Author Archives: Megan Antlfinger

Holiday Success or Distress

I wanted to send a quick note today because I wanted to share 2 quick tips for harmony during the holiday! I am currently only able to type with one hand because of a sporting injury that sprained my wrist, so I will make it easy & effective. Let me give you two Simple Solutions that will help you create inner holiday harmony.

We’ve all heard that intentions, affirmations or mantras can help you with mindset issues or thought patterns. I believe you can utilize this concept in your environment as well. In this week’s article I will explain!

For all of our community celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday, I want to personally wish you a harmonious holiday! I also want to send a heartfelt thank you to YOU for being you and wish you an abundance of blessings!

I love the fact that you can use your environment to direct your mind to begin creating the ideal vision of your life. If you are hoping to have a harmonious holiday than set your environment up for success instead of distress!

Your external environment gives you cues that you react to as you move through your home or office space. Observe what reactions your environment is triggering you to feel emotionally & physically.

Begin to notice if there are stressors that add anxiety to your life and begin to eliminate those things or items from your space. Even be mindful when you walk into other people’s homes or workspaces! How do these places & spaces make you feel? Consciously being aware will help you manage your reactions. Maybe it is an environment or item in the environment that is making you uncomfortable or anxious. For example, I recently stayed in a hotel room in NYC and the main piece of art had mixed messages. They were positive & negative memorable headlines that were featured in the New York Times over the years. (The picture is posted above.) As you can see, it isn’t the most calming piece of art to have in a bedroom and there are many messages that could trigger someone to feel anxiety. Begin to look around your home and see if there are items that might be triggering your emotional state.

Next, add something to your environment that will help you connect to whatever emotion you are hoping to feel this holiday. Do you want to feel calm in the midst of family chaos? Perhaps peace and gratitude? What could you include in your environment that will help remind you to take a deep breath despite any upheaval? It can be as simple as putting a sticky note saying, “Breathe, You’ve got this!” Place this in a kitchen drawer that you will open regularly throughout your day to remind yourself to tap into that feeling that you can breathe through this with ease & grace and that you have the strength to get through anything! Take a minute right now to decide what messages would most support you during the holidays. Now, create or find something that will help to connect you to that feeling.

Once you’ve had a chance to decide what would most support you this holiday season, I would love to hear from you! Share your inspiration in the comments below! Did you have an idea how to include it in your environment? Share that too! I really believe that “it takes a village” to do anything from raising kids to helping create a Home in Harmony. Your comment could help someone who is feeling just like you!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

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NBC Wanted to Know How to Have Holiday Harmony…

NBC called and wanted to know how to achieve Holiday Harmony in your home. You can watch my video here where I share my suggestions, but I also added some additional suggestions below …

Did you know that there are Simple Solutions you can implement when you are hosting overnight guests that will help your holiday’s flow with ease and grace?

Entertaining or welcoming overnight guests into your home can create stress, especially during the holidays. This stress is often exacerbated during this time of year because of overwhelm produced by a growing to-do list and friction from tense relationships. The trick is to plan ahead for the expected (or unexpected guest) to create holiday harmony in your home.

The overriding strategy is to anticipate the needs of your guests. If your guest needs to inquire where certain items are or how to navigate your home, this can leave them feeling uncomfortable or burdensome. Conversely, if you are continuously being pulled away to retrieve items for a needy guest you might start to feel exhausted or frustrated. Planning ahead will help you navigate the holiday guest and create a harmonious flow to your holiday.

1- Sheets: Obviously clean sheets are a must. Did you know that you can also use sheets and bedding to set the tone of the room. What type of room will help your guest have the best experience while staying in your home? Do grandma & grandpa need a quiet haven to slip away to from the commotion of the little ones? Choose a serene palate that will soothe their senses. Or, does your brother-in-law tend to sleep in until late morning, which annoys everyone who wants to get the day started? In this case, choose vibrant colors that will help your sleepy head guest rise and shine!

2- Blankets: Everyone has their own internal thermometer or temperature that they are most comfortable sleeping in. I love big, puffy blankets while my husband loves to be cool. For this reason, have multiple blankets of varying weights to help your guests feel contented. Place them in decorative storage baskets so that they are easily accessible and which will negate your need to run around in a panic finding blankets for your guests.

