Self Discovery: No One Can Escape the Clutter!

I am an avid Oprah fan, but nothing rouses me to press record on the DVR more than episodes regarding the condition of “hoarding”.

Have you seen them? They’re the shows that depict the dire situation in which some unlikely souls are living in absolute mayhem. And it’s not the kind of mayhem created by unruly children or a crumbling marriage. It’s the kind that exists because of someone’s compulsive need to hold onto nearly every physical object they can get their hands on. As a result, they become prisoners in their own home, forced to skirt around piles of clothing or boxes of unopened gifts.

It’s a sad sight, but at least on TV, there’s usually a happy ending.

As the program progresses, a loved one will inevitably stage an intervention, causing the hoarder to realize just how bad the clutter has become. My heart goes out to them as I observe these seemingly “normal” people confront for the first time their homes literally filled to the brim with junk they illogically believed would someday serve a purpose.

But what kind of purpose could piles of already-read magazines or shoe boxes filled with twisty-ties possibly serve? The answer to this question is never easy for the individual responsible, which is the reason, the guest psychologist explains, that simply forcing them to clean house or cleaning it up for them is never the answer. It goes much deeper than that. Some even call the condition a disease.

If it is a disease, is it really that uncommon? I often wonder why, when my house is in reasonable order, I feel so much empathy towards those in this type of situation. In fact, as voyeur to these individuals’ amazing transformations, I can normally expect to find myself overcome with emotion. Perhaps it is because I, too, tend to hold onto things which no longer serve a useful purpose in my life.

Is there anyone out there that can relate to what I am suggesting? Isn't the moral to the story that clutter is something existing in the spirit as well as the basement, and no one is without a need for the occasional clean-out?

Lucky for all of us, we are never alone in our struggles. There are always those, on TV and in real-life, that are willing to help us get rid of the "junk" holding us back from our full potential. All you have to do is find them.

This reminds me, I've got to clean out that basement…

Does your life need a spring cleaning? Click here to check out this quarter’s “Letting Go of Clutter” series.

Find out where you fall on the “clutter” scale here.

Business: Anonymous Blogging is Bad

This seems obvious, but, a recent article on the Small Business Trends website made me realize how often small businesses make this mistake. When creating a Blog, myspace, facebook or any type of social media site about your business, you do not want to be anonymous.

Even on the Internet, people cannot make a connection without knowing someone. You need to make sure your blog identifies you. Make sure you have "about" information on each person that writes for you and information about yourself. Give background on your company. Like an oyster needing a grain of sand to create a pearl, people need to know something about you and your company to start building trust.

Pretending to be third-person, or one of your customers is as bad. People will consider you a fake,or a waste of time, and will not visit or purchase products from your site. At the extreme, they will stop visiting you in real life because your lack of "realness" online has soured their view of you.

When engaging the public on the Internet on behalf of your business, remember to be real, be truthful and share a little bit of yourself. That's what will pay you dividends in the long run.
Picture by James Bilancini (Flickr)

Self Discovery: Are You a Helicopter?

I just read another article about helicopter parents not letting go even as there kids go to college. As a parent of a 10th grader, I am becoming neurotic about becoming a helicopter parent or the opposite; becoming the cold, heartless dad that they make TV mini series about.

A helicopter parent is one that is constantly hovering around their child, protecting their kid from failure and any harm from the outside world. According to this article in the Arkon Beacon Journal, the number of clingy parents hasn't gone up over the years... it's just gotten more extreme. Some of this may have to do with communication technology and some may be the overwhelming desire for our kids to succeed.

I hear stories locally about parents calling teachers when their adult child fails a class. Local business people tell of being yelled at by parents of twenty-somethings when their child is fired for not showing up to work. Those are helicopter parents and they are real.

I have struggled with allowing my child to grow. I realize that as a helicopter I need to pull-up a few hundred feet every few months as he experiences various life goals. (drivers license, first job, first car, failures) By the time my son graduates, I will be at 30,000 feet and he will be expierencing life as an adult with me acting as just an advisor... not at 30 feet, which makes me an anchor, delaying his entry into adult life.
Picture by John Shappel (flickr)

For more information:

• Wikipedia
• College Board

GEEK: The Very First Web Address and Webpage

This web find really shows my geek streak. http://info.cern.ch/ is the very first web address the was used on the World Wide Web. The link now takes you to a page with tons of information on the creation of the World Wide Web, a bit of history on Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the WWW, and better yet, pictures of the first browser and webserver!

Great Geeky Gadgets Man! This is awesome! Even if your not a hardcore computer users, this small gem of a website is interesting. We may not be able to see the last page of the Internet, but, we can see the first.
Picture: CERN 2008

Food: Don't Eat Anything That Doesn't Rot

I am not the healthiest eater on earth, but a title like "Don't Eat Anthing That Doesn't Rot" really catches your eye. The article appeared on the Alternet website and was part of an interview with Michael Pollen, author and journalist.

His argument was more and more of our food isn't really food but "foodlike substances". As food gets more and more processed, it's losing more and more of why it's good for us. Basically we are paying more and more for food that is less and less healthy for us.

One example he gives is rolled oats. A pound of rolled oats is worth .79 cents. Buy that same pound of rolled oats as cereal and we pay $4 bucks. Buy it processed again as cereal bars or as the new cereal tubes the kids love so much and pay $8 bucks.

He also goes on to discuss nutrisionism, Western Diseases, and various other subjects. (It's a really long article). I don't agree with everything Mr. Pollen says, and many you will find the Alternet site a bit radical. His article will get you thinking about how we eat as a nation.

What did I get from the article? I need to add more food capable of rotting into my diet. A few more apples, few more rolled oats, and a few more natural breads can only help. Ok, maybe a few more green vegetables...sigh.

Eating well doesn't have to be difficult. Checkout our natural cooking classes like Cooking in Season - Fresh from the Garden, The Incredible Egg, and Fresh Soups from the Garden.
Click here for more information.
Picture by David Wilmot (flickr)