A Mid-Course Correction

 Perhaps a more accurate title for this blog would be: 'The best laid plans of mice and men.' The day I was to fly East another huge snowstorm hit Boston and I didn't see how I could make the trip work to my advantage.  I grew up in Brooklyn and I know all too well the exhausting ritual of trudging through the snow. One too many times I was poised at the top of the subway steps only to come to my senses and return home.  Boston?  Let's look to the spring.

What is a 'mid course correction?' Sometimes in life you are headed in a specific direction when suddenly you realize you need to zig or zag a slightly different way to reach your destination.  The computers on the big jets do this automatically.  I've heard pilots say you are off course more than you are on during a flight.  In life we can't be rigidly devoted to one solution.  We may get additional information that clearly points us to a new path or solution.  I wanted very much to go to Boston but had a mid course correction called one big snowstorm! Have you had any corrections lately in your organizing plans?

If you are a Facebook person, I invite you to check out 'Regina Leeds, The Zen Organizer.'  It's the page I created to respond to questions about all of the books in the 'One Year to ...' series.  Please stop by and leave a comment or post a question.  I'm there every day.  Financial Planner Russell Wild stops by on Tuesdays to offer a money tip; Meagan Francis offers parenting advice on Wednesdays and the week ends with Feng Shui Friday and the Feng Shui Guy, Ariel Joseph Towne. We're trying to build a vibrant community.  Please join us!

If you feel a bit disheartened that your New Year's Resolutions went by the wayside, take heart: this week it's the Chinese New Year. Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. It's never to late to achieve your goals which is of course what resolutions really are. Every midnight ushers in a new day that is waiting for you to write a chapter of your story.  A day that is fresh and clean and waiting to be explored, created and investigated.  What are you waiting for?  Hop to it! (I couldn't resist!).

Do you have a long lost love?

When I was a little girl there was a lot of interest in what I would be when I grew up.  I was a late in life accident for my parents.  They hadn't planned on having children and then after 10 years I entered the scene.  They wanted a doctor or a lawyer.  And what did they get?  An artist! One day when I was about 5 years old,  I announced that in addition to being a surgeon I also wanted to be a singer.  My mother's best friend said: "If you want to be a surgeon you have to abandon the silly idea of being a singer." I was shocked! Why couldn't I do both? I was told I had to pick one.  As you might imagine I made the wrong choice in my mother's eyes.  Out went the idea of surgery as a profession and in came the idea of a life as a performer. I majored in Theater in college and when I graduated my father couldn't tell people I wanted to be an actress.  He was too ashamed.

Fast forward in time to the Presidency of Bill Clinton.  I remember the day he said that in the current world economy people would most likely find themselves having several jobs/careers in one lifetime. I thought that was great.  I realize that the idea of surgeon by day / singer by night probably still wouldn't fly, however, here's my question to you:  is there something you've always wanted to do that you left behind because you were told it was (pick your adjective) silly, stupid, irresponsible or ...? Here's a radical idea: find a way to incorporate that long lost love into your life this fall.

I'm not suggesting you abandon your career as a Wall Street analyst to become a starving artist.  Nor am I suggesting you quit your job and go back to school full time if you have a mortgage, a family and adult responsibilities.  I am suggesting that there just might be a way to incorporate your love into your life in a sane fashion that actually feeds your Soul.  Let's say you wanted to be a doctor but right after college you met the love of your life and started a family.  Could you set aside time to do volunteer work in a hospital once a week or even once a month?  Does the atmosphere of a hospital make you happy?  Could you go back to school and become a nurse or an LVN? What about acting or singing?  I was talking to a man last year who had just retired as a judge.  I asked what he wanted to do as a teenager.  I was floored when he said he had wanted to be a song & dance man! Now he's free to join a Community Theater.

Maybe you wanted to paint but had no way to support yourself as an artist.  Do you belong to your local museum?  Why not do that this year and pour yourself into an atmosphere that will bring you joy?  What did you leave behind?  How can you re-engage?  Whether it's volunteer work, a class or an internship, there's always a way to embrace an old love. Fall is a wonderful time to start no matter what your journey looks like. 

Remember that being organized will give you an edge because you will have control over your time and how it's to be spent.  Your home will be a nurturing space that supports your creative endeavors.  The easiest way to succeed at getting organized is to have the right motivation.  What better motivation could there be than making time to re-claim a part of yourself you put away to make others happy?  Let me know how this works out for you. You can e-mail me from my website.