3- Towels: Designate towels that are for guests only. Place these towels in an easily accessible basket or bin so that they know these fresh, clean and crisp towels are meant for them. We have all had experiences where you go to someone’s house and you need to hunt through their linen closet trying to find a towel that isn’t dingy. (Not so fun.) When your designated guest towels begin to get a little tired, re-designate them and make them part of the “hockey locker room” pile.

4- Toiletries: Have you ever had that experience of needing to run out to the local convenient store to grab a toothbrush at 11:00 PM at night? Don’t put yourself and your guests through that irritating drama. Instead have toiletries at the ready.

5- Pitcher for Water: The last thing you want is your guest to get thirsty in the middle of the night and need to stumble down the stairs and maneuver a dark kitchen to find a cup so they can quench their thirst. Instead have a pitcher, cup or bottle of water at the ready.

6- WiFi Code: In today’s day and age it is important to make your WiFi code easily accessible for your guest. When they retire to their room they might want to check their emails or peruse travel itinerary. Allow them easy access by placing a card with instructions on how to connect in the guest room.

7- Extra Electronic Cords: Similar to the forgotten toothbrush, we have all experienced forgetting a much-needed cord or two. Have cords easily accessible to help your guest dissipate any anxiety that might be associated with loosing power. (Although, I could write an entire post on why unplugging is often a good thing!)

8- Notepaper: Although many people have smart phones, it is sometimes easier to jot something down on a piece of paper. Especially if you found something on your phone you need to write down. Take a cue from most hotel rooms and have a notepad and pen handy for your guest.

9- Note Cards: A thoughtful touch is to have note cards available for your guest to write to someone they love while traveling. I like to have postcards from our beach town so that when guests come they can send a little note home to those they love. I also love to surprise them with convenient stamps to help make the effort as effort-less as possible!

10- Flowers: Having fresh flowers adds a sense of peace & sparkle to the space. It also conveys to your guest that you welcome them into your home and want to make their stay special.

Entertaining the overnight guest can be stressful anytime of the year and this is especially true during the holidays. I hope these 10 tips will help to tame the tension and alleviate the anxiety associated with holiday guests. Taking some time to anticipate what your guest might need or want while in your home can help your time together flow more gracefully and create a sense of holiday home harmony.

I hope these simple solutions help you navigate your holiday season with ease and grace. Do you have a tip you could share with our readers? I would love to hear from you! Share below or come on over to the Home in Harmony FB page and share your insights and inspirations there!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

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Is this sabotaging your Success, Weight, and Relationships?

Did you know that your home or office environment can sabotage your success in every area of your life? Really, it can!

Your environment can have a profound impact on your relationships, ability to be productive, level of abundance, sense of overwhelm and even your weight!

For example, let’s say you are interested in writing a book, building a business or creating more abundance in your life. Your home or office space can sabotage your best efforts if it is not set up for success.

Your external environment impacts your internal world, let me give you simple solutions to begin creating an environment that nurtures and supports all areas of your life!

Your external environment, that is your home or office space, literally sends messages to your brain on a conscious and unconscious level. It can send positive, productive and nurturing messages that will help you create the life of your dreams. Or, it can send negative, sabotaging and depleting messages that will leave you overwhelmed, frustrated and unproductive. This can influence your relationships, creativity, health, ability to lose weight, productivity and level of prosperity. Let’s look at a few simple solutions to help you create an environment that will set you up for success.

First, take a look around and assess how much clutter you have. Even if at first glance it doesn’t seem like you have piles of paper in the corner, I would suggest taking a closer look. Do you have a “junk drawer” or a storage space that you haven’t gone through in awhile? When our space is disorganized or filled with clutter, even when it is a hidden drawer, it can create a sense of overwhelm and anxiety. Clutter confuses the mind and can make you procrastinate, fill you with frustration or make you agitated. This can affect your relationships, your ability to make healthy choices and your level of stress. Begin to look at the places and spaces that are hidden away that could be unconsciously draining you. Take action and clear the clutter and organize the disorder in that area. Notice what you feel like before and after you clear and organize the space.

