Let Your Home Make You Smile

When you look around your home or work environment do you love what you see? Does it make your heart sing?

In today’s vlog (video blog) I am going to give you a glimpse of the Ocean Front Suite Veranda at the One and Only Ocean Club and give you a simple way to make your space great! The beautiful thing is, when you begin to make small changes in your environment you will see a ripple effect in all areas of your life.

I had a client who we tweaked a few things in her office environment to make it an inviting space she loved and she saw a huge transformation within her company & in her personal life. She began dating someone she thinks might be “the one”, she just took her company to the multiple 6 figures and, as she said, “I’m definitely stretching myself this year – and loving it!” The ripple effect started with a few simple tweaks in her space… I had her clear the clutter, organize & optimize, and we chose a color for the walls that suited her profession and personality. Those small steps have helped her shape her environment and life into something she loves.

Click below on the image to see a simple way for you to begin to create an environment that you love that will impact all the facets of your life.

Vlog Image 5-16-17

 

 

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

 

 

Do You See It?

Screen Shot 2017-05-02 at 12.17.05 PMYour home or office environment is a mirror for what is going on inside your head. Clearing clutter and making changes to your environment can have a huge impact on your level of overwhelm, abundance, success, relationships, stress level, health and well-being.

I was just speaking with someone who has a 2nd home in a sunny vacation spot. She redesigned the home two years ago and has been enjoying the warm winters of golf away from the frigid Northeast. Her days were spent doing activities she loved, & enjoying happy hour with new & old friends. Upon return she felt weighed down by the amount of stuff in her home that had been accumulating for 4 decades; clothes, heirlooms, kids’ memorabilia, pictures. She explained how her space felt so light in her southern home, which gave her energy and vitality. But, the northern one felt bogged down and heavy. The heaviness drained her energy and she didn’t feel motivated to take action.

Sometimes you get so accustomed to a space that you don’t really see it anymore, and you are unaware of how it truly impacts you. What once might have been conscious becomes unconscious and sabotages your energy, undermines your self-confidence and creates chaos that brings overwhelm. When you leave your environment for the grocery store, an overnight, weekend or for an extended period it can help you become aware of how you really feel about your environment, and how it makes you feel. Next time you return from some time away, take a moment to notice how you really feel about your space. Notice how it makes you feel.

Ask yourself:

  • Do I love my space?
  • What bothers me about my space?
  • Is there clutter?
  • How does my space make me feel?
  • Is my space encouraging me to…
    • Have more energy
    • Create a life I love
    • Be more social or find the love of my life
    • Be productive, creative and successful
    • Allow the flow of abundance in my life

Re-connect to your environment and how it truly makes you feel. Notice if it is draining you or rejuvenating you. It is important that your environment is the recharging station for your life.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

P.S. Do you need help making your space great so that it supports you instead of depleting you, join me for the Home in Harmony Clutter Clearing 14 Day Challenge.

 

 

 

Is Your Life like Your Closet?

Your life is like your closet.

Really! It is!

Clutter Closet Image-photo credit-Bend BulletinWhat does your closet look like?

If you have ever heard me speak or read my book, you have heard me say, “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” It is how you show up in this world. If you tend to procrastinate, that will show up everywhere in your life. If you are considered a “Type-A” personality, you will demonstrate that tendency in many areas.

 

So, what does your closet say about your life? Is it crammed and clutter? Or, is it organized with the essentials?Organized Closet Image-photo credit-home bnc

I ask for a very important reason that I will share in this week’s article… Hopefully it will help with both your closet & your life!

Have the priorities in your life sent you in a tailspin of overwhelm? Are there days that you have so many to-do’s, that you don’t know where to begin or what to focus on? Your brain feels fatigued just thinking about what needs to be done, what you hope to do and leaves you feeling frustrated that you don’t get as much done as you would like?

That is similar to having a cluttered closet.  Instead, it is a cluttered life, which creates a cluttered mind (or vice-versa).  Actually, clutter in any area of your life will create clutter in many areas. Let’s look at some Simple Solutions to clear the clutter so your closet and life release the overwhelm that sabotages you from living your best life.

Assess:

Before you embark on the challenge of de-cluttering an area in your home, head, or life it is important to honestly assess where are you in your de-cluttering journey.  Are you at the beginning, maybe drifting along? Or, did you do the Clutter Clearing 14-Day Challenge, and you are making strides to being clutter free? Assess where you are and be honest with your answer. (Click here if you want to do the 14-Day Clutter Clearing Challenge)

Decide:

Once you know your beginning point then you can determine what it is you are really hoping to achieve. Decide what that actually looks like in your closet and what it feels like in your mind. Get a clear picture.

Looking at these first 2 steps should give you a clear picture of the point of where you are and the point of where you want to be. This will give you a sense of the path that lies ahead.

Question:

Create a specific question that will help you evaluate whether you are on target to get from the point of where you are now to the picture you hope to create for your closet or your life. This question should be specific and not vague. For example, “Will I wear this in the future?” is too ambiguous and adds to many variables into the mix. This doesn’t allow for decisive decisions. A more distinct and helpful question is, “Do I look great in this now?” I know, it is so much easier to ask the first questions instead of the latter. But, the latter will guide you in making changes that will truly help you get the results you wish to create. For your life, asking, “Should I do this?” is too indefinable. Instead, ask yourself, “Is this activity in alignment with the picture of my ideal life?” Asking these more difficult questions will help you eliminate the things, ideas, and activities that are cluttering your closet and life. The more specific and harder the question, the greater ease you will have in understanding what is or is not supporting you and your ideal picture for your closet and life.

