I’m laughing because of the irony of what I’m about to write. For many months, I’ve been saving a big piece of paper from one of my clients with one tiny sentence printed on it. I knew that the sentence would provide inspiration for a blog post at some point. And guess what? Today’s the day!

My client told me this story and gave me permission to share it with others. He said that one of his family members for years saved in her closet a box that was carefully labeled . . .

“Pieces of string that are too small to save.”

Since releasing and letting go is an integral part of the organizing work we do together, my client knew I’d appreciate the humor in this. And I did. We enjoyed a good laugh.

The other aspect is that sometimes, no matter how much we realize that we just don’t need it, we have a challenging time letting go. Have you ever experienced that? In other instances, we don’t take the time to ask the questions, or the extraneous becomes invisible. But in the case of this box of string, the thought process was there and a conclusion was made that it wasn’t useful. However, the string was still kept. Interesting, isn’t it?

As we are at the beginning of the new year, which is a time of opportunity, newness, and fresh starts, I encourage you to take a look at your “pieces of string that are too small to save.” It's time to make the invisible, visible and ask some questions.

• What are you holding onto that no longer serves a purpose?

• What becomes possible when you let go?

Come join the conversation. I invite you to share your thoughts.

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.