Isn’t it funny how a few simple words can spark our thinking? This past weekend I was in St. Louis for an ICD meeting. In my room at the Springhill Suites, there was a message pad with a thought-provoking sentence printed on the top of each page. It said,

“Catch wandering ideas.”

I couldn’t believe how timely this was given that the New Year is when many of us do our idea gathering. I love this concept to “catch” or capture our thoughts by writing them down, thinking about them, or talking with others.

The fresh start that January brings, encourages us to experiment, consider alternate perspectives, and explore new ideas. As you mull over what "next" might be, perhaps you’ll find some of these strategies helpful.

Taking Risks

Unlike my daughter Allison, who is confident about cutting her own hair, I’ve always been afraid to mess with my curls. I delegate haircuts to the curly hair professionals. However, in one moment, that changed. Because I was overdue for a haircut, some unruly curls kept getting in my eye. I took what I perceived as a big risk. I picked up a scissor and cut the stragglers off.

My heart started racing, my eyes widened, and I burst out laughing. It felt thrilling to do something I’d never considered and that was completely outside of my comfort zone. I didn’t let fear prevent me from taking action. Yes, I admit this is almost a ridiculous story. It’s just hair.  But remember that often it’s just ________, which prevents us from doing that thing we fear. So when you’re afraid to face a new challenge, remember the “scissor incident.” Feel free to use it as your call to action.

Changing Perspective

The temperatures seem to have leveled out for now. However, last week much of the country experienced erratic winter weather. In New York we had a super cold 5° day. This was followed by a 30° day that felt downright balmy. Normally 30° would feel ridiculously cold, but in relation to 5°, it seemed like spring. So I questioned, “What is cold?” How is it possible to think that 30° is both cold and warm? It’s all a matter of perspective. Our ideas and beliefs are in relation to other factors that constantly change. Being open to these shifts in perspective will help us to reframe and consider ideas in a different way. What shift in thinking might help your “wandering ideas?”

Brainstorming

As I mentioned earlier, I was in St. Louis for an ICD Board meeting. This also included our annual Strategic Planning session, which I led (a first for me.) While there were many parts to the session, one section was devoted to brainstorming. We collected new ideas to integrate into our current plan. We shared them while leaving all judgments, explanations, or potential problems aside. Evaluating and prioritizing came later. And guess what? By allowing the space to brainstorm without judgment, many wonderful ideas emerged. As you move forward in these coming weeks, give yourself that gift of non-judgmental idea generating. Record your thoughts first. After that, you can be purposeful about how you organize, prioritize, or abandon them.

So how will you “catch wandering ideas?” Will taking risks, shifting perspectives, and brainstorming be useful strategies for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join the conversation!

The newness of the year brings excitement, possibilities, and the opportunity for a fresh start. In thinking ahead, it’s also valuable to reflect back on what we learned and what inspired us. During this past year, I gained new perspectives about change, letting go, balance and more from the “Ask the Expert” interviews and the wonderful conversations that ensued. I’m so grateful. In this first post of the year, I’ve selected my favorite takeaways from those exchanges.

Fresh Start – Sue West

“Our lives are a series of chapters. As you move to the next chapter, bring some of the past forward; don’t ignore it because you feel the need to ‘start over.’ Build on what you know such as your strengths, your interests, values and your tried and true ways to bolster yourself.”

– Sue West

Change – Judith Kolberg

“We do what we need to do when we’re ready, and sometimes to make a change it’s the wrong time, but you do it with your knees knocking.”

– Judith Kolberg

Next Steps – Laura Berman Fortgang

“It is often not obvious what is ‘next’. The key is to follow the crumbs. Even if it seems scattered and unfocused at the start, follow every lead and every whim until traction begins to occur or until your excitement in one area or another starts to build. Observe where things start falling into place and pursue that path. It’s taking you to your ‘next’ (or some variation thereof.)”

– Laura Berman Fortgang

Letting Go – Sheila Delson

“It’s about being more mindful of the choices we make and of the things that surround our environment and their meaning to our lives today. Just because it was meaningful once doesn’t always mean it has that same benefit today.”

