Since this year is winding down very quickly, I decided to continue with the organizational theme for the remaining months. Most everyone decides on New Years to make as one of their resolutions that THIS is the year they will become organized. However, getting organized doesn't just "happen". You need definite goals, all of which include PLANS. Let's use these remaining months to get ready both physically, emotionally, and mentally. Then we will be ready and prepared to literally START on January 1st! Ready?
IT'S ALL ABOUT "STUFF" AND "TIME".......
For October and November, we are going to cover only the Stuff. In December we will review Time.
STUFF - This includes all of the physical things you own. Where did it all come from?!?! These are the items you bought (actually needed, found on sale, couldn't find the original one you had, etc.) or inherited (hardest to get rid of; be sure to make very careful decisions if family heirlooms, etc.), or were given as gifts (Christmas, Birthdays, etc).
There are 10 Basic Laws of Stuff:
1. Stuff breeds. The more you have, the more you need. Beware of starting a "collection" of something. Something starting out as a couple little figurines soon requires shelves, table space, or even additional furniture to display them. See how it progresses?
2. The useless stuff crowds out the good stuff. Think about all of the stored items, which we "could use" which is in the garage because our cupboards inside the house are filled with items we "never" use.
3. Dust loves stuff. Bugs love stuff. Rodents love stuff. Moisture loves stuff. Odds are that if you finally need something that you stored after a long period of time, it will be worthless.
4. Stuff loves to stay where it lands. It takes time and energy to put things away, and they certainly are not going to go to their "rightful" place on their own.
5. Stuff expands to fill the space available. The more storage space you have, the more stuff tends to accumulate.
6. Over time, stuff becomes invisible. This even applies to notes put on a bulletin board. Stuff becomes a part of its environment.
7. Stuff costs you money more than once. After you pay the initial price, you have freight or transportation charges (even using your own car to get it costs money). You need a container to store it in, a shelf, or a cupboard to put it in. And if you move????
8. Stuff has a powerful effect on your state of mind. Clutter can be oppressive or depressing to some people. We need to constantly maintain it in some way. It does require a lot of our energy.
9. Stuff takes on value ONLY when it is used. Remember, unused stuff is just clutter. An exception is if it adds beauty to your life, it is being "used" by your senses. However, it you don't love it, lose it.
10. Stuff doesn't make you happy; you do. Just like money can't buy you happiness, stuff can't either. Both are just tools to help you achieve your own happiness.
Project for the Month: Before you buy anything, consciously ask yourself if this item is necessary. Avoid all compulsive buying. Just because it's on sale does not mean you should buy it. You do not need duplicates. Remember you will have to store it until you need it so why not buy it when you actually will need it. Fact: If you have less Stuff, you will be rewarded with more Time.
Next month....Tools to help us Unclutter! (Thanks to Georgene Lockwood, author of “Organizing your Life.”
Showing posts with label NOVEMBER 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NOVEMBER 1. Show all posts
Thursday, January 14, 2010
GIVE THEM THE KEYS!!
GIVE THEM THE KEYS!!
Recently I had a run in with a car jacker. As I was
parking my Mercedes at the Bank of America, in Santa
Fe Springs, a car jacker approached me to give him my
keys. Since I was having a hectic day and didn’t really
feel like giving up the keys to this jerk, he went and
punched the guy right in the face. After a few choice words, the guy backed off. I began to chase this creep across the street and off he went, down around the corner. I entered the bank and called for help. The police came to check it out only to find out he had stolen another car at a gas station, two blocks away. I realized the danger I put himself in, and would suggest to others that under normal circumstances……...
GIVE THEM THE KEYS!!!!
Recently I had a run in with a car jacker. As I was
parking my Mercedes at the Bank of America, in Santa
Fe Springs, a car jacker approached me to give him my
keys. Since I was having a hectic day and didn’t really
feel like giving up the keys to this jerk, he went and
punched the guy right in the face. After a few choice words, the guy backed off. I began to chase this creep across the street and off he went, down around the corner. I entered the bank and called for help. The police came to check it out only to find out he had stolen another car at a gas station, two blocks away. I realized the danger I put himself in, and would suggest to others that under normal circumstances……...
