Celebrating July 4th – Now & Then

IMG_0391July 4th is a time we often get together for fun with family and friends, backyard BBQ’s and picnics abound. Those gatherings invite the telling of stories from times gone by.

I remember listening and laughing along with Mom and Dad, Aunts, and Uncles telling us stories of their past. Our loved ones may have to leave our lives, but their memories don’t. Stories told but not captured, don’t let them dissappear.

Consider: When your celebrants are gathered, pull out (or pull up) some pictures from other celebrations and “Pass the Story-Please”

Take the time to reminisce and share the stories and your family’s saga – it’s a rich a legacy. RECORD those stories, with the technology we have at our disposal you can easily catch Aunt Eda relating a piece of personal history and jotting even snippets down to go with your photos of family and friends makes them come alive.

Your descendants will be blessed!

Downsizing: Question When?

The Answer : Start Now!

It’s time to stop making excuses, it’s time to take the mess,the clutter, and the stress that comes along with them OUT of your life.

Downsizing, getting-your-house-in-order, de-cluttering, clearing out. organizing – by any other name is just as wrought with confusion, regret, disappointment, and plain old anxiety. “Whew!” It had to said.

Want to make it more palatable? Start now. There is a weight to all that stuff, seems like the less necessary the clutter the heavier it is. If you find yourself really resistant (or have a spouse that is) start by reducing just a little “20 out in 10” The goal is to remove  20 items in 10 minutes, to the recycle bin, to the charity box, and yes, even to the trash.

Do it, it’s FREE-ing  AND can build momentum.  When? Now!

Chunk-it. (not chuck, that may come later). Focusing on one area at a time – let’s start small, first area will be your mind. You need to be in the mind set to make these life changes.

Katie Roberts: 303-956-7134 ~ movingonwithstyle@gmail.com

I’m a Teller, you’re a Teller too!

STORY-TELLER that is! We all are, because we all have a story to tell. That’s something I’ve believed for a long time. A good Business Narrative can do more good than walls & walls plastered with the latest marketing promises. This weekend I had the chance to experience some of best examples Colorado has to offer in wonderful, glorious, entrancing storytelling! I went the the Rocky Mountain Storytellers Conference from the Masks that came to Life to Harmonica Playing Rattlesnakes, it was a thoroughly inspiring event.

I thought this perspective would be useful in my work, as Seth Godin says, “Marketers are just good storytellers!” When I work with a client, whether business consulting or coaching, it begins with listening for “their story” It’s always the story that brings their situation to life. We can talk about strategy and goals, but it’s the story that tells me what tactics are really in play. I digress. So, I went to take some classes, and I picked some great ones:
Interviewing & Oral History Techniques in Gathering Stories
The Use of Movement, Gestures, & Humor In Storytelling
Use Storytelling to Calm Fears, and Overcome Everyday Obstacles

I know the ideas and examples that were shared will benefit my clients and audiences. If you ever have to make a point memorable or demonstrate values then storytelling is the best way to draw a picture that will have lasting meaning and inspiration in it.

I have to say that the best parts of the weekend were listening to exceptional Tellers share their stories! Pam Faro, was one of my favorites! If you get the chance to hear her, don’t miss it! In a world that too often overwhelms us with media that invades our space, listening to a well-crafted, well-told story, exercises the imagination muscles and we can all use that. And if that story tells of our past, or reminds us of a beloved person, that’s something to be counted as a real treasure!
Pam says, “Do you want to create a better world? — It starts with imagination…
When stories are shared—relationship is born, empathy is nurtured, community is possible.”
Thank you Pam and all the Conference Tellers!

Introducing: The UPside to Downsizing! RightSizing.

Yes, there is an “UPside to downsizing your home & possessions!©”

RightSizing Tips help Baby Boomers and Seniors Wade Through Years of Possessions

Downsizing focuses on the physical aspects of relocation – de-cluttering, letting-go and dealing with less. Moving-On with Style brings you the “UPside to downsizing – Rightsizing!™

RightSizing accepts the past and its fond memories, and when you use the “UPside to downsizing©” we’ll keep the good things that can be gained in mind, (yes there are – dreams you’d could revive, hobbies you haven’t had time for, energy that can be spent on grandchildren & friends). The process will be less painful and move more quickly. Seniors and Baby Boomers moving from the home, where they raised children and the focus was on family, to a smaller space, will need to downsize considerably and that’s disagreeable at best.

So, the method we use whether we are working with –

Boomers moving, making a condo their retirement residence, OR
A Senior moving to an assisted living facility, OR
A mature newly married couple, combining households is RightSizing.

“RightSizing is the Up-side to downsizing!©” and our company, Moving-On With Style offers the following tips for baby-boomers and their elder relatives faced with downsizing, by taking the RightSizing approach you will:

1) Start with a Vision of the life you want to embrace. What could you gain? What will there be room to do now? Let your mind imagine the possibilities, dream be positive, then write down. Refer to your vision often, especially when the going gets rough!