– Sheila Delson

Clutter – Peter Walsh

“The first and most important step in decluttering is to ask yourself, ‘What is my vision for the life I’d like to live?’ ‘What does that life look like?’, ‘What does my home look like in that life?’ When you can clearly answer these questions you are in a position to start decluttering by looking at your stuff and asking, ‘Does this item move me closer to the life I want to be living?’ If it does, keep it. If not, what’s it doing in your home? It’s as simple and as complex as that. Start with the life you want, not the stuff you have!”

– Peter Walsh

Time Management – David Allen

“In order to feel comfortable with whatever you’re doing, you need to feel OK with what you’re not doing. So, not getting things done, for the most part, is a hallmark of optimal productivity! Of course, if your purpose on the planet is actually to complete, accomplish, and express, you’ll need to be getting those things done, in order to be at peace with yourself.”

– David Allen

Motivation – Leslie Josel

“Believing we have to ‘feel’ like doing something in order to actually do it can lead to not getting anything done. Sometimes if we simply just begin, we can become motivated as the task is in action.”

– Leslie Josel

Enlisting Help – April Lane Benson, Ph.D.

“People reach out for help when their behavior has either become unmanageable to themselves, or poses such a big issue for someone else that the other person insists on it.”

– April Lane Benson, Ph.D.

Success – Dorothy Breininger

“Failure is the KEY to success. Failure gives you the opportunity to review your mistakes, self correct, and develop a new strategy to make the project, relationship, or goal work. With failure, you get a complete ‘do over’ if you are just willing to look at it as a learning strategy for your own personalized success.”

– Dorothy Breininger

Possibility Thinking – Jane Pollak

“It’s obvious to everyone looking on what lights you up. But we rarely give ourselves permission to listen deeply to what we really want. Sharing your dreams and visions with one or more other like-minded souls is like putting Miracle-Gro on your garden. It will flourish. Having others reflect their belief in you back to you in a group is powerful.”

– Jane Pollak

Wonderfully Human – Howard Gardner

“Not to worry about what we can’t do, nor to worry about whether we are like others. Instead, pursue what you love, what you can get better at, share it with others, and they will reciprocate.”

– Howard Gardner

Life Balance – Dan Thurmon

“Life is fluid and ever changing, so we cannot attain ‘perfect balance.’ Balance should not be a goal but rather a skill. We ‘balance’ competing demands for time, energy, and action. We make decisions and adjustments to help improve our connection to what matters most in life.”

– Dan Thurmon

With a new year comes a fresh start. What lessons or words of inspiration will carry you forward? Which ideas resonate with you?

My heartfelt thanks to all the “Ask the Expert” guests and blog community that took time this year to engage and share your thoughts with us. Let’s keep it going and continue our conversation.

The type of “new” I’m talking about doesn’t come in a box or a bag. The power of this type of new comes in doing something you’ve never done. This new can push you past the procrastination, beyond the fear, and outside your comfort zone. This type of new can bring fun, joy, and clarity back to your days. Positive energy is generated when you commit to the goals you’ve been dreaming about, and then take the next action step.

Sometimes we need more time to germinate our ideas. This year, I was ready to go. I embraced the fresh start momentum the New Year brought. What about you? Even if you haven’t begun the process, you can start at any time. We each have different ways of capturing ideas and activating them. Decide what will be effective for you, then go and do.

To harness the new, there were four essentials to the approach I used, which you might find useful.

• Gather – Capture all potential goals and ideas in one place. Force them out of your head and onto something concrete like paper, computer, or recording. What becomes possible when they are released from your thoughts?

• Prioritize – Acknowledge that you can accomplish a lot, but be clear about what’s most important. Does your list seem too ambitious? By prioritizing, you can focus on the key goals first. What if you accomplished even half of the things you set out to do this year?

• Do – For the goals you decide to pursue, clarify what single next step brings you closer towards getting there. The smaller the step, the more doable it becomes. Anchor the step to your calendar and schedule the time to do it. Repeat this process until your goal is “done enough.”

