Transforming Spaces, Transforming Lives

In this episode, Jennifer H. has returned with an update. The last time I talked to Jennifer in 2019, she was living with her husband in their home and she was excited that her home was to an organizational level that if she needed to have company, she could be ready in a short amount of time; she just needed to tidy up a little. Jennifer was on her 9th round of the 100 Days Program (now known as The Productive Home Solution®). 

Jennifer shared that the next thing that happened was downsizing her home and her mother-in-law’s things so she, her husband, and her mother-in-law could all live in her mother-in-law’s 3-bedroom ranch. Due to Jennifer’s faith, empathetic conversations, and negotiations with her mother-in-law, the transition was pretty smooth. 

In April 2020, due to the pandemic, her mother-in-law went to live with her sister in Wichita, Kansas so they could go through all her things and get situated in her mother-in law’s home. They wanted to make sure she was somewhere safe in the event the world shut down. In May, they moved in. Unfortunately, in June her mother-in-law suffered a stroke. And after care didn’t go according to Jennifer’s wishes. Jennifer appreciates that while the siblings don’t always agree, they all keep saying yes to caring for their mom and moving forward together, having tough authentic conversations. We had such a great in depth conversation about how all of our families responded in different ways to the pandemic, the vaccines, and integrating into life again. And now that her brother has retired, he has moved in too! And Jennifer has acknowledged the season of life that she is in and she is the CEO of their home. And that has started a conversation between Jennifer and her husband about their next chapter and if it’s time for them to move out. 

It’s so important to keep asking “What do I want?” As life and roles change, the answer to that question will change. And the answer to that question will dictate your reaction. And Jennifer says when she asks herself this question, she just takes the next right step towards what she wants. We can’t control others, we can only control ourselves. 

Reliving those experiences really had us looking at tough authentic conversations those events force us to have. Often if we are open to listening to the other person, we find we are saying the same thing, just using different language. Just because you ask a question does not mean you are judging. Not all those events went the way Jennifer would have liked and that brought us to intuition. It seems as though there are shifts in life that force us to look for new solutions. We use reflective learning to aid our intuition to guide us towards a solution and what we are going to do next. When we resonate with an idea, that is a green light to explore the opportunities in that solution. Now that Jennifer feels organized, she can explore her next steps. She is still teaching part time, but also practices Reiki in an office setting. She’s following her intuition. 

Jennifer’s advice is, “If you have been listening to the podcast and you are still struggling, hire one of the organizers on the app to help you. They are worth every dime. And putting yourself on your calendar is the only thing to help you reach your full potential.” 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Paper Solution® Certified Organizer Directory

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!