2) Start Early. Plan ahead for the move – You’ll need time to decide. The shorter the notice, the more stressful & difficult. Begin with a notebook, with pockets, collect your information, thoughts and ideas, for easy reference.

3) Start Small. Pick one-two-hour project, a paper-stacked desk, a giant pile of stuffed animals, the ever-present “junk drawer.” You’ll get a quick win and become familiar with the process of sorting and tossing. Don’t spend a lot of time deciding, if you get stuck? Put those items aside, labeled Undecided, for now.

4)Strategize the larger projects. Map them out, on paper. In the “old place” the desk was in the office – now, what will you do at the desk. What files will you really need now. Hobbies may take up more space now than it did, so what will the trade off be?

5) Score your stuff. On a scale of 1 to 10 ask these questions for each item. Love it? Use it? Space it takes? Condition/$$Value, Sentimental value? For example, consider collections,(say angels) and it’s Love it?/10, but you plan to store except at Christmas – that’s a 2 for use it and so forth.

6) Slice it. As you begin, think in terms of percentages. What percentage of your clothes can you keep? 3000 square feet has less closet space than 1100. Do you still have to have 10 business suits or 20 pairs of pumps? Using masking tape, mark out the size of the new closet or consider the size of the living room you may be going to and mark that off. Now, you’ll have a clearer idea of what will fit in THAT space.

7) Sort it. Putting like items with Like. Put colorful dots or different colored sticky notes on items, denoting where the items will go (i.e., blue to son, red to keep, yellow to charity). Don’t move things that are cracked, worn or don’t work (i.e. that chair you’ve been meaning to fix/paint for 7 years). Remember, whatever you keep you will sort TO an assigned in a specific Clearly label, the room it will live in & what’s in it.

8) Showcase or Sow it. REMEMBER with some items, it’s the memory that’s precious not the thing itself. Creating a showcase that honors the memory, or the person who gave it, instead of keeping the vase itself, that Aunt Jane gave you for your wedding, will mean more and take up less space.

9) Share the Process, Share the Stories. Even can be ripe with stress, “a burden shared is lessened and joy shared is doubled” is especially true now, Respecting the emotional need to share stories that will come to mind in this process, is good for everyone — that item that you think trivial, can have immense meaning to your children, just as telling the story attached to old statue can make it more dear to them.

Finally, It’s not about how much stuff you keep, but about the Those special objects, from critical periods of the past, imbued with the values that will help you make the most of the new life you’re about to begin – that’s “UPside to downsizing – Rightsizing!™

Life’s Third Act.

Encouragement – An easy way to get it.

“A merry heart does good like a medicine”. Proverbs 17:22

Well, quite a few days now, I’ve been trying to sort things out, from 100’s of miles away, for my Mom, who’s been unwell. A challenge ripe with worry, guilt, frustration and doubt. So, when I was sent a little note by a pastor friend of mine, I wasn’t in a “Don’t worry be happy,” mode. Anyway, he’d seen a television show about plastic surgery. People were getting face lifts, tummy tucks, enlargements of every kind, and all manner of procedures to look better. Seems everyone is wanting to enhance something and they’re willing to pay big money, (Ahh, there but for fortune). But there is one enhancement that money can’t buy – A SMILE. It’s amazing how much better people look when they smile. It takes years off their face and you don’t notice the wrinkles. A smile is guaranteed to improve your appearance. How often do YOU smile? Research has found that 4-year-old children smile and laugh about 400 times a day while for adults’ smiles and laughter decrease to only 14 times a day! (Geez, this week I’ve been in the minus category – but kept reading).

Putting a big smile on your face sends a message to your brain that things are — okay. Even a phony smile can work, (now we’re talking). So, – face the mirror – phony smile – oh! what was that, right afterwords? Wasn’t that just the littlest real smile creeping into your eyes? (well, yeah, I did look silly) If you are smiling, your brain responds with, “I must be happy.” You can jump start yourself into feeling good by smiling. As your mood improves, you open yourself to new possibilities. Always, keep some memories tucked away in your brain, that will bring a smile to your eyes (Mother thinking there was a person IN the ATM machine) 8=)

Try this: as you come into a room, walk around with a little smile on your face, –
people will wonder what you’re up to! Be prepared because they’ll ask you.

Ok, there is that danger – smiling can be contagious! Other people, seeing your smile will often smile back, and respond differently to you. Life is getting better because you smiled. A little lighter, and then what do you know, a glimmer of optimism and right on the heels of that, the creativity starts bubbling. (That IS encouraging.). Isn’t time you either infect someone or get infected by someone? (Absolutely, thanks Rev Mike!)