said “I QUIT, who needs this sh*t!”
Ok, just kidding…
I decided to continue on with my plan, and then when people started seeing my blog and social media posts, they started asking me…”So, you are doing the KonMari thing?”
My response was “NO, NO I’M NOT!! This has been my lifelong dream and passion, and I’m finally pursuing it!”
Actually that’s what I wanted to say, but instead I politely smiled and sheepishly replied, “No, I just really love organizing.”
After almost 2 months of blogging and sharing my “Purge Party”, my initial thought has been to give up and just chalk it up as another “bad timing” scenario in my life.
But I’ve done that before and truthfully I regret giving up on something that I really enjoyed and that I knew would help people.
So this time, I’m going to stay the course and continue sharing what I love regardless of what fad is going on!
In a nutshell, the KonMari Craze has taught me a few valuable lessons that just might help you in pursuing your goals and dreams too…
1. Anytime you start something new, there are going to be challenges and obstacles, but that doesn’t mean you give up! If something truly matters to you, then give it the time, energy, and dedication it deserves!
2. Fads will come and go (remember Pokemon Go and the “Kiki” Car Dance Challenge?) , but underneath any craze is something that people are searching for to improve their lives.
In this instance, I think a lot of people feel overwhelmed by all of the stuff in their homes and are looking for a simpler, more organized life. The sense of needing more balance will remain long after the fad is over.
3. Follow your heart and be you!
It’s easy to start doubting yourself when you begin a new adventure, but at the end of the day the most important guidance comes from within, not from what’s on your Instagram feed.
I’m getting to be me and sharing what I love with whoever it resonates with.
4. It feels really satisfying to tell KonMari to “suck it”!
Just kidding!
Honestly, I love her!
She’s adorable, positive, bright, energetic, and she is spreading a very important message of making your home a place that brings you joy.
Who knows, maybe she and I will collaborate some day (just DM me, Marie).
Not to mention this has all obviously struck a chord with it’s popularity showing that my talents and passion can help people. I’m grateful to now know my hunch was true.
5. We all have a message to share that is unique to who we are.
For me, my message is to simply enjoy life by embracing and implementing things that will make it a meaningful and magical journey.
So I will continue to share my thoughts and ideas about self-care, mindfulness, and simplifying.
Well, that’s my share.
Hopefully you can relate, and make sure you stay the course on something that really matters to you.
Cheers to you expressing the message that’s in your heart regardless of any obstacles (ahem KonMari) that come your way!
Want to know how organzing can improve your life?? Check out the 7 Ways Organizing Can Transform Your Life!
