…part 2 from yesterday “Are you my mother?”

May 21, 2020 — As a stay-at-home mama of littles, I desperately wanted a house that allowed for fun and creativity, but also could function well and get picked up pretty easily. Oh, you have so much stuff when you have littles! And the stuff changes so quickly, the clothes get outgrown, the toys become obsolete, and legos multiply to astronomical numbers. And if you’re a GOOD (eeek!!) mom, you’re curating the family photos in scrapbooks while the kids napped! (I did, for the first kid, anyway…)

In the mid-2000s, I heard about this awesome homemaking internet phenom called the Flylady, upon who I immediately pinned all my hopes and held full respect that she had the way to save my home, one room, one shiny sink at a time. There was so much goodness there, including ready-made lists and email reminders. It worked for a time, until I got distracted and busier. She was my true organizing OG. The first woman I remember that I met only online and felt pulled to because she had ANSWERS. Answers that I didn’t think I had.

Several blog posts ago, I detailed the heavy hitters in my personal development life, headlined by Mel Robbins, who blew my socks off in 5 seconds with her story! She had all the ANSWERS I needed to tame my squirrel and I was FINALLY going to get shizz done!! P be damned! Then there was Rachel Hollis, full of more amazing ANSWERS about how to wash my freakin’ face and STOP APOLOGIZING because I’m made for more! (I’m an excellent student) And Lisa Woodruff, with all the home organizing ANSWERS in the form of the Sunday Basket, the 100-day program and the Certified Organizer program. YES! I’m in!! And don’t forget Jessica Butts with her brilliant ANSWERS for me to live unapologetically who I am based on my Myers-Briggs type. ABSOLUTELY what I’d been looking for!

Y’all, these programs and awesome women above should have easily given me what I needed to go forth and conquer, armed with the ANSWERS. Frameworks, tools, support, community, clarity, all of it was right there. But, no, I didn’t see it that way. I sought MORE ANSWERS.

I found Marie Kondo and her sage advice about whether your items spark joy. Gretchen Rubin and her Happiness Project (I wanted Happiness!). The One Thing‘s singular clarity plus the 411 planning tool. Dana Adams telling me how to life-map and Live My Gift. Mridu Parikh‘s Life is Organized. The Slight Edge, Atomic Habits, The Big Leap…every book enveloping me, enlightening me, setting me ON FIRE for change. I could go on. There are MORE. And since I was a member of NAPO, there at my fingertips was a portal full of conference recordings done by amazing successful business owners doing what I wanted to do. Be SUCCESSFUL. I wanted to be THEM.

When was I going to STOP?? When was I going to take a minute, BREATHE, and maybe consider I’d learned enough for now?

Last week, after watching Stu McLaren‘s super inspirational launch of his Tribe program and giving me hope that I, too, could start a successful membership site, I felt empowered and like I had direction. But, then, again, although he’d given me all the frameworks and ANSWERS, I kept seeking. I then found Carrie Green and followed her membership too. She definitely had the ANSWERS for me, and way cheaper than the Tribe membership. I mean, I am good at seeking.

Are you dizzy too?

The other morning, I pulled out and placed in a HUGE pile ALL the worksheets, notes I’ve taken, binders I’ve made, journals I’ve started, and took PAUSE. It was a lot, let me tell you.

Look at all that TIME, ENERGY, and MONEY spent on good stuff. But why wasn’t it ever enough?!?

What’s the single common denominator in all those books, programs, communities, memberships?

When I was spinning in circles one more time, somewhere between Stu and Carrie, I am SO INCREDIBLY grateful to Stacey Sorgen, my progress coach in Jessica Butt’s coaching program, for basically going on Marco Polo to give me (with permission) the most loving ass-kicking of my personal and entrepreneurial life. (THANK YOU, STACEY!!)

I think I finally stopped.

So, I repeat, what’s that common denominator in all the things I’ve described above??

ME.

HEL-LO!!

Little old me. I am the special sauce. I am the “Monster At the End of This Book“!!! (Sesame Street reference)

How simple. How complicated. How amazingly SPOT ON.

So, Grover is me. I am Grover.

Hi, nice to meet you:)

Cheers! –ryan:)

PS I am so grateful for your reading time today!