Sometimes it’s the big things that help us appreciate the little things. How often do we stop to acknowledge the things that we often take for granted like phone service, heat, gas, or hot water? We just expect things to work, to be there when we need them, and to go on with life as we know it.

Many of us, including me have experienced some crazy things in the past few days due to superstorm Sandy, not just loss of services, but also fear, panic, and disorientation. In our town and many others, there are still people without electricity or phone service. You may be one of them. Gas and food are becoming scarce. I'm grateful that our electricity, heat, phone and Internet have all been restored as of today. They came back in varying intervals. I’m starting to see some very positive reports. I hope that all of your services are back soon too.

In the midst of this “storm,” I reminded myself of many things that I was thankful for. It helped me to keep a grateful perspective even in the face of uncertainty, fear, and potential danger. In the last few days, these were some of the things that kept me going. I was grateful for…

The safety of our family and friends

Our house being spared from falling trees

The stillness caused by the blackout

Reading more than usual

The extra time with family

Laughter

Imposed digital break

Cozy blankets

The lights and heat returning after 24 hours of darkness and cold

All the days when we had electricity and warmth

A hot shower

A hot cup of coffee

A hot cup of soup

Flexible, understanding clients

Other people’s resourcefulness

My own resourcefulness

Other people’s strength

My own strength

The brightly colored fall leaves

Living close enough to my Mom to bring her to our house for safety

Finding one working cell phone area in our town

Friends and family that checked in on us

Friends and family we checked in on

Having food to eat

A fuller house than usual

Making “French” chocolate in honor of my aunt’s visit

Phone service returning after four days of being out

All the days we had perfectly good phone service

Answering a ringing phone

Picking up the phone to make a phone call

Internet and email restored after five days of being disconnected

Many days we had of fully operational Internet and email

The messages of hope and good wishes on Twitter, Facebook, and email

Acknowledging that I can’t control everything

Letting go

It’s going to take me time to get back to normal. There are hundreds of emails, tweets, and other messages to respond to. There are calls to return and projects to complete. I’m still catching my breath. I am so grateful to be sitting here today with my hot cup of jasmine green tea, writing, and sharing this post with you. While the storm put me a bit off schedule, we’re here now. Together.

I’ve missed you. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. What’s on your mind? Please take a moment or two to share. At this moment, what are you grateful for?

DeeAnne White, Live the Charmed LifeThis year we’ve enjoyed engaging conversations with the “Ask the Expert” feature on The Other Side of Organized blog. We’ve spoken about success with Lori Deschene, enlisting help with Janet Barclay, motivation with Dr. Shannon Reece, time management with Julie Morgenstern, clutter with Lorie Marrero, letting go with Geralin Thomas, next steps with Yota Schneider, and change with John Ryan. As we shift our focus this month, I’m happy to bring you author, speaker and zestful life seeker, DeeAnne White to share her wisdom about possibilities.

Several years ago, I came across DeeAnne and her wonderful post, “The Elegance of Slow.” She wrote that, “Slow is much more elegant than fast. It’s all in the pure luxury of taking the time.” I’ve been a fan ever since as she reminds us to appreciate life, take chances, and slow down. My deepest gratitude and thanks goes to her for taking the time to join us. Before we begin, here’s more about DeeAnne.

DeeAnne White is a former Fortune50 Executive Vice President, author, speaker, American expatriate and lover of cricket, golf, wine, Jimmy Choo and life, in pursuit of a life beautifully lived. Born in Dallas, she’s been everything from a young wife and stay at home parent, to a single mother beginning her career in Orange County, California, to one of the few women to reach the top tier of the investment distribution industry. DeeAnne began LiveTheCharmedLife and describes herself as “ridiculously curious and who’s never once thought that anything was impossible.” Her book LiveCharmed-The Elegant Guide to Lifestyle Design is due out later this year. You can connect with DeeAnne on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, blog or website.

Linda:  You’re an expert on pursuing a life well and beautifully lived. How can we stay open to possibilities?

DeeAnne:  A few of the best ways to stay open to possibilities are, first, to remember that every day is a new chance to create a life as we’d like it to be, and, second, to allow ourselves to daydream about what that life would look like. Many people believe that once we’ve started on a certain path we must stay on it, and nothing could be further from the truth. We have an endless supply of do-overs, if you will, and only our dreams limit us.

Linda:  The possibilities can seem endless and overwhelming. What strategies help us make choices?

DeeAnne:  It helps if we can remember that not only can we change direction, if we don’t like a choice we’ve made, but to know that we definitely WILL change direction at some point, simply because of changes in our circumstances, age, etc. So the only truly important thing is just getting started somewhere, and then change course, as necessary.

Linda:  Fear can prevent us from pursuing possibilities. What suggestions do you have for letting go and moving forward?

DeeAnne:  There’s a saying in the investment business that people are either motivated by fear or greed, but I’ve come to believe that it’s true in every area of our lives. There will always be those that will be fearless about going after more in life, and there will always be those that are fearful of losing what they have. It’s a great help to accept and embrace who we are, and then to guide ourselves with gentle questions like “What’s the worst that could happen?” Once we’ve answered that, then all we need to do is decide whether we could live with the worst-case scenario. I find the answer is almost always yes. Begin using this technique with something that’s just outside your comfort zone to start building your possibility muscles for larger decisions.

Linda:  How are possibilities and growth connected?

DeeAnne:  We simply cannot grow, if we aren’t able to open ourselves to possibilities, and the changes required to go after those possibilities. I know that it can be very scary, but it’s like a sailor wanting to keep his lovely new sailboat in the safety of a harbor...he or she will never know the thrill of the sea without taking the risks that come along with it.

Linda:  What has been your biggest personal challenge around embracing possibilities?

