Three Generations of women - daughter Jessica, mother Monna and Marla Dee

I feel compelled to write about walking through the BIG CHANGES – the ones that rock your world, leave you breathless, and wondering if you will ever be grounded again.  

Somehow two months have flown by since I last wrote.  I am sitting at my desk and shaken as I relive the intense changes that have taken place in this short time.  I am especially struck by the story of my daughter, myself and my mother – three generations all going through big chapter changes at the same time.  My daughter has started high school, going from a small Arts School of 250 to a huge High School of 2500.  This last weekend I packed up our home of the last 4 years as we get ready to move to Wasatch Commons, a co-housing community and whole new world.  And I just recently spent precious time with my parents in Oregon as they come to the end of 50 plus years sharing a home together. (Their aging requires that they will be moving into separate housing the end of September.)  For all three of us, the change brings up all kinds of “stuff”.  It would be impossible for our bodies, our brains or our emotions to do it all at once.  Thankfully, we don’t have to.  We get to walk through the changes “one step at a time.”

So how do I get through those BIG CHANGES – the ones that rock my world and leave me breathless, wondering if I will ever be grounded again?  I must admit that even in the midst of the upheaval this summer, I have felt grounded most of the time.  I have been asking myself, how can that be?  The answer is simple – I have practiced staying fully present in the one step I am on.  I keep hearing the guiding words

–       just stay in today Marla

–       keep your energy here as you pack this one box

–       enjoy this one sweet sharing with your mother

–       give your full attention as you take your daughter to school on her first day

–       work with this one client in this one room

Even big changes unfold in a way that aligns with nature and my rhythm if I stay present in the now.  It is only when I get ahead of myself – all tied up in the next week, next layers or the whole project that I get paralyzed.

SEE IT – What is the one “next” step I need to take in this change?

MAP IT – The gift of having a visual MAP is the easy clarity on what is needed for the next step.

DO IT – Put your full presence into this singular step.  This was my practice for getting this blog written finally.  Just sit down and write now Marla.

What BIG CHANGE are you in the middle of?  I would love to hear from you and I hope you can use the Clear & SIMPLE Systems to help.

My now 15 year old daughter Jessica thrives on changing her world!

An old saying:

“There is no pain in change.

There is no pain in growth.

There is only pain in resistance to change

and resistance to growth.”

Unknown

Why do I resist change?  It is all around me.  It is inside me.  It is life.  But, it is unknown to me and my body’s experience.  So I cling to the old, the comfortable.  I keep doing the same daily routine or using the old tool, long after the effectiveness is gone. Would a plant resist growing through the soil or reaching for the sun?  Would it struggle to make itself different than its makeup?  Would it want other plants to grow against their nature?  Would it say to the earth, stop growing me now, I’ve done enough. No, rather the plant (and other life force) would willingly go with the surrounding elements to experience constant change & growth.  Am I different?  Am I special somehow from the rest of nature?  Even with all my human intricacies, I am still a body on the earth plane.  My body carries a genetic plan of growth.  My soul carries its karmic plan of growth.  I can resist this or surrender to the ecstasy of living it.

My daughter just turned 15.  I am still in shock.  When did this happen? How can I slow down the changes I see happening so quickly in her.  In my business as a professional organizer I am the bringer of change.  I see people struggle with it daily.  I see the cost of resistance.  And I am there to support them in the new.  My greatest joy is seeing them transform and shift into their present time beauty. Yet in my personal life I have struggled so to accept change.  I have carried a belief that change meant struggle.  I have a dear friend that keeps saying “change is good, change is good, change is good.”

I have been told that a miracle is simply a shift in perception. I am here to offer a simple shift in your understanding of change. Rather than focusing on the unknown, start with simple acceptance of what is.  Let your body and your mind accept the present moment.  Then simply be willing to change.  You can trust in the natural process.  Believe me, life has the power to bring all that is needed to learn the new way.  You don’t have to figure it out first. 

Begin with Acceptance…

• I accept myself.
  

  Jessica when she was younger and alive with anticipation of the next moment

• I accept my life as it is today.
• I accept that change is constant.
• I accept that I will change today.
• I accept one change today.
• I accept that all around me will change today.
• I am simply willing to change.  I don’t have to know how.  Life will teach me.
• I am willing to enjoy a change today.
• I am willing to let go of the old way or old stuff.
• I will validate a change today.
• I trust change.  I can start with a small one and build up.
• I trust the gift of growth that change brings.
• I trust that life will bring me all I need to support my change.
• I Trust Life.