GIVE THEM THE KEYS!!!!
WHAT IS THE LINE FOR?
WHAT IS THE LINE FOR?
For the past nine months, since the gasoline prices in California and rest of the country moved to the “Outer Limits,” I have been car pooling. It has been great, not only saving on gasoline, but also making the long drive enjoyable.
On our daily return trips home, We noticed a house on Carmenita Road where people gathered outside in line daily. We couldn’t figure out why. Each day we tried to guess what it was? We finally solved the mystery. We determined that it was a neighborhood food bank. WOW!
The next day I decided to organize a food collection at our company to make donations to the food bank. We were already donating to the food bank at a church for several weeks, so we knew firsthand how they worked. As soon as the grocery store ads arrive in the mail, we started checking for great bargains, plus clipping coupons constantly for the donation. It was suggested I should first check to see if they would accept donations from us, when they were open, and what items were preferred.
The next day, I drove to the Food Bank and asked for the person in charge. I introduced myself and presented my offer of our company donations. Needless to say, they were delighted. The gentleman I spoke to told me how they get what they can from stores (produce and baked items), but they still do not have enough. He also explained that everything from private sources had to be packaged or in cans.
I am so proud of our employees at AFE and Coastal for making this a successful project. We have placed a big box in the front office where everyone brings in cans and non-perishable packaged food. Every Thursday, we drop it off. When we started, we filled up the back seat of a car. For the past two weeks, we had to use our pick-up to make the delivery. We contacted this large company across the street, and they are now collecting items also on a weekly basis also.
It is so heart warming to know that we can do something that might seem small to us, but is so big to someone else. In this day and age, living in this country that feeds the world, there is no reason why anyone here should go hungry. These are hard times for all of us. But I believe it will be only for a short while, and we will come out gloriously as we always do. We will not have the soup kitchens of the 1930’s Depression Era, but we still have hidden hunger with families and children. If you can help these faceless hungry people, you will experience a feeling that is grater than anything you have ever known.
So if you would like to investigate your local community and see if there is a food bank that would accept food, and you would like to have a weekly or monthly food collection for it at your location, this is the time that it is needed the most and would make the most impact. In this great country of ours, there is no reason why even one person should go hungry. And remember, HUNGER HURTS.
For the past nine months, since the gasoline prices in California and rest of the country moved to the “Outer Limits,” I have been car pooling. It has been great, not only saving on gasoline, but also making the long drive enjoyable.
On our daily return trips home, We noticed a house on Carmenita Road where people gathered outside in line daily. We couldn’t figure out why. Each day we tried to guess what it was? We finally solved the mystery. We determined that it was a neighborhood food bank. WOW!
The next day I decided to organize a food collection at our company to make donations to the food bank. We were already donating to the food bank at a church for several weeks, so we knew firsthand how they worked. As soon as the grocery store ads arrive in the mail, we started checking for great bargains, plus clipping coupons constantly for the donation. It was suggested I should first check to see if they would accept donations from us, when they were open, and what items were preferred.
The next day, I drove to the Food Bank and asked for the person in charge. I introduced myself and presented my offer of our company donations. Needless to say, they were delighted. The gentleman I spoke to told me how they get what they can from stores (produce and baked items), but they still do not have enough. He also explained that everything from private sources had to be packaged or in cans.
I am so proud of our employees at AFE and Coastal for making this a successful project. We have placed a big box in the front office where everyone brings in cans and non-perishable packaged food. Every Thursday, we drop it off. When we started, we filled up the back seat of a car. For the past two weeks, we had to use our pick-up to make the delivery. We contacted this large company across the street, and they are now collecting items also on a weekly basis also.
It is so heart warming to know that we can do something that might seem small to us, but is so big to someone else. In this day and age, living in this country that feeds the world, there is no reason why anyone here should go hungry. These are hard times for all of us. But I believe it will be only for a short while, and we will come out gloriously as we always do. We will not have the soup kitchens of the 1930’s Depression Era, but we still have hidden hunger with families and children. If you can help these faceless hungry people, you will experience a feeling that is grater than anything you have ever known.
