TERRI: Did you know that a cluttered environment leads to a
cluttered mind? Or you could say a cluttered mind is the result
of a cluttered environment. In fact, psychologists say closets
are a window into people's mental health. So, let's talk
about how you can declutter your way to success.
(Music)
TERRI: Hey, I'm Terri Savelle Foy and you're watching Live
Your Dreams. I pray that as you invest in yourself today, you're
captivated and you're catapulted to live your dreams. In fact, I
want to talk to you today about the first directive I ever heard
from the Lord as I began my journey in personal growth and
making changes in my life. It was not to make a major impact
in the nation of France, it was not to start preparing for a TV
broadcast, it wasn't even to immerse myself in knowledge
about vision boards and dreams and goals because one day I
would take that teaching around the world. None of that was
brought to my attention. In fact, my dad had taught me to
practice the presence of God. In other words, practice hearing
God's voice. Well, one day, I had my journal, I had my pen, I
was real quiet and I was just trying to listen as hard as I
could for anything the Lord would tell me. This is what came
up in my spirit. Five words. "Clean up and clean out." That
was it. That was my first God-given vision for my life on
Earth up to that time, was to clean. I wasn't excited about it
either. In fact, I even questioned, "Is that the voice
of God, or the voice of my mom, like in my head?" I mean, surely
God wouldn't tell me to disinfect, scrub, fold, scour,
things like that. What about writing books, impacting teenage
girls or ministering, things along that line? No. This was at
the time when my life was truly falling apart. My marriage was
on the verge of a divorce, I had no goals to pursue, no vision
for my life. In fact, those five words, clean up and clean out,
that became my daily motivation. And do you know since that day,
I have discovered there is a direct link between organization
and success? In fact, since I got that word, I have read so
many success books that advise, recommend, and some even demand
that cleaning up the clutter in your life and becoming a person
of excellence, it's a requirement for promotion. I've
discovered there is a link between the organization of your
surroundings, and the organization of your life, so I
want to help you today with what the Lord taught me, to defeat
the overwhelm of clutter, put an end to procrastination, and make
excellence a standard in your everyday life. Why? Well, the
reason why is because I believe it prepares you to go to the
next level that God has for your life. In fact, years ago I heard
this statement when I was coming through that hard time, was that
God can't use you publicly until you've gotten victory privately.
God can't use you publicly until you've gotten victory privately.
Now let me explain. In fact, I think it's pretty interesting
that if you really think about it, before the military trains
our soldiers to fight, they have to go through bed making 101. I
mean, think about it. Nobody makes their bed neater than the
armed forces, right? Well, why is that? You know, I mean,
what's the big deal? It's not like the enemy's going to be
impressed with the old bounce a quarter of the bed trick. It's
because it instills a standard of excellence. The bottom line
is the way you do anything is the way you do everything. I'll
repeat that. The way you do anything is the way you do
everything. Imagine walking into the barracks of the United
States army, and imagine if you saw mattresses with beds unmade,
sheets in a pile, wadded up blankets, last night's clothes
thrown in the corner over there, maybe like a typical teenage
boy. But what kind of impression would that give you of the
safety of our country? We're in the hands of the elite, or the
hands of defeat? See, the military knows if you're sloppy
about making your bed, you'll be sloppy about loading your rifle.
See, a cluttered environment is the sign of a cluttered mind.
The way you do anything is the way you do everything. That's
why they give strict attention to details in every single area
of training. In fact, I thought this was pretty interesting.
This was from Bill McRaven, who was a 36 year Navy Seal. Keep in
mind, he was responsible for the overseeing, the execution, and
the raid of Osama bin Laden. That's how serious this is. This
man, 36 years as a Navy Seal, and they said he rarely ever
gives a public speech, but one day he gave this commencement
address at the University of Texas, and he said he shared
some of the most powerful lessons he ever learned during
his Seal training. This tough, intimidating soldier, he's
standing before the crowd, and this is what he said. "If you
want to change the world, start off by making your bed." That's
what he said. Then he went on to say this. He said, "If you make
your bed first thing in the morning, you will have
accomplished the first task of the day." He said, "It'll give
you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do
another task, and another, and another." Well see, it's not
just about housekeeping, it's about your personal standard.
