If you know me well and listen often, you might notice that on today's episode I sound a little stuffy and congested. That's because I'm at the tail end of a cold that my little boy gave me. And while I feel very blessed that my family and I are usually pretty healthy throughout the year, it's just inevitable that when the weather changes, some kind germ or bug comes knocking on our door!
It's officially the beginning of the cold and flu season, which is actually the perfect time to clean out your medicine cabinet. And on today's quick 3 Minute Thursday episode I give you some tips on how to do exactly that.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
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Full Transcript of this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/transcript22
Are you ready for this?!? I'm going to give you an action plan to help you clean out one of the most dreaded areas of your home. Your closet!
For most of the country, we're right now in the middle of Fall. The weather is changing, and therefore, so is your wardrobe. It's getting colder and wetter outside. Goodbye sunshine, hello rain clouds!
Although I'm really resistant to it, it's time to put away our capri pants, tank tops, and those white leather wedges. While the temperature lowers, I'm sure those warm snuggly sweaters and cute high boots are starting to call you name. You might even be drooling over the clothing catalogs that have somehow found their way into your mailbox, showcasing the newest winter trends. But before you go shopping for some new digs, take the time to clean out your closet!
Cause, no matter where you live in the country - or world - and no matter what time of year it is, the changing of the season is the PERFECT time to clean out and update your closet.
Unfortunately, for some people, especially those who haven't done it for awhile, it can be VERY overwhelming.
Now, I can honestly talk for hours on this subject, but I don't have that kinda time. So today, I briefly give you a few ideas that can help inspire and motivate you to tackle that dreaded closet. In this episode, I give you a closet overhaul action plan that will help make your closet organizing simple and easy.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Free Download: "5 Steps to Organizing Your Home"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word ORGANIZE
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
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Full Transcript of this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/transcript21
In life, we often put a lot of focus on what we really want... qualities we want to embody, goals and accomplishments we want to achieve. We especially put a lot of focus on material possessions that we wish to acquire. At times we even put focus on particular relationships that we desire and long for. We're always wanting more, which isn't necessarily bad.
However, instead of always seeking to add something to our life, we must discover what we need to let go of first. By doing so, we can uncover WHO we really are, and therefore, figure out what we really want.
Let me introduce you to the “Michelangelo Method.” Legend has it that when Michelangelo finished his statue of David, a local patron of the arts approached him, awestruck, and asked how he did it. The artist responded simply, “David was always there in the marble. I just took away everything that was not David.”
What many people don’t know is that the a giant block of stone that Michelangelo started sculpting was so damaged that his contemporaries considered it “ruined” and “a thing of no value.” But that didn’t stop the passionate artist from seeing his masterpiece inside.
Let me tell you how we can apply this amazing principle to so many areas of our life…
We can easily apply the Michelangelo Method to organizing our home. What sort of insignificant clutter do you have? What do you need to let go of to create a space that you enjoy? What sort of items do you have hanging around that tend to have negative feelings or associations attached to them?
When it comes to managing your time, what sort of things do you need to say “no” to? What time-suckers and distractions do you indulge yourself in? What sort of unimportant, but seemingly urgent tasks are on your to-do list that should be moved to an “Ignore List”?
Now let's take it even deeper. What needs to be cleared away in your life in order to reveal what you really want and to become the person you desire to be? What is stopping you from living the life you were meant to live? What fears, false beliefs, and negative perceptions do you tend to cling to that prevent you from reaching your full potential? It’s time to work towards letting them go. Uncover the masterpiece you have hiding inside.
Begin today to follow Michelangelo’s wise example… look within, overcome obstacles and setbacks, chip away at all the unimportant “stuff”, and begin sculpting a more authentic and simple life.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode20
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Book by Kenneth Schuman: The Michelangelo Method
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
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Full Transcript of this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/transcript20
Have you ever wondered why some people never seem to arrive to places on time? Now I know that everyone is late now and then, but I'm talking about people who tend to run late most of the time. Surely you must know someone in your life who is habitually late for almost everything.
Some may run only 5, 10, 15 minutes late on occasion, so it's not always so noticeable. In those cases, they are late enough that it isn’t detrimental to their event, but still a little annoying to those around them. But then there are those who run anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour late. Know anyone like that?
Well, no matter how late one might tend to be or how often, being late can become a bad habit. It's never good! Chronically late people can be so frustrating and baffling to anyone stuck waiting for them. Yet, it can be so hard to change that habit.
Unfortunately, for a good percentage of Americans, three little words accompany their entrance into most business meetings, gym class, dinner with friends, or even dates... those three words are “Sorry, I’m late.”