So if you would like to investigate your local community and see if there is a food bank that would accept food, and you would like to have a weekly or monthly food collection for it at your location, this is the time that it is needed the most and would make the most impact. In this great country of ours, there is no reason why even one person should go hungry. And remember, HUNGER HURTS.
WATCH DIESEL FUEL PRICES.
WATCH DIESEL FUEL PRICES.
Every day we hear a different analysis of our economy and the world regarding when we will be out of this stubborn recession. Experts each have their ideas and give us all the economic models they have to predict the recovery.
I was on my 8 mile walk one Sunday morning at our neighborhood park. The park I walk at is on top of a very high hill. One section of the park has a total view of the freeway from above. On this particular Sunday, the weather was so great that I stopped to watch the traffic moving on the freeway. What caught my eyes was the number of the trucks on the road going both directions on the Santa Ana freeway, a major freeway called the “5”. I remembered from my college days in the economics class when we were told “Mobility is Prosperity”. Many trucks were moving down there, and I remembered that what drives prices is demand. What do trucks use to move? Diesel Fuel!
As soon as I got home I went on the internet and looked at the price history of the diesel fuel. Look at the chart below. From April 2007 when our economy was expanding and goods were moving, trucks were moving, using diesel fuel. The prices were rising due to the high demand, up until August 2008 just when we had reached the height of the growth and just before the Prime Loan CRASH. Then, as the chart shows, the prices plummeted because goods stopped moving via the trucks. As a result, prices that had reached $4.80 per gallon of diesel fuel took a steep nose-dive to $2.00 per gallon, indicating a 59% price drop, reflecting the recession that is affecting us all.
Now step forward to May 2009 and see the chart showing prices that are moving steadily up from the low of $2.00 to $2.60. Prices are moving up and that should be an indication that we are moving toward recovery slowly but surely. It is not going to be an overnight happening, but slow is good.
Who needs economists to tell us what the economy is doing. On your way to work every day as you pass the gas station, check out the diesel fuel prices on display. You have your own economic gauge of what is happening and how things are getting better. As the diesel fuel prices rise, more goods are being shipped. That means prosperity is back via mobility and the recession is retiring. Now I have my own economic gauge and can check it out on my morning drive.
Every day we hear a different analysis of our economy and the world regarding when we will be out of this stubborn recession. Experts each have their ideas and give us all the economic models they have to predict the recovery.
I was on my 8 mile walk one Sunday morning at our neighborhood park. The park I walk at is on top of a very high hill. One section of the park has a total view of the freeway from above. On this particular Sunday, the weather was so great that I stopped to watch the traffic moving on the freeway. What caught my eyes was the number of the trucks on the road going both directions on the Santa Ana freeway, a major freeway called the “5”. I remembered from my college days in the economics class when we were told “Mobility is Prosperity”. Many trucks were moving down there, and I remembered that what drives prices is demand. What do trucks use to move? Diesel Fuel!
As soon as I got home I went on the internet and looked at the price history of the diesel fuel. Look at the chart below. From April 2007 when our economy was expanding and goods were moving, trucks were moving, using diesel fuel. The prices were rising due to the high demand, up until August 2008 just when we had reached the height of the growth and just before the Prime Loan CRASH. Then, as the chart shows, the prices plummeted because goods stopped moving via the trucks. As a result, prices that had reached $4.80 per gallon of diesel fuel took a steep nose-dive to $2.00 per gallon, indicating a 59% price drop, reflecting the recession that is affecting us all.
Now step forward to May 2009 and see the chart showing prices that are moving steadily up from the low of $2.00 to $2.60. Prices are moving up and that should be an indication that we are moving toward recovery slowly but surely. It is not going to be an overnight happening, but slow is good.
Who needs economists to tell us what the economy is doing. On your way to work every day as you pass the gas station, check out the diesel fuel prices on display. You have your own economic gauge of what is happening and how things are getting better. As the diesel fuel prices rise, more goods are being shipped. That means prosperity is back via mobility and the recession is retiring. Now I have my own economic gauge and can check it out on my morning drive.
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