When you think about it, you know that first directive that I
ever heard in my journey of personal growth was to get
cleaned up, and it did not sound the least bit exciting or
compelling. In fact, to me it sounded ridiculous knowing how
far I needed to go in my life. As I said before, this
instruction came at a time when I was miserable. My marriage was
this close to divorce, I was confused, I was hurt, unhappy, I
was in desperate need of vision for my life, and I didn't have a
success coach come to the house and lay out this growth track
for me. I didn't have a mentor take me under their wing and
lead me in a strategic plan. I didn't even have a book with
five simple words, clean up and clean out, that could help me
transform my mental health, my energy, my relationships, and
even set me on a career path that would boggle my mind. I
didn't even have an indication of what God wanted me to do with
my life. I had no idea I was going to be doing this. All I
knew was I heard those five words, clean up and clean out,
and that became all the direction I needed for that
season of my life. Since I wasn't even sure, "Is this God,
or am I just making this up?" I took those words literally and
seriously. In fact, I got a notebook and I wrote my vision.
In fact, I began with one room, one day, one section at a time.
I started with the kitchen. In addition to my latex gloves, and
my cleaning products, my broom, my mop, all that kind of stuff,
I carried one other thing with me. I took a CD player loaded
with faith-building audios, because I wanted to renew my
mind of all the painful thoughts that I was entertaining. I
wanted to restore my focus, I wanted to rebuild my faith. You
know, the Bible says that, "Faith comes by hearing," right?
Romans 10:17. "Faith comes by hearing." Well, I couldn't help
but get stronger on the inside as I began cleaning on the
outside. You know, with the kitchen being my first vision, I
stayed focused on that room alone. I didn't think about the
rest of the house, I stayed focused on that room alone. As I
would carry items from the kitchen that belonged in other
rooms, the tendency would be to start cleaning that disorganized
space, but I'd say, "No Terri, stay focused on one room alone
until it's excellent." For example, I would carry the stack
of bills that were laying on the kitchen desk, I would take it to
the drawer in the office. I would take the car keys that
were just sitting out on the counter, I'd take them to the
laundry room and put them on the hook, I'd see jogging shoes
laying by the kitchen table. I'd run up to the closet, and at
first, I'd look at the closet and think, "Oh my gosh, this is
such a mess," and I'd want to start cleaning the closet, but
I'd leave the shoes, run back the the kitchen, stay focused on
the kitchen. I'd hang the jackets in the coat closet
instead of draped over a kitchen chair. I loaded the dishwasher,
I cleaned off the counter tops, I emptied out the refrigerator
of outdated food and empty takeout boxes from restaurants,
things like that. I'm telling you, I sprayed, I scrubbed, I
wiped down every square inch of stubborn ketchup spills and
strawberry leaf that were in the bottom of the drawers. I
literally had trash bags full of empty bottles, cartons, Fast
Taco nachos in styrofoam containers. Things that were
just taking up space in the refrigerator. Well, when I moved
on to the kitchen pantry, I filled another trash bag full of
stale chips, outdated cereal boxes. Bread bags with one
molded bun left in it. The thing is, I was on a mission. I was
energized by every section of cleanliness, and then I started
just getting disgusted by the disarray. But I was motivated by
vision, and the thing is, I was being transformed by the Word of
God in the process. Every square inch was clean, it was in order,
the floors were mopped, the appliances were wiped
down, the counters were cleared off, the window
blinds were open, and I would light a candle.
You know what happened? I felt such a sense of
confidence. I was pleased, I was proud to visibly see
my progress, and it brought so much peace into my home and
into my mind. Here's the thing, getting my kitchen in order did
more for me mentally than it did physically. I felt charged up.
Even though my circumstances were still a huge mess, I had
order in this one area of my life, and that gave me peace.
Once that tedious, but profitable process was complete,
then it was time to move on to room number two, and I did the
same thing. I made a list of every room in the house and what
needed to be done in order to make it clean and excellent.
There's just something about having it written down and the
thrill of making that check mark of completion that just stirs us
up, and that's why I provided your checklist with this little
workbook. The thing is, I was eager to get up the next day and
start concurring the clutter in my bedroom. I was motivated and
I did the same thing. I carried my little CD player, I pushed
play, and after every single, room, closet, drawer, cabinet in
my house was what I would consider clean and excellent,
here's the thing, I had more peace than ever before. I
wouldn't need to apologize when unexpected visitors showed up. I
could truly rest without that guilt, that nagging feeling of
needing to get something clean and I could actually start
thinking more about my future, rather than how much I needed to
do at home. I had no idea that exactly nine months after that
seemingly petty instruction I would be promoted as the CEO of
an international ministry, overseeing eight offices around
the world. God was truly preparing me for promotion. He
was observing how I can manage small things in order to lead
greater things. You might even be questioning, "Terri, you
couldn't become a senior vice president until you got your
sock drawer organized?" Do you know The Bible says that if
you're faithful in the little things, you'll be faithful in
large ones. If you're faithful with the small areas of your
life, God will put you in charge of greater areas of your life.
