No matter how convincing my list of 5 Compelling Reasons to Change is, I know that it’s not my reasons that matter. The five I’m sharing with you are just a few in a long line of possible motivations for change.

I’d love to find out what motivates you to make changes in your life. With your help, perhaps we can turn this list into 100+ Compelling Reasons to Change.

5 Compelling Reasons to Change

1. Pain

As Anaïs Ninsaid, “There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Consider how much energy it takes to continue with the familiar. Is the pain and frustration you’re experiencing worth not changing?

2. Fear

We are all scared of something whether it’s spiders or public speaking or embracing change. Just because we’re afraid, it doesn’t mean that we can’t overcome our fears. By doing so we can experience tremendous growth, elation and increased self-confidence.

3. Desire

Motivation doesn’t have to be negative. The drivers can stem from deep yearning and passion. Change can occur when the desire for a specific result or goal is so vivid and intense that it’s almost impossible to hold yourself back from taking action. That passion can propel us forward with intensity. Allow it to be your guide.

4. Love

People don’t change until they’re ready. Sometimes, though, our motivations can come from the desire to change for someone we love. When our habits work for us, but not so well for the special people in our lives, this creates a lot of tension. Changing in order to make our relationships stronger, less stressful and more loving is another big motivator for change.

5. Opportunity

Elsye Sommer said, “Sometimes opportunity knocks like a loud windburst; more often it arrives like a burglar and disappears before you realize it was there.” Life is not dull. On a daily basis, there are many decisions to make and possibilities to consider. These options can be enticing enough to lead you towards change. With an open attitude, opportunity can be the motivator.

Do any of these ideas resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts about reasons to change. Participate in the conversation.

This month I’ve focused on taking action towards the changes I seek. Many of you have done the same. As we’re half way through the month, this is a good point to stop and give ourselves a Change Check-up. A great question that ADHD coach, Cameron Gott asks is, “Where are we now?”

Locating where you are in the change process is important. Are you struggling to match actions with the changes you want? Or, are you able to make new choices each day to facilitate the changes that you desire? Perhaps you are experiencing a mix of struggles and successes. Sometimes we want habits or situations to alter, but we find it challenging to take the action steps, however small, to bring about those changes.

In the Readiness for Change fact sheet I created for the Institute for Challenging Disorganization, I wrote about the five phases of change: Initial Rumblings, Identifying Possibilities, Reaching Out, Beyond Talking and Life Jolts. These stages aren’t necessarily linear. We shift back and forth between the phases and can even straddle two simultaneously. For a detailed description, the ICD fact sheet is available as a free download.

Sometimes we need to pause and reassess where we are and how we’re doing. For example, I spent December and January setting goals and determining which changes I wanted to make for the coming year. When February arrived, I began setting some of those goals in motion by taking baby steps forward. Now I’m evaluating how I’m doing. Many of the changes I seek are in the works. Some have shorter time frames to accomplish, while others might take a full year or longer.

Each of us face challenges. For me, the most difficult ones seem to be integrating exercise into my schedule and cutting down on the sweets. Experience tells me that when I exercise more and eat fewer sweets, I feel healthier and stronger. As it turns out, getting out for that brisk walk or saying “no” to the very tempting cupcake or bar of chocolate is apparently not so easy.

I know that it’s difficult to make multiple changes at once. I haven’t given up on my fitness and health goals. They just may need to be postponed while I work on the other areas I’ve chosen to focus on.

Make time for your Change Check-up. Where are you now? Are you experiencing challenges or celebrating successes? I’d love to hear from you.

My “Things That Make Me Happy” list includes celebrating Valentine’s Day. This holiday combines some of my favorite things such as love, chocolate, sparkly hearts and romance. As a kid, I remember waking up on Valentine’s Day to a breakfast table decorated with construction paper hearts made by my mom. She stapled them together into pockets and slipped Nestlé’s Crunch bars inside them. My dad signed the valentines too with his unique “cartoon” signature. Not only did we enjoy getting chocolate for breakfast, but also we felt especially loved.