 Lastly, focus on the gift.  Let the Universe and your life bring in something or someone new, something that has the power to grow you in this moment.  Today I am choosing to focus on the incredible beauty that I see in my daughter - her gifts, her enthusiasm, her friendships, her desire to still get hugs, and her changes.  I am going to soak up all that she brings me.

Change can be simple if I let it happen to me.

Organizer - Leah Harvath and her happy client - Sara with the Office Paper now under control

What is it about the paper?  Why is it always there, piling up so quickly, chattering and distracting me from what I want to focus on?  And now we can add to the “paper chaos” all the electronic communications that come our way in any given day?  What would it be like to experience freedom from the paper piles?  Wouldn’t you like to know?  Wouldn’t you like the pile on your desktop and your email folder to hold today’s tasks and only today task’s?  “That’s impossible” is what I usually hear.  But if we can put a human being on the moon then can’t we conquer the piles of paper.  The problem is the lack of systems, systems designed for the volume and speed with which communications come at us.    

The best system I have found is FreedomFiler – an all encompassing, self purging filing system that is designed to hold it all – everything from your daily actions to the tax archive.  FreedomFiler was designed by Seth Odam who spent two years researching our complicated interactions with paper and filing.  His solution to all our paper problems is this amazing system.  Check it out at www.freedomfiler.com

Sara's "pink" Freedom Filer Action System

SEE IT – what is your greatest source of pain, fear or frustration with your communications?

Yes, my paper is all in order.  My problem is my computer working files that hold everything!  I have years of documents because I don’t take the time to perform an annual S.T.A.C.K.S to clear them out and create the updated folders that I need.  I often get frustrated when looking for an important document that is in a folder with old docs.  Simply put, my system needs updating now that my business and volume have changed.

MAP IT – what would you want most for this year in terms of sanity with your communications?

I want my working computer files up to date and organized.  I also want them stored on the internet so that my office manager and I can access the most current files easily.

DO IT – Because paper is so loaded I will take you through a simple S.T.A.C.K.S process. (For more depth, contact Clear & SIMPLE or get my audio book “Get Organized, the Clear & SIMPLE Way” with an entire CD on paper solutions.)

SORT:  Sort just the active papers first.  Leave the old papers for later. Remember to label the piles.

TOSS:  Check out our record retention guidelines for help on what to keep and what to let go. (See www.clearsimple.com/resources.html  for more help)

ASSIGN & CONTAIN:  Get the FreedomFiler if you don’t have a system for your paper files.  You can also get a P.O. who is trained in the system to get you up and running if you don’t have the time or desire to do it yourself.  This kit includes the files for your Action System which is the most important piece to get in place. KEEP IT UP:  Freedom Filer will help tremendously.  I also suggest having a Professional Organizer come on a regular basis to support you in creating a new pattern with the paper.  You could also hire a part time assistant (even for the home) to do all those pieces you don’t want to – like filing. Even I get help! As a professional organizer, single parent, business owner, and community giver, I have a multitude of communications.  I use my systems and I depend on them.  But I am still human which means it builds up again.  So every 3 months I need my professional organizer (Donna Harper) to come in and help me through the delayed decisions.  It feels so good.

SIMPLIFY: Set aside 2-4 hours a week for home and 4-6 hours for business just for the routine maintenance taking care of the paper items in your system.  You will accomplish much more if you do this as a dedicated session than trying to squeeze it in all during the week.  This can include paying bills, making phone calls, writing up proposals, sending thank you cards, etc.  Step into power with the paper and enjoy this time.

For a Mothers Day present to myself, I spent ½ a day clutter clearing my home office.  I used S.T.A.C.K.S on all the paper and stuff that had built up again over many months.  It was in my system but it was just too much.  What I remember is how fantastic I felt when it was done.  I was free (yes, we feel those piles even if we are ignoring them).  I was back in present time and able to focus on the day.  Will it come back again – yes, but never very much and not for very long because I have Systems in place to catch everything.  Let me know what happens.  Marla Dee

Resource – www.freedomfiler.com

Marla and her sister Sharon - "We support each other in giving fully"

In this moment close your eyes, breathe deeply into your center and ask “What is it that only I can give? What is it that only I can create?”  Ask, listen and trust what comes.  It might be a simple thing or it might be loaded. I want to know – what is the piece inside you that is ready to be seen – to speak – to shine – to receive light from the Universe and nurturing from the earth?  What are you aching and yearning to express?  If you are ready to give it, then the world is ready to receive it.