The way you do anything is the way you do everything. If I
couldn't get my house in order, how could I get an organization
in order? If I was a mess, my leadership would be a mess. I
had to adapt a standard of excellence before I could expect
excellence from my team, so God was preparing me for a major
promotion, and I had no idea. The way you do anything is the
way do everything. When we come back, I'm going to show you how
to get started so you can declutter your way to success.
ANNOUNCER: If you feel stuck or overwhelmed with the clutter
around you, there is hope. With her passion for goals, success
stories, and her practical teaching, Terri Savelle Foy
shows you how to organize your life. In Declutter Your Way To
Success you will discover the practical and spiritual effects
of clutter and what to do about it, including The Connection
Between Organization and Success; How to Overcome
Procrastination; The Seven Habits of Excellence; and much,
much more. Plus, for a limited time, when request the Declutter
Your Way To Success book, we'll also send you the companion
workbook. This practical resource will help you take
action and get your home and life in order, so don't delay.
Call toll free, 800-795-5597, or visit us online at terri.com
to request your copy of Declutter Your Way To
Success, along with the companion workbook.
Experience the peace and promotion that
comes from a clutter free home, mind, and life.
TERRI: I'm so excited about our brand new resources,
and I want you to get this because I believe it's going to
help you the way the Lord helped me to prepare for the things he
wanted to do in my life. This is all a prerequisite for where God
wants to take you. In fact, I love what I heard Steven Furtick
say. He said, "What's next in your life is always connected to
what's now. What's next in your life is always connected to
what's now." God's watching, he's observing, he's noticing
how you care for the little things in your life. When he
sees someone paying attention to details like picking trash up
off the floor, rather than walking over it; or putting
things back where they belong, rather leaving them out for
someone else to pick up; hanging things back up, rather than
leaving them on the floor, God's getting ready to promote. In
fact, do you remember the story of Daniel where it says that he
became distinguished above all other high officials because an
excellent spirit was in him? That's Daniel 6:3. In fact, his
personal standard of excellence brought him from one of the
lowest positions to one of the highest positions in society
back then. When you think about it, Daniel wasn't just your
average Joe, working an average job, he was a slave. He wasn't
married, he didn't have any kids, he had nothing. He wasn't
even someone who was being groomed for success or to be in
the public eye, he was actually considered a nobody. I think we
get the picture that he was the lowest ranking guy on the totem
pole, so to speak, but God's favor was on him. Why? Simply
because he had an excellent spirit. He was actually promoted
as the head over three presidents and in charge of
overseeing the king's financial affairs. Think about that. A
slave had oversight of the king's money. The scripture says
that Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes. You
know that word preferred, it means handpicked, approved,
favored, adopted, liked, and endorsed. That means your
standard of excellence can actually pave the way for you to
be promoted when you seem to be the least likely, the last
choice, the shock of the season to everybody around you. I
believe it will cause you to be set apart and promoted above
others who may even be more qualified, more educated, more
experienced. I am so convinced that excellence opens the door
in your life that no man can shut. Excellence puts you on a
path for success. I want to share with you how to get
started. This is based on just the directive that the Lord gave
me, was basically, the way you do anything is the way you do
everything. I put all this in the little workbook just as a
guideline to get you going. The first one
was number one was to write the vision. Write the
vision. Before you get started, make a plan. Take
a walk through your home with your Get Organized
notebook, and write the vision for every room. Focus on one
room only, and begin making a list of every single thing that
needs to be done in that room alone. It could be as menial as
master bedroom, and then you start listing: put shoes in the
closet, hang the coat, trash the newspapers, remove the pile of
books on the night stand, vacuum the floor, open the curtains.
You just make a list. You might think you're finished, but let's
keep going. After you write down everything that needs to be done
just at a glance, just by looking, then go deeper. You
might need to add wash the sheets, organize each drawer in
the dresser, declutter the nightstand, empty the trash. Go
ahead and list all the things that you can think of. Believe
me, tackling this one room and making it a masterpiece is going
to give you such a boost of confidence, you are going to be
so motivated to go after the other rooms with gusto. After
you've made the list and you still have not picked up one
single thing, then you move to the next room, and you write
every single thing down. I show you how to do this with a room
by room checklist. Trust me, you're going to be glad you did.