Second, take a minute to walk around your home or office and notice what brings a smile to your face. Now, begin to notice any items that don’t bring a smile to your face or joy to your heart. Is there something that felt dis-empowering or uninspiring? Perhaps it is something that actually reminds you have a negative person or situation. This type of item will deplete you on an unconscious level making you tired, angry and frustrated. Make a conscious effort to ditch the drain. When you have items in your environment that weigh you down they sabotage your success. Everywhere and everything in your space should make you smile. For the next week can you commit to remove 1 item each day that doesn’t bring a smile mind, body and spirit?

You’ve heard me say it again and again, your environment either supports and nurtures you or it depletes you. It can leave you overwhelmed, frustrated and unproductive, which influences your relationships, creativity, health, ability to lose weight, productivity and level of prosperity. Set your self up for success by clearing any clutter or depleting items from your home or office. Use your environment to create your ideal life and business!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

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Let’s Celebrate!

Wow, it’s true! Time flies when you are having fun!

It is hard to believe that a full year has gone by and it is time to celebrate the 1-Year Anniversary of the Home in Harmony Book!

In a culture that is often focused on what is ahead it is important to pause and reflect on where have been, where you are and how far you have come or how much you have grown.

In this weeks video I share with you why it is important to look back to see the distance you have traveled in your life, celebrate the successes and focus on the lemonade that lemons can create.

Once you have had a chance to take a peak at the video, below let me know…

What celebration can you commemorate this year?

What challenge did you have and how did you make lemonade?

Can you share how the Home in Harmony book impacted your life this year? Is there something that you incorporated in your life that was beneficial? Or, was there something you removed that no longer served you?

Happy Anniversary!

PS… In honor of the 1-Year Anniversary of the International Best Selling Book, Home in Harmony, I have created a special bundle of goodies just for you! Check out the Home in Harmony Anniversary Bundle!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

4 Simple Clutter Tips

Are you having trouble with clutter in your home, mind or business? I am constantly asked how to remove the chaos of clutter.

It seems that you and I are inundated with a barrage of things coming at us. These can be items in a store or on TV that are enticing or information on the web that piles up and clutters the mind. This inundation creates a sense of overwhelm and confusion. Whether it is items that tax the brain or clog the closet, this clutter is a heavy burden to bear leaving you feeling encumbered and depleted.

Let’s look at a few simple solutions to move you out from under the overload of stuff!

First realize that clutter taxes your mind, body & spirit. Initially the clutter that is clogging you closet or congesting your inbox is annoying and frustrating. This is when you are consciously aware of the clutter. It creates stress that impacts your mood, your ability to focus and sends stress hormones racing through your body. These are a few of the reasons why it is critical to tame the disarray. Unfortunately as the clutter lingers, our conscious angst begins to move to an unconscious annoyance that continues to fester and impact mind, body and spirit. You might be able to put the clutter on the backburner of your priority list and it might even begin to fade into the background of your consciousness. Unfortunately that just means it has shifted to your unconscious, which is still sabotaging your mood, ability to focus and triggering your stress hormones. This is the why behind the importance to tackle the disorder. Now let’s look at what you can do about it.

Whether it is your closet or computer, it will help you to start with a Simple Strategy. Having a go forward game plan will help keep you on track. Start by breaking the task up into categories that you will tackle each day or week. If it is the closet name all of your categories, such as pants, skirts, long sleeve shirts, etc. If it is your computer do the same, perhaps it is work emails, personal emails, kids schedules, etc.

Now that you have named your categories, place the items that are categorized together in the same area. Simple, right?

For the next 14 days, focus on 1 category each day and remove 1 to 2 items and send them off to a good cause or the trash bin of cyberspace. Each day pick a new category to focus on rotating through all of the categories. This will help to make the process of clearing the clutter manageable in your mind and actionable each day.

I was recently working with a client who was told that she should take everything out of her closet and dump it on the floor. She should then go through the massive pile. I don’t know about you, but she & I agreed that this seemed like an overwhelming task to wrap one’s mind around. Breaking this process down into tiny actionable steps allows the process to flow with ease and grace rather than leaving you feeling even more overwhelmed.

What area in your life do you need to clear the clutter? Is it your closet, desk or mind?

Take a deep breath and break the process down into manageable and actionable steps.

I’d love to hear from you… what clutter do you need to clear? Or, what is your favorite Clearing the Chaos of Clutter Tips that you can share to help another member of the Home in Harmony community? Leave your inspiring comment/s below!

Thank you for being part of the Home in Harmony Community and for reading, watching and sharing!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Image Credit: sunset dot com