I just spent the weekend with one of my favorite people on this planet – Mark LeBlanc, author of Growing Your Business and owner of Small Business Success.  He inspired me, deepened me, and changed me.  He got me back in touch with my main purpose – sharing the Clear & SIMPLE Way to create, organize and live.  The weekend event is called the Achievers Circle and was filled with 14 other strong creators and entrepreneurs, including my sister Sharon and my associate at C&S Donna Harper.  Everyone in our circle was engaged fully in giving their biggest and brightest self to the world.  Mark kept repeating the phrase “doing the work you are called to do and compelled to do.”  Remember, the work or creation does not have to be big in any sense except what it draws out from you. Isn’t it time you paid attention to the NEW part of you that is ready to emerge. 

SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT.©

SEE IT – What have you been hiding inside that you are ready to let loose? Start with the simple practice of beginning and ending each day in conscious contact with yourself.  Claim 15-30 minutes of uninterrupted time.  Use music, nature, a walk, sitting still, writing, reading – anything and everything that works for you. 

MAP IT – “Make a Plan” now for how you are going to create this new aspect, how you are going to manifest it in the world?  Remember to keep it simple.  Just ask for the next right action or step and make a plan for that.  I commit to blogging and speaking monthly. 

DO IT– Make the commitment to let someone help & support you in this new aspect of being seen.  It takes courage and isn’t meant to be done alone.  Choose someone who knows and loves your true self.  I choose my weekly accountability partner, my wise guides, along with the networks of the NSA, Toastmasters and the Conscious Business Circle.

I would be inspired hearing from you.  Please let me know what you discover about yourself.

See www.smallbusinesssuccess.com  for more information on Mark LeBlanc.  I absolutely believe that his book and Achievers Circle are the best choice for every small business owner!

my daughter Jessica-heart wide open

My heart is so full it is going to explode – do you know what I mean? Do you know that feeling?  Right now I am wrapped in a cozy blanket, held snuggly by my deep, brown leather chair, looking outside at a crisp, cold bright day , with the sun shining into my eyes and turning my inner world orange– I am reminded that I AM ALIVE – I feel that life inside me and all around me.  What sweetness, what bliss to BE MARLA as fully as I can in this moment.  As I breathe in air, light, and silence, I am filled with a sense of grace and gratitude to be alive in this moment and writing to you.  I have been searching for over a month now on what I want to say that honors the closing of a tumultuous year and the opening of a new one.  The words that kept landing in my center were “Live with an Open Heart”.  Easy to say – not so easy to do.  What can I offer that is simple yet strong to support this way of being.  I was drawn right back to my heart.

Breathing Love & Light into my heart is just like breathing oxygen into my lungs.  It is what keeps me fully alive. In my last blog I talked about how letting go of the old always means grieving and that hurts.  But the heart is the center and incredibly strong.  As I release the old breath, I make room inside for a new breath.  I trust this process.  I don’t have to think about it.  I can practice this same pattern energetically.  As I release the old life, the old way of being, I make room for new life and a new way of being.  Letting love in takes courage but is the only way to live fully.  It is worth it.

Let’s use the Clear & SIMPLE System (SEE IT. MAP IT.DO IT.©) to support the opening of your heart at the beginning of this New Year!

SEE IT – In this moment close your eyes, breathe deeply into your heart and ask to “SEE” with your inner eyes an aspect or part of yourself that is yearning for love.  Trust what comes.  Then take 5 minutes to receive love & light to that place.  With each inhale breathe it in.   Let yourself receive what is all around you.

MAP IT – Make a plan to live today differently.  Make a commitment in this moment to practice living with a wide open heart today.  This only takes a moment – be brave.

DO IT – Set the intention to notice throughout the day when your heart is closing down, breathe and open it up again.  Practice opening it in any given moment as wide as you can.  Notice and be amazed at all that your heart experiences in one day.

Marla Dee in Oregon-wide open to life in the moment

Just for today – Live with a Wide Open Heart and let the love in.  Please share with me what happens!

Marla Dee – committing to the practice of living with a wide open heart – one moment at a time.

Hanging on ...

 Just Let Go?  Nature shows me how…

Why do I hold on so hard for so long – when I know it is time to let go?  Could it be that when I release my hold – there is the fall.  And the fall often times hurts.  At least this is what I tell myself.  However, my experience is that if I let go when the time is right, the Universe is set up to catch me, to hold me, to soften the fall.  So how do I know when the time is right?  Most often, just like the fruit on the tree or the dead leaf, it is when holding on gets too heavy, when it is draining me rather than nourishing me.

