In this week's episode, I share how I went from being completely overwhelmed and depressed by the state of my home to being almost 80% decluttered and organized and still excited and motivated to keep going.

While I love a good decluttering story, I recorded this episode to share the mindset work that allowed me to take the first small step, and how I used that first small step to keep the momentum going.

The biggest shift this time around was my compelling reason to start in the first place: I wanted the capacity to focus on the rest of my life. As I alluded to in episodes 70, 71, and 72, I finally gave myself permission to ask what area of my life, if transformed, would most free me up to go after my deepest yearnings. In essence, if I were to look at what most triggered my self-sabotaging behavior in my adult life, what would that be and what would life be like if that was an area I finally got under control?

I share my journey because I know how it feels to think you're the only one with secret, shameful struggles. While household management might not be your Achilles' heel, I know each of us have something we long to work through so that it's no longer hanging over us, taking up precious time, energy and bandwidth that we could be using for seeing what life could be like without all the cognitive load.

Even if decluttering and organizing is not your struggle, you'll get actionable mindset shifts and tools that will help you in whatever task or project you want to start, continue and finish.

Cited in this episode:

Dan Sullivan | Podcasts

Lisa Woodruff of Organize 365 | Research | Organize 365 Podcast

Quotes:

By Dan Sullivan: “If we were meeting here three years from today—and you were to look back over those three years to today—what has to have happened during that period, both personally and professionally, for you to feel happy about your progress?”

By Lisa Woodruff of Organize 365 (paraphrased): "Declutter so you can organize because when you're organized you can be more productive. And when you're more productive, you unlock time and capacity which you can put toward impact (or what you feel you're uniquely created to do)." Bottom line: we're organizing our households and ourselves not to do more dusting, dishes or laundry, but to reclaim our capacity so we can explore what it is we want for our lives.

By Gustave Flaubert: "Be steady and well-ordered in your life so you can be fierce and original in your work."

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Intro/outro music by JMW

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To learn more about 1:1 mindset coaching with me:

Website
Instagram: @_thisonelife
LinkedIn

In this week's episode, I share what it's like to do this work in real-time, when you're actually in the muck of your own mind. How do you navigate through those dark periods when you're believing the worst about yourself, and how can you use the power of active language to initiate the second part of pattern recognition -- the inevitable rally.

Cited in this episode:

Book | Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach

Tara Brach Podcast (on Apple Podcasts, Spotify)

The ADHD Experts Podcast | Ep. 501 - ADHD & Procrastivity: How to Outsmart Procrastination and Improve Productivity with Dr. Russell Ramsay

The Weekend University Podcast | Rethinking ADHD - Dr. Russell Ramsay

Article | Thinking Through Adult ADHD: Change Your Outlook and Cope Better with ADHD by Dr. J. Russell Ramsay (Psychologist, ADHD expert, speaker, author of several books on ADHD, including Rethinking Adult ADHD: Helping Clients Turn Intentions Into Actions)

Article | What is Self-Efficacy? by Jabeen Begum, M.D.

Quotes:

By Brene Brown: "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. Language is our portal to meaning-making, connection, healing, learning, and self-awareness. Having access to the right words can open up entire universes."

By Tara Brach: “Fear of being a flawed person lay at the root of my trance, and I had sacrificed many moments over the years in trying to prove my worth. Like the tiger Mohini, I inhabited a self-made prison that stopped me from living fully.”

By Tara Brach: “As a friend of mine put it, “Feeling that something is wrong with me is the invisible and toxic gas I am always breathing.” When we experience our lives through this lens of personal insufficiency, we are imprisoned in what I call the trance of unworthiness. Trapped in this trance, we are unable to perceive the truth of who we really are.”

Exercise | Asking "What do I know to be true about me?" to rally out of dark moments

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Intro/outro music by JMW

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To learn more about 1:1 mindset coaching with me:

Website
Instagram: @_thisonelife
LinkedIn

Last week we talked about harnessing the emotional intensity of your deepest yearning to 'hush' or quiet the areas of your life that are 'yelling' at you, This week we talk about channeling that deep motivation into action and how to avoid the common pitfall of gaining your reward from planning and thinking (and more planning and more thinking) versus from taking actual steps toward the change you want.

If you have a cognitive bias toward thinking versus action, and you feel like you can't get beyond a certain point, this podcast episode is for you.

Cited in this episode:

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Dr. Kristin Neff

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Dr. Carol Dweck

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach (also: the Tara Brach podcast on all major platforms)

Dr. J. Russell Ramsay (Psychologist, ADHD expert, speaker, author of several books on ADHD, including Rethinking Adult ADHD: Helping Clients Turn Intentions Into Actions)

The 'Wanting vs. Yearning' Exercise

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Original music by JMW

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1:1 mindset coaching is for anyone who loves the idea of spending the next 6 to 12 months actively working through the thoughts and beliefs that have been keeping them from living and loving life. Part mindset, part habits, part identity, part self-talk, each week you'll learn tools and concepts that will help you clean up your thinking and deepen your belief in your ability to use your own mind to direct your own life.

If this work feels like exactly what you've been missing, head on over to my website to sign up for my free offering (a 90-minute deep-dive coaching call) so you can experience firsthand how learning to direct your own mind will forever change your life.

You'll walk away from the call with tools and resources that will have you looking at yourself and your life with fresh eyes and an empowered mindset.

How long have you been struggling with the same thoughts and beliefs?

And are you ready to fight for something different?

To book your free call, visit KariWatterson.com.

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Let's connect:

Website
Instagram: @_thisonelife
LinkedIn