They come in all shapes, colors, and sizes these days. Gone are the times of the one size fits all, in your favorite shade of brown or black. Most women own more than one and they switch them out like their shoes to accent their personality, outfit, or mood of the day.

A few days ago my girlfriend hurriedly burst into the office, plunked her purse on the table and declared, “Look at this…This purse represents my life!” It didn’t take much pondering to realize what it was she was talking about. Her purse…was a disaster. Although, I didn’t think of her life in that way, her purse on the other hand was stuffed to overflowing; receipts, papers, and notes spilling out over the top. Normally a narrow oblong form, it had now taken on more of an almond shape; narrow at the ends and wider in the middle. Stuffed so full it was way past the point of ever being zipped again. She was eating healthy that day however; the two oranges that she had balanced on the top of her purse had rolled off onto the table. We exchanged a quick laugh and she was off to her meeting.

My thoughts quickly moved to my own purse . . . my everyday purse is more on the larger size. That just means that I can cram more stuff into it before it spills over the top. If I took everything that I had in my purse at that moment and tried to stuff it into my girlfriend’s purse it would’ve looked much the same as hers; exploding and unorganized. But I never thought about whether it represents my life or not.

I suppose that perception could go for anything … the way we keep our desks, our cars, our bedrooms, our homes, our lives. I came home that day and weeded through the items in my purse. I was afraid what I might find. I’ve been known to win many a prize playing the ever-popular party game, “What’s The Most Unusual Thing In Your Purse”. I was able to trash 3 pens that didn’t work, an old grocery list from 3 weeks ago, an “I Voted” sticker from last year, a broken piece of jewelry, and numerous receipts, wrappers, and reminders that I no longer needed. I put everything else back in my purse in the most organized fashion I could and quickly planned to move on to my desk next.

Take some time clean out the parts of your life that really need it. The disorder that can pile up and make your life feel unorganized and overwhelming can be hiding in the most common places; the magazine rack, the front door catch-all basket, the garage, your email inbox, your computer desktop, and of course your purse. My challenge to you is to start with your purse and move out from there.

The Soul Sisters

My husband and I tried to jump on the “spring cleaning” bandwagon last week. We worked diligently on things for a day and that’s about how long it lasted. While picking up some random clutter I gathered things into the palm of my hand and headed for the “junk drawer”.

We all have them – a place to keep the things we don’t know where to keep. I pulled open the drawer; it opened about an inch and then stopped. It was jammed.

Don’t you hate when that happens? You stuff so much into a drawer that it doesn’t even open anymore. And this time it didn’t even open far enough to stuff my fingers inside, in hopes that I could loosen the jam. My husband came around the corner as I was cursing “the stupid drawer”, as if it was the drawer’s fault that we had jammed too much into it. And then I stopped, looked at my husband, and said, “This is the subject of my next blog!” He looked at me kinda crazy-like – but I’ve come to learn that when I get a crazy look from my husband, I’ve usually got a good idea!

Our lives sometimes become a “junk drawer”. We allow others to stuff us full with their schedules, their needs, and their plans. And just like a junk drawer, we rarely notice there’s a problem until things don’t work anymore. We feel unmotivated, unfulfilled, stressed, and just plain unhappy. You see, when a junk drawer gets too full, it doesn’t work anymore. And so it is with our life; we keep cramming and cramming until we reach a breaking point.

So what do we do when the junk drawer gets too full? We stop and take an assessment. What items are necessary and which are not? What belongs in a different area of the house? We need to do the same assessment with our own lives. What schedule hogs are really necessary? What could we probably say “no” to? Just as we need to prioritize what gets a space in a junk drawer, we need to also prioritize what gets a space in our lives.

The Soul Sisters

Last month we introduced you to a new, weekly feature of our Facebook page: WOW (Word of the Week) Wednesday. We’re bringing you a new word each week and inspiring you with a powered up definition!  Here’s a summary of February’s WOW (Word of the Week) Wednesday words…

WHINE CHARM: No, it’s not a typo but a two word strategy for overcoming daily complaints and negativity. As the great Louise L. Hay says, “The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences.” We can’t afford a single negative thought! Still, old habits can be difficult to break without support. To create awareness, allow yourself 3 WHINE CHARMS daily (Free Whine Charm download available on our Facebook page under the “Empowerment & Fun” link). When you catch yourself in a negative thought, replace it with a positive one and relinquish 1 charm. The goal is to end the day with all 3 charms still in your possession! Repeat daily and empower your thoughts (and your life)!

HEARTBURN: We’re not talking about the acid reflux from last night’s spicy meal, although this sensation can be just as painful. We’re talking about that feeling deep inside you; the one that’s been nudging you about that dream, passion or goal for quite some time. It’s always in the back of your mind and sometimes wakes you up at night. No matter how much your ignore it, it still pops up. Here’s the thing; that burning desire isn’t going to go away. The pain only intensifies as time goes on. It’s never too late to make your lifelong dream a reality. Don’t wait another minute…what’s one step you can take today to put your plan into motion?

LIFELINE: You know, that loyal support network you can always count on to lift you up and support you through every crazy whim and endeavor. They don’t judge you but rather believe in your dreams simply because you do, and do all they can to help make them come true. If you’re feeling the need to shore up your LIFELINE we invite you to consider joining a Soulspring Group (or starting one of your own). Imagine having a group of supporters cheering you on and together making your dreams and goals a reality. Get the details here: What’s a Soulspring Group.

WANDERER: The people who complain the loudest about never having an opportunity in life are usually the ones who have no idea what they really want. Instead of taking charge of their lives they wander aimlessly wondering why their dreams never come true and their goals are never realized. Without a sense of direction, they aren’t happy where they are but can’t tell you where they want to be. Don’t fall into the trap of the WANDERER! Grab your compass and get clear about what you want from your life, where you want to go, what you want to achieve. Then combine that vision with inspired action and set out on a journey of intention. We wish you Godspeed.

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter so you don’t miss a single WOW Wednesday!  And spread the words to your friends with a “Share” or a retweet!

The Soul Sisters