DeeAnne:  My biggest personal challenge has always been that I love security, and the idea of leaving one thing for another has left me terrified, at times. Even some of the most wonderful promotions that I was offered left me with a sense of fear that I had to find ways to overcome. So you see, all of the answers I’ve given to you are strategies I’ve used myself.

Linda:  Is there anything you’d like to share about possibilities that I haven’t asked?

DeeAnne:  Only that there is a big, wide, beautiful world out there, and I’d encourage anyone not to miss a single second of it!

Thank you, DeeAnne for your hope-filled insights about possibilities and life choices. I love your ideas that we have an “endless supply of do-overs,” and that while change can be scary, growth will not occur unless we are open to possibilities. By extending ourselves beyond our comfort zone, we learn to strenghthen our "possibility muscles." I invite all of you to join DeeAnne and me as we continue the conversation. When you put on your possibilities cap, what do you envision?

Sitting by the river brings me peace, energy, and connectedness. Each season feels different. With fall's arrival, the river is noticeably changed. Today the water is fierce as the waves move swiftly with a sense of purpose. The sun moves in and out behind the large, white fluffy clouds.  The clouds regulate the changing light and temperature between dark and bright, cool and warm. The wind makes the grasses and leaves rustle loudly. I'm surrounded by the intensity of movement of the water, foliage, clouds, and wind.

In experiencing this gorgeous fall day, I am noticing internal changes including thoughts about action and possibilities that mirror the landscape before me. I feel a renewed sense of urgency and direction.

What I've noticed is that several things in addition to the change of seasons, have encouraged me here. They included visiting new places, reading books, and adding a few more "yeses" to the plan. If you are feeling like it is time to be energized, perhaps one of these ideas will help you.

3 Tips to Feed the Possibilities

1. Feed the Soul - No matter how much we love our every day spaces, there is nothing quite as enervating as getting out and changing our scenery. It doesn't take much. It can be for an hour, day or longer. I recently had two, day trips that infused me with energy. I visited new places, enjoyed beautiful surroundings including the ocean and changing fall colors, and appreciated the company of special people. I returned from those days rejuvenated and ready for “next.”

2. Feed the Mind - Reading is a wonderful way to solidify ideas, stretch the mind, and stimulate possibilities. I recently finished Gretchen Rubin's new book, Happier at Home. By the way, she'll be our Ask the Expert guest featured this December. I just began reading Still Procrastinating? by Dr. Joseph Ferrari. He was one of the fabulous speakers I heard at the ICD conference in Chicago. Both books are rich with ideas that have sparked me to begin some new projects.

3. Feed the Engagements - Many of you know that I'm a huge advocate for bringing "no" back into the mix. Boundaries are important. When we over-commit, we can become resentful, overwhelmed, or both. I am very careful about choosing my "yeses." While I don't like to miss opportunities, being stressed out I enjoy even less. With this new season, I am feeling ready and open to introducing more "yeses" into my vocabulary. The openness to possibilities and opportunities fills my being with hope and excitement.

How about you? What feeds your possibilities? Come join the conversation.

What happens when we let ourselves make excuses? We all do it at some point, don’t we? Whether we can’t move ahead because we’re stuck, tired, sad, time poor, or unenthusiastic, we can be really good at coming up with those “can’t dos.” I will fess up that while typically I’m excellent at activating and doing, there have been darker periods when it’s just harder to think of the possibilities and moving forward.

One way to stop the negative cycle is to pay attention to the excuses. Be an investigator and use the excuses as clues to figure out how to move past them. In the spirit of this fall season, with colors and temperatures changing, why not use this time as an opportunity for opening up the possibilities and get over of the excuses? Here is the short list.

5 Tips to Eliminate Your Excuses

1. I’m stuck.

Tip: What is making you feel stuck? Is there too much information to choose from? Are you unsure about what to do next? Think about narrowing the choices or putting parameters around the amount of research you need before moving forward. Make the next step very small. If that's a challenge, ask a trusted friend or confidant to help figure out the one small action to take that will move you beyond stuck.

2. I’m tired.

Tip: Being exhausted makes it more difficult to focus, plan, and act. It’s important to take care of basic needs. If you are tired, then pay attention to your sleep habits. Is it time to revisit the amount of sleep you’re getting? How about the quality of your sleep? For example, I need between 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night to feel rested and ready for the next day. If I get less than that, it takes me days to get back my energy.

3. I’m sad.

Tip: Life is filled with high and low points. It’s normal to experience periods of sadness. Sadness can occur for many reasons including grief, divorce, seasonal affective disorder, emotional contagion, or hormonal shifts. If however, your sadness is extended and unshakeable, consider reaching out for professional help from a therapist or other medical professional. You can feel better, but you may need outside help to get there.

4. I’m time poor.

Tip: As far as I know, time is a level playing field. We all have 24 hours each day. It’s true that some of us pack more into those 24 hours than others, but it still comes down to choice and self-management. For every “yes,” you make, “no” gets said to something else. This isn’t a quick or easy process, but begin examining your values and needs. Once you’re clearer on those, build your choices and schedule from there. What is most meaningful and important will become integral to your daily experience. You will be more purposeful in your choices of how your time is being managed.

5. I’m unenthusiastic.

Tip: This is a huge indicator. When you’re resistant about doing something or moving forward, very often it’s because there is a “should” involved. This negatively effects our motivation. When I notice this happening, I stop to do some soul searching to make sure that the activity in question deserves my time and energy. Very often, I realize that letting go or making a different choice is the better option. Follow your passions and the enthusiasm and energy will be there to sustain you.

Do any of these seem familiar to you? What other excuses have you heard? What tip can you share to help? Come join the conversation.