Execute:

Now that you have asked the tough questions and figured out what clutter, ideas, and activities need to be eliminated, it is time to actually get rid of the things that are not truly supporting you and the best version of your vision for your life. Take some time to put together a strategy to get rid of the clutter, habit or to-do. If you don’t put a plan in place you can get stuck in decision fatigue and never take the actions necessary to move you to your end goal (remember that clear picture?) This last step can be the most challenging, and why it is really critical to take the time necessary to think tactically. It will allow you to move past overwhelm and succeed.

Now do you understand why your closet & life are really similar? As a matter of fact, you can probably think of other areas that relate… maybe your home, health, business, wealth, relationships, mind, or level of happiness?

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

Photo Credits: Bend Bulletin & Home BNC

 

Toxic Hint About Your Environment…

IMG_4019Three weeks ago, after being out of our home for more than 2 years (it was destroyed & took forever to get on the same page as the insurance company) we moved back home! The amazing thing, even though I teach how your environment impacts you in significant ways, I was astounded by the level of impact moving back home had on our family!

During those 2 years we lived in a beautiful rental in a country club community… but something about the space never felt quite right.

We didn’t love to be there and named the time, “A year of travel.” It was interesting that even spiders stayed out of the home. Actually, on a side note, there is an important reason for me to share that fact… spiders will not reside in a home that is too toxic, especially if it contains high levels of radon. This made perfect sense given that the rental was built on a quarry and there is tons of ledge in the community. So, if your space doesn’t have pesky spiders, you might want to have it checked for radon or other toxins.

No matter how beautiful, clutter-free, and Feng Shui-ed your environment is, it will never feel quite right if it is too toxic.

Here are some of the changes that instantly happened when we moved back home…

-I have more energy, focus, and creativity. There have been days where I am able to get through mountains of work projects feeling like I was floating down a river with ease instead of trudging up the Himalayas.
-My morning runs instead of having them feel like a grind have energized me.
-Shedding a few pounds have just naturally come off.
-My creativity is at a whole new level that I haven’t felt in a few years.
-Even though I have more going on than ever before I feel a deep sense of peace, gratitude, and happiness.
Family harmony is at a new level.

These are just some of the areas in your life that shift when your home environment is set up to create success, harmony, and happiness in your life.

Begin to connect to whether your environment (home or office) is a strong foundation for you or not. Sometimes it can be hard to assess your environment and it’s impact on you when you are caught up in your regular routine. Taking time to pause, notice, and reflect on your environment can help you determine if you have a strong or weak foundation. Ask yourself these questions…

-Are you feeling energized, happy, feeling less stress, and living your best life?
-When you come home from being away do you love walking into your environment?
-Take a minute to draw a floor plan diagram of your home. Rate each space on a 1-10 of how it truly makes you feel (10=inspired & energized – 1= depleted & frustrated.)
-Also, do you have spiders in your home? (As much as I don’t love spiders, I have a huge appreciation for the information they give us about our homes.)

Taking the time to determine how your home impacts you and whether it is set up to help you create a strong foundation that will support the best version for your life or not, is critical for you feeling less-stressed, vibrant, and overcoming overwhelm.

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

14 Day CCC Banner Image UpdatedPS… Did you hear about the FREE Clutter Clearing 14-Day Challenge? Challenge members are saying things like, “It literally took me only 5 min yesterday and another 5 min today. I feel better already!Click here to join!

Clean the Air You Breathe

Photo Credit-Artist Alice Dalton BrownAre you beginning to feel like spring is just around the corner?

During this season it is natural to feel an urge to clean and clear. Our brains are innately wired to have this impulse. That is why spring is often synonymous with Spring Cleaning.

In today’s article I am going to share a few Simple Solutions to help you begin the process to clean and clear the air in your home and work environment. (Both are important!)

Also, for those in Boston and the New England area, I will be speaking during Boston Design Week at the newly renovated Junior League of Boston. Join me on the topic of “Happy Home” and see the latest luxe interiors! Click here for your ticket!: https://bdw-christaoleary.eventbrite.com/

Studies have shown that the indoor and outdoor air you breathe is filled with toxins. Unfortunately, the indoor air quality is sometimes 5x more toxic than the air outdoors. So, let’s look at a few Simple Solutions to help you clean and clear the air in your home and work environment.

1-Open Windows
Let that spring air in! Studies show that indoor pollutants get trapped in our indoor environments. Make it a practice to open up the windows and let the fresh air in!

2-Toxic Overload
Speaking of toxins, cut back on the amount of toxic ingredients you allow to enter your environment. We are inundated by toxins in our indoor environments that are found in the cleaning supplies, beauty products, furnishings and building products that are used today. Begin to swap out toxic items you use on a regular basis and exchange for natural products.

3-Toxic Test
If you live in a home that was built before the early 80’s, have it tested for products that were allowed in that era. Although our standards in the US are not that stringent in comparison to Europe, we have improved some criteria in regards to toxins that are part of the building process. Lead and asbestos are two building materials that come to mind. Have your home tested so that you are aware of what you are breathing in each day.

4-Plant Purification
There are several ways to purify the air in your indoor environment. One fabulous way that will also add to the ambiance is to include plants. Plants are a natural air purifier and will help remove chemicals from the air you breathe.

These 4 Simple Solutions will set the tone & tempo for your spring and help you begin to clean and clear the air in your environment so that you can live your best, most healthy, vibrant life!

Happy Soaring!

XOXO

Christa O'Leary

 

 

Photo Credit: Artist Alice Dalton Brown – Blues Come Through, Oil on Canvas, 1999