• Marvel – Coming full circle back to the power of new, take time to appreciate what you’re doing and feeling. What’s possible now that you’ve captured your goals in one place? What happens now that you’ve determined what’s most important? What does knowing “next” mean? As you move ahead, what are you noticing? Has your energy changed? Has your perspective shifted?

There are many goals on my list. I’m in hot pursuit of some. Others are on the back burner. A few of the forward moving ones include taking a Comedy Improv class, meeting my Twitter buddy Yota Schneider face to face for the first time, designing and building a new office area, reorganizing a kitchen trouble spot, helping my Mom to transition, inviting the 2013 “Ask the Expert” guests for the blog, and planning more collaborative posts. As I’ve pursued these goals, the excitement and learning that’s accompanied them has been surprising. Perhaps it’s the adrenaline pumping and the new neural pathways forming. My energy flows intensely as the power of new is pursued.

What is possible for you? I’d love to hear from you. What’s on your list? What process do you use to get there? Come join the conversation.

What becomes possible with a fresh start? I asked some of my wonderful colleagues (Peggy Pardo, Janet Barclay, Ellen Delap, Leslie Josel, Christy Lingo, Helena Alkhas, and Yota Schneider) to ponder this question and share their perspectives with us. Their insightful responses are filled with hope, possibilities, and understanding. My deepest gratitude goes to each of them for taking the time to reflect, and give us their positive, energizing words of wisdom. 

What becomes possible with a fresh start? . . .

Try Again

“With a fresh start you have endless possibilities. You have the opportunity to change direction, reinvent yourself, begin something new, undo a wrong, work smarter, and most importantly, the chance to try again.” 

Leslie Josel, Professional Organizer

Create Life You Want

“Everything is possible with a fresh start! A fresh start offers the opportunity for a new awareness and a clearer vision. Use the lessons you've learned from the past to help you create the life you want.”

Peggy Pardo, Interior Decorator, Professional Organizer, & Author

Clear Path for Success

“With a fresh start, you begin with optimism and release negativity. Fresh starts clear the path for success in any and every way.  It is giving yourself permission to begin again.”

Ellen Delap, Professional Organizer

Bring What’s Important

“A fresh start is an opportunity to eliminate the clutter. Whether you’re moving to a new home or simply breaking out a blank calendar for the New Year, you can choose to only bring over those things that are still important to you.”

Janet Barclay, Virtual Assistant, Web Designer, & Blogger

Apply Collective Life Wisdom

“Our daily fresh start provides a chance to learn a new skill, have a new experience, and apply our previously acquired skills and experiences to any challenges we are currently facing. Relish this chance to apply your collective life wisdom on a daily basis and perhaps even have a second (or third) chance to tackle life's challenges with new knowledge and perspective.”

Christy Lingo, Professional Organizer

Embrace New Experiences

“Fresh starts liberate us from limitations. They energize us to embrace new experiences and to have new perspectives in every situation. They serve as moments of transitions, rites of passages in our lives when we say to ourselves: this is THE moment I decide to...”

Helena Alkhas, Professional Organizer & Virtual Assistant

Take Risks Only Dreamed Of

“Just reading the words ‘fresh start’ makes me feel giddy. Standing on the edge of something brand new, a myriad feelings that range from excitement and nervousness to shyness and uncontrollable enthusiasm, may flood our being. We can rewrite our story and be the person we always wanted to be and see where this takes us. We can explore and try new things; take risks we've only dreamed of. Why not, after all? That's what new beginnings are all about. Stepping over the threshold of a newly opened door into the unknown and carrying the value of lessons learned, but leaving all that burdened us behind. I guess, what becomes possible with a fresh start is the chance to ‘shed our old skin’ and get one more chance at growing into our potential.”

Yota Schneider, Life Transitions Coach

Which ideas resonate with you? As this New Year is upon us, what are you thinking about? Come join the conversation and share your thoughts about fresh starts.