As our girls grew up, my husband and I created our own Valentine’s Day traditions. Making valentine cards was an elaborate and joyful event. We’d bring out the craft supplies and the girls and I would sit around for hours making cards and writing notes to all the special people in our life. Valentine’s Day breakfast was and still is part of the celebration. I love to decorate the table, make strawberry muffins or chocolate waffles with fresh berries, and share Valentine’s Day cards and small gifts with my family. Chocolate is always involved.

Mainly, though, it’s a day to stop and remind those that you love how much they mean to you. It’s a day about love, gratitude, passion and let’s not forget chocolate.

So, what does any of this have to do with organizing? There are organizing systems that surround traditions, including Valentine’s Day. Here are some ideas:

• V-day Card-Making: Do you have a place where you can easily store all your card-making needs? Use a box or drawer to house your paper, glitter, glue, tape, scissors, stickers and envelopes. When you’re done creating the cards, all supplies can return to their designated spot.

• V-day Card Memorabilia: What do you do with the cards and love letters you’ve received? I keep cards that have special heart-felt messages written on them, in a decorative box stored in a closet. The ones that are signed “love, _____,” I usually enjoy for about a week and then let them go.

• V-day Decorations: Whether you enjoy decorating the entire house or prefer to set the table in a Valentine’s Day theme, establish a place to store your V-day decorations. Depending upon the quantity, you might need one large plastic storage bin or only a portion of a shelf or drawer. A convenient storage location will make it easy to access, put away decorations and contain potential clutter.

• V-day Chocolate: As far as I can tell, there’s no need to organize or store it. Chocolate gets consumed so quickly (at least in our household) that it’s not an organizing challenge. For those that are adept at savoring their chocolate, consider storing it in some out of the way location like on a shelf that’s difficult to reach or in a box that’s impossible to open.

• V-day Lingerie: When you’re not wearing it, take care to store pieces carefully in drawers or on padded satin hangers. Place scented soap in your lingerie drawer to keep things smelling lovely. 

As promised, to celebrate one of my favorite holidays, the LOVE-ly Organizing Giveaway starts on February 7th.  One winner will be selected on February 14th.  For the giveaway description and contest rules, continue reading.

The LOVE-ly Organizing Giveaway includes goodies that will organize, inspire, relax and delight you. The winner will receive everything described below:

• ADD & Romance by Jonathan Halverstadt

• Starbucks $25 gift card

• Emily’s Dark Chocolate covered Fortune Cookies

• Barnes & Noble Red Mesh Zippered Pouches (set of 4)

• Red metal tin to organize cards and love letters

Contest Rules:

• Comment on this blog post below with your favorite Valentine’s Day thought, memory, tradition, organizing tip or challenge

• Comment about the giveaway on the Oh, So Organized! Facebook page

• Re-tweet this giveaway on Twitter and include  @LindaSamuels when you do

• Subscribe to The Other Side of Organized monthly e-newsletter for continued inspiration and motivation

• Do one or all of the above to enter. The more you do, the more times your name will be entered to win (up to 4 total entries!)

I look forward to our conversation about love, chocolate, organizing and more. Wishing you all good luck!

During a recent winter storm, my daughter called out to me from her room to see something. When I walked in, she had a big smile on her face and was pointing to beautiful icicles that had formed on the rhododendron outside her window.  They glistened in the light with an aura of wonder. We stopped to enjoy nature’s display.

I kept thinking about the image of the icicles. They were frozen and still. Sometimes we feel that way. We get stuck where we are. We aren’t sure which direction to move. We might even be afraid of change. So we wait. We stop. We freeze.

Then something happens. A light bulb goes off. We feel a little bit brave. We get uncomfortable just waiting. We feel inspired. We make the choice to take a tiny step forward. We’re like the icicle that slowly melts as the sun shines on us. First, there’s one drip, then another. Before you know it, the icicle is gone and the branch is free to sway in the breeze. We are unencumbered by fear, indecision and procrastination. We are not just a bystander of change; we are actually seeking out and directing it.

Last month I took time to think about fresh starts and what shape I wanted the New Year to take. I thought about and prioritized my goals. I slowly began putting ideas into action. This month, I’m focused on pursuing the changes that I seek.

The winter is in full force with its many icicles and ever growing mounds of snow. Even so, I feel more like those melted droplets of water that changed from a state of stillness and contemplation to action.

What changes are you in the midst of right now?