 Life never sits still, it is always moving forward.  When I let go of what is now past time, I create an open space to breathe, to hang out in the still air, to wonder about what is next. Our theme at C&S for the month of November is to “Honor What Matters Most.”  I have had 3 friends lose parents this last month and it hits hard during times such as these what really matters.  I believe that letting go of of old supports me in honoring what is truly precious in the present.

From Erika Luckett, Album: Unexpected, Song: DEIXA (Let Go)  www.erikaluckett.com

... Being caught

“What happens to the leaves that burn to gold
and fall from vibrant green?
Do they long for what they were or do they let go?
They just let go
Doing cartwheels in the sky
they let go
watching branches pass them by
they let go, let go

The clouds that hang with grey
what do they do when they dissolve to rain?
a thousand drops of sighs that let go
They just let go
a million times reflected
they let go
each one perfectly selected
they let go, let go”

SEE IT©

What am I ready to let go of today?  I can take a moment and let myself notice that the time is right.  I can trust the Universe to catch and support me if I will just let go!

MAP IT©

I will put down in writing or some physical form my desire/intent in letting go right now.  I will trust that something more in line with my present vision is ready to emerge.

DO IT©

I choose NOW to let go, to surrender, to turn this over.  I will ask for a way to do this honoring what I am letting go of.  I can create an elaborate ritual or simply step outside and let the leaves carry it away for me.

This weekend I am turning 49 years old.  I am Scorpio, which means that life and death patterns are normal to me.  It is part of what I am here to experience and support others in.  But it is never easy.  I had to let go of a relationship this last week along with a pattern that has kept me comfortable for a long time.  When it got down to the end I chose to trust and just let go.  It can be that simple.  I invite you to join me.  I know you are ready or you wouldn’t be reading this. 

Marla Dee

The ART of Puttering – “to do trivial tasks in a random, leisurely way”

My Mom & Dad - home in Oregon

I am a fan of “puttering” – especially in my home.  I met a woman years ago at my Feng Shui Training that set aside a full day each week for puttering.  When I heard her describe what it was like to take an entire day to BE in the flow of energy around her with no lists or agenda – I was hooked.  I wanted to know what that would feel like.  I set an intention to bring puttering into my life, and yet keep it simple.  Today I spend the beginning moments of my day surrendering to this sweet flow.  I get up first in my family and after putting the teapot on the stove, I let myself “be called” by my home.  I might water plants, wander outside and pull weeds, sweep my front porch, light candles, or put on music and move.  It is a divine way to start my day, at one with the rhythm of my world.

When I visited my parents in Oregon this last month, one of my deep joys was watching how both of them had their unique way of puttering in their home.  My mom is the queen of the kitchen.  She loves washing, drying and putting away dishes.  She then delights in wiping down the countertop and putting everything in place.  When I watch her I can actually SEE her in that sacred space connected with her home and loving it.  She and I share this kitchen thing.  She also loves to fold and put away laundry, along with wandering out to the garden to pick carrots or berries.  My dad, on the other hand, is the king of his land.  As soon as he wakes up he is outside – touching his many plants, playing in the dirt, or putting on the water.  I listen to the lullaby of his humming the whole time as he magically talks to the earth and all the wild creatures that now live happily in his back yard.  I especially love the three crows that come to visit every morning for their brand of morning tea. 

I feel this sweet nurturing art of puttering around our homes is becoming lost and forgotten in these insanely busy times.

Our theme at Clear & SIMPLE for the month of September is making your Home a Haven – a place you love waking up to and long to return to at the end of the day.  Also, for those of us blessed to have a home office, we want you to have a place that supports you in giving to the world (rather than distracting or stressing you).

I invite you to start now and let yourself be nurtured by your own home.  Let the simple practice of puttering, even for five minutes, become a way that makes your home a haven again.

SEE IT – First thing in the morning, take a look around and SEE what calls to you

captured in a morning cup of coffee

DO IT – After the first week, surrender to this practice and let it change your life.

I would LOVE to hear some of your favorite ways to putter in your home!

Marla Dee

A Magical Trip to Oregon

Oregon River in early morning

It is early morning and I am on the river.  I am gazing into the sun shining through the mist that swirls above the water.  A boat with fishermen slowly trolls by and we wave to each other.  My Montana roots sink into Oregon earth.  The fish are nibbling while birds softly chatter.  All around me nature is content to just BE. A deep quiet settles into my bones, my blood and my soul.

