Monday’s Meditation: On Creating A Cycle Of Solutions

August 21, 2017

One thing leads to another, and everything is connected.

A client and I are focused on creating order in her closet. Except that we can’t talk about the closet without talking about the clothes hamper, and that naturally involves the laundry cycle, which weaves into the organization of the laundry room, the daily rhythms, the delegating of responsibilities, the rate at which the family wears clothing, and where everyone in the whole house puts their dirty and clean clothes.

We decide there should be a hamper in each bedroom around the house. This leads us into freeing up space in those respective closets for the new hampers. Some things will need to be migrated out of the closet and into the bedrooms, which necessarily means we need to tackle the bedrooms.

This almost always paves the way for a conversation about toy storage, and that, inevitably, into discussing the largest and most commonly occupied shared spaces in the house.

It turns out that the organizational state of the master closet hinges directly upon the mudroom.

Everything is connected and one thing leads to another and if you set out to solve a problem, you’re bound to uncover a slew of related ones. The pursuit of solutions further reveals systemic issues.

When you endeavor to optimize anything, you realize how multi-layered the situation is. The goal of going to bed earlier, for instance, leads one to ask the question of what keeps one awake. Which leads to time management, and work habits, and what time one wakes up in the morning.

No action is isolated in time and space. No habit exists without another. Our lives are composed of a series of dominoes that either support one another or cause mass collapse.

It is the fear of realizing how deeply rooted the problem is, and how many other problems are lurking beneath the surface, that discourages us from taking action.

We do not want to open a can of worms that we have, at least for the time being, wedged closed. We do not want to uncover a mess bigger than we bargained for that needs cleaning up.

But far from discouraging us, the fact that everything is related can be perceived as motivation, since it means that even one positive, proactive effort powerfully affects the other areas of our lives.

Bringing clarity to one area of your life creates the need for clarity in others.

Being disciplined about your bedtime supports your health, your performance at work and in the gym.

We uphold our goals with each and every action we take.

The question is: what do you desire so strongly that no amount of challenges that are bound to arise could dissuade you from pursuing?

When you want something badly enough, every problem is solvable.

4 Comments

  1. Nanette on August 21, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    So insightful! I always enjoy your Monday posts! Thank you!

  2. Jenni on August 21, 2017 at 5:59 pm

    This is such a great post. It’s so true, I put things off dreading the bigger mess that is bound to follow but looking at it from the other point of view, that ” even one positive, proactive effort powerfully affects the other areas of our lives” is so inspiring. Thanks, love this!

  3. Elon on August 22, 2017 at 4:10 pm

    I thought that changing one thing at a time was the “responsible” thing to do so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed or let it fizzle out. Then I realized that in order to reach my goal I need to make sure all areas are working toward that goal too or else it is keeping me from it. It’s sometimes a hard pill to swallow, but life changing. Love your message!

    • Annie on August 22, 2017 at 9:12 pm

      Yes, exactly! Love where your head’s at, Elon.

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4 Comments

  1. Nanette on August 21, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    So insightful! I always enjoy your Monday posts! Thank you!

  2. Jenni on August 21, 2017 at 5:59 pm

    This is such a great post. It’s so true, I put things off dreading the bigger mess that is bound to follow but looking at it from the other point of view, that ” even one positive, proactive effort powerfully affects the other areas of our lives” is so inspiring. Thanks, love this!

  3. Elon on August 22, 2017 at 4:10 pm

    I thought that changing one thing at a time was the “responsible” thing to do so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed or let it fizzle out. Then I realized that in order to reach my goal I need to make sure all areas are working toward that goal too or else it is keeping me from it. It’s sometimes a hard pill to swallow, but life changing. Love your message!

    • Annie on August 22, 2017 at 9:12 pm

      Yes, exactly! Love where your head’s at, Elon.

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