Again, I'm sure you know people who say those three words on a daily basis. And you might actually be able to admit that you are, in fact, one of those people. Are you a habitually late person?
Well, I'm not sure if you noticed, but in the title of this episode it says "CarlaRae Confesses"... that's because every once in awhile on Life Made Simple, we are going to feature a special "CarlaRae Confesses" episode where Yours Truly confesses and talks about an area of my own life that I need extra help in... areas of my life that I need to simplify. Because, I'm definitely not perfect!
So today, I have a confession for you. My confession is that I struggle with being on time. Yup, I hate to admit it, but I tend to run late sometimes. Kinda ironic, isn't it, considering I'm technically a Time Management Specialist. I guess it's just a classic case of "the cobbler's children go barefoot and have no shoes."
Now, I can say that I've gotten MUCH better over the years, because I used to be really bad. I was rarely ever more than 20 minutes late, but I was chronically 5-15 minutes late most of the time. Like I said, I've gotten much better, but I still find that I struggle with it.
In today's episode I reveal WHY most people are habitually late... because there is a lot of psychology behind it. And then we talk about a handful of practical solutions, tips, and techniques that I've applied to my own life that can definitely help you to be on time more often.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Free Download: "How To Be More Punctual"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word ONTIME
More on how to strengthen your willpower muscle: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode3
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Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
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Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae
Full Transcript of this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/transcript19
In this day in age, you'd think that the technology and our world of digital everything would at some point replace paper coming into our homes. But nope, it's just not the case! No matter how much we try to do online, paper just seems to keep piling up.
I could talk hours about how to take care of paper piles and how to organize good filing systems, but I only had 3 minutes for this "3 minute Thursday" episode, so I kept it super brief and short.
In this episode, I give you one quick tip on how to prevent paper from even coming into your home in the first place... specifically how to prevent it from coming into your mailbox.
The holiday season is just around the corner, and soon, you are going to be inundated with unwanted catalogs, coupons, credit card offers, donation requests, and other junk mail.
You see, most companies send you all that stuff because you because you most likely did business with them at some point in time. But many other companies send you mail because they bought your information from a data broker — who sells your information to any company looking to market to you.
Are you tired of all that unwanted junk mail? Want to declutter your mailbox? In this episode, I tell you about two great websites that can help.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Catalog Choice Website: CatalogChoice.org
DMAchoice Website: DMAchoice.org
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life"
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode18
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Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
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Full Transcript of this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/transcript18
Let's face it, life is kinda complicated sometimes. I love helping people clear out the clutter in their homes, but I also love to help them simplify so many other areas of life. Life just isn't always easy. Who doesn't need a little more simplicity? And one of the main goals of simplifying your life is to - in some ways - help make it a little easier, a little more effortless. And therefore, ultimately, the goal of simplifying your life is to help you discover a greater sense of joy and happiness.
Quite often, while coaching my clients when it comes to simplifying each area of their life, we talk a lot about the hurdles and struggles of getting there. We take a look at specific things that get in their way, things that stop them from discovering the true freedom of simplicity... the things that tend to stop them from experiencing the happiness that comes from simplicity.
Now, there's numerous different road blocks that prevent people from successfully simplifying their life, but I do find that there are common themes that I see quite often. In particular, I find that negative thinking patterns can really inhibit a person from finding joy and happiness in their life, no matter how much they simplify their homes, schedules, and to-do lists. Negative thinking habits can definitely prevent people from simplifying their life... and I love helping and coaching my clients with that particular hurdle.
So essentially, I help people de-clutter their mind. I help people let go of negative thinking habits and I help empower them to focus on positive ones. And I'll tell you, it's not easy. But it's something so important and something I am very passionate about.
Now, you might be thinking, "Yup that's totally me... I definitely need a little help with de-cluttering my mind." Or you may not relate at all and feel like you really don't struggle with negative thinking. But whether you have the habit of negative thinking or not, we have all experienced really hard days - or even weeks - when the feelings of worry, stress, anxiety, pain, or sadness overwhelm us. We've all been there! We've all felt crushed by those awful feelings. In this episode I give you one simple mantra that can help you get through those rough days... one mindset that I, myself, have practiced over the years that has gotten me through MANY tough times.
Links Mentioned in this Show:
Share this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/episode17
Share this Podcast: LifeMadeSimplePodcast.com
Free Guide: "9 Ways to Simplify Your Life" (CarlaRaeArneson.com/freeguide)
Or send a text to 44222 with the word 9SIMPLIFY
Website: CarlaRaeArneson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/CarlaRaeArneson
Submit Questions: CarlaRaeArneson.com/AskCarlaRae
Full Transcript of this Episode: CarlaRaeArneson.com/transcript17