I am in Oregon, in a sweet little house perched on the river.  My daughter is asleep and I am sipping my morning coffee.  I can’t wait to write you and share the miracle of being here.  I feel blessed by the grace with which the trip came into being.  I have practiced the C&S Way of SEE IT. MAP IT. DO IT. for so long that it comes naturally.  I trust the steps to build on each other. I knew I wanted a summer trip to Oregon to visit family.  (I have 5 siblings and my parents that live there.)  I wanted time with the ocean and nature.  I  wanted quality play time with my daughter.  I wanted the trip to be a time of rejuvenation and connection. Lastly, I wanted the adventure to be easy and affordable.  But, to have all that manifest in physical form, and without effort, is the miracle.  So I offer my journey in hopes that you will have a joyful experience of your own.

TRAVELING:

SEE IT – Set an intention based on what you really want the purpose of the trip to be. 

• Where do you want to go?
• Why do you want to go there?
• Who do you want with you?
• What would be most meaningful to you?

MAP IT – Let the gathering of the MAPS be a FUN part of the process.  Explore the questions above and collect maps with ideas, places, and wonderings.  Personally, I am very visual so I always take clear project folders filled with road maps, print outs from the internet of places I want to see, communications from others, and maybe stuff from former trips.  Get everyone who is going involved in their own way.  My daughter and I had so much fun creating our “agenda” of desires.

DO IT TIP – ask for help.  I asked my brother Wil for help finding the perfect place for Jessica and I to get our one-on-one ocean/water time.  Wil has a gift for knowing all the cool things to do and places to stay.  He found us this fabulous little house (Oar Shack) that sits right on the river in Nehalem OR (www.ripplerunresort.com).  We could walk into town to explore and drive 5 minutes to the ocean.  WOW!

When it comes time to take the trip, I review my intention, gather my maps/lists and then turn the trip over to the Universe.  I find great beauty and power in co-creating with the Universe rather than daring to be the director.  I have been delighted, surprised, cared for, and able to receive much more than I could have imagined.  It took me a long time to learn that I am not supposed to DO IT all myself.

SIMPLIFYING TIP – Take one trip a year for yourself, one with your intimate partner, one with family/friends.

Marla in Nehalem, OR

A Simpler Way awaits…

Marla Dee in Southern Utah

Do you resist change?  Do you long to create something new, yet hold back? Have you ever had to receive multiple messages from the Universe to step forward? I will be honest with you.  I have resisted Blogging for months now.  Everything about it feels complicated to me.  Just thinking about it throws me in a dozen different directions and I hear my mind scream …

• I am not a writer
• This will take too long
• What will I say
• There is too much to learn
• I won’t do it right
• On and on and on it goes…

I have let myself take time to walk through the many layers of resistance until I could land in a peaceful, grounded space that was free of mental clutter.  I kept hearing the Universe whisper back to me, “Marla, just BE a messenger.”  Could it be that simple?  Could it possibly BE enough to just sit down at my desk, in my sweet home office and write a message to you?  In this moment my whole body, mind and spirit can say YES to this new creation. 

I just got to spend this last weekend in Southern Utah – in the beautiful little town of Torrey at the Red Rock Women’s Music Festival.  I had given up on the idea of going – life was too busy for personal play time.  But after a morning meditation when I took the time to really surrender all my resistance, I got a phone call within 30 minutes from my favorite place to stay – Pine Shadow Cabins (www.pineshadowcabins.net) telling me there was a cabin waiting for me.  The whole trip then fell into place.  I had the time of my life.  And I came home realizing that I was finally ready to start speaking – that I had a message I was bursting to share.

• I am a Messenger
• This can be Simple
• I have something meaningful to say
• My way is perfect for me

I invite you in this moment to center and ask what is waiting for you? I ask, what have you been resisting?  What keeps showing up in front of you as a message from the Universe that only you can create?  Is it writing a letter, going for a long hike, organizing your paper, creating a vision board, getting an animal, or just taking a time out from a packed life?

Here are the STEPS to the Simpler Way:

1. Surrender your resistance
2. Let yourself say YES to the new
3. Ask yourself – what is the first step?
4. Lastly, let the Universe support you

Isn’t it time you just let go and showed up for your life?

I will share pictures and stories from my adventure on Facebook – I hope to hear back from you as well on what you create.  Your friend – Marla Dee

 www.facebook.com/marladee.cs

Choose Simple

In these complicated times, a clear & SIMPLE way is needed.  A way honoring that we are all unique, yet connected.  A way that gives a simple, step by step approach to creating the day, a project, a closet, a garden, or a conversation.  Please read our short message on the ABOUT Page and stay tuned for more inspiration that honors your need for a simpler way at last.

The Clear & SIMPLE Way Blog will begin August 10, 2009