Number two is start with one room. How do you know which room
to start with, to declutter, and to organize? It's simple. You
start with the room you spend the most time in. You need this
constant reminder of completion and accomplishment, so attack it
first. Choose a room that does not have a great deal of
sentimental items so you can make great progress because we
don't need you crying and going through every little piece. The
more you clear out some space, the more motivated you'll
become. It could be the kitchen because maybe that's where the
family seems to congregate the most, where they eat meals and
do homework and visit and stuff like that. If that's where you
spend the most time, then start with that room. It could be the
family room or your bedroom or the game room. Here's the thing,
don't select the guest bedroom that you hardly ever visit or
the garage that stays closed and nobody ever sees it. You need to
see your progress immediately so that you stay motivated to keep
going. Number three is that you start with what's visible.
Before you begin cleaning out the refrigerator, the kitchen
pantry, the spice rack, things like that, you need to start
with what's visible. For example, if you decided to start
in the kitchen, then start loading the dishes in the
dishwasher, the ones that are piled in the sink. Place all the
food on the counter back in the pantry or the refrigerator;
clean off the counter tops; take the bills to the home office;
take the shoes to the closet; put the newspapers in the trash.
You need to clear off all the visible messes first and
foremost. Number four is that you need to designate a category
for each item. I've listed out in detail the categories and
these are the categories that I recommend: trash, give, keep, or
sell. Trash, give, keep, or sell. As you set out to
declutter each room, this is what I recommend, that you
locate four boxes or four big trash bags and you designate
items to one of those four categories, trash give,
keep, or sell. Now, this is going to help you with
the decision making process of going through
item by item. Don't get too caught up in the sentimental
value, because the goal here is to create a sense of
tranquility, and peace, and self-esteem in your
surroundings. Remember, we're after progress. It can be random
things like unused kitchen utensils, or tourist mugs, the
blender from your wedding 17 years ago that doesn't even
work, or unused Christmas gifts like that rotating necktie
organizer that you got 20 years ago, or the fifth foot massager.
How many flashlights do you have? How many do you need? It
could be broken things like a broken lamp, clocks, tools,
things like that, or just junk. You know what else it could be?
This is something the Lord dealt with me about, was negative
memories. You know those items that have a negative emotional
attachment, and every time you look at it, it brings up old
memories that you don't need to rehearse, you don't need to
relive? Trash it. I'm telling you. It's not easy, but it's
liberating. Now, I'll walk you through how to decide which
category. If it's located for trash, it could be something
that's broken, that's missing, or unusable, it's time dump it.
Just get rid of it, because you need the space more than you
need that item. If it's outdated, if it's worn out,
stretched out, faded, just toss it, just get rid of it. It could
be your Sony Walkman from 1997. It could be gossip magazines
from 2003. Nobody cares anymore. We want a sense of peace, so
just shred it. It could be something that you need to give,
to donate. Of course, it's rewarding to give to someone
else. You may have too much of a certain item, like coats, or
umbrellas, or jewelry, or Tupperware, things like that,
that could be a massive blessing to someone else if you would
just give it. You know God always rewards a generous heart?
I would recommend proactively looking for opportunities to be
a blessing to someone else by giving away some of those items
that you don't even need. Then items to keep. In fact, they
say, if you want to know if you should keep or not, look and see
if you've used it in the past 12 months. If you haven't, maybe
it's time to get rid of it. Then, of course, to sell.
You can really cash in on some of your clutter. In fact, I
designated an entire chapter on how to get cash for clutter. In
fact, my daughter Cassidy was looking for opportunities to
make some extra cash, and she began selling some of her
clothes, her shoes, her purses, on this online clothing site.
She has literally made thousands of dollars by getting rid of the
clutter. I want you to know that I am so excited about this new
resource. It includes my brand new book, which is hot off the
press, Declutter Your Way to Success. It comes with this
companion workbook where I'm going to walk you through step
by step. Here's what I want you to realize. The benefits are
huge. You are going to be amazed at how much peace you're going
to have in your mind when you get rid of the clutter. I even
recommend that you start with 20 minutes, that you don't get
overwhelmed with how far you need to go, that you say, "You
know what? I can do 20 minutes." Let me just tell you, you are
going to be amazed at how much you accomplish in 20 minutes. In
fact, I even put a little timer in here. If you decide to get
the entire kit, we put all this in here. It's the book, the
workbook, the audiobook. We put the timer in there. I put a wall
calendar in there for you to chart your progress. The thing
is, I want you to get serious about cleaning out the clutter
in your life, so that you're prepared for the next thing that
God has for you. There's fun chapters in here. In fact, I
love this one. I share with you, like I said, how to turn clutter
into cash, how to profit from your possessions. In fact, I
shared eight ways that you can cash in on your clutter. I don't
just tell you to do it, I show you how to do it. In fact, you
might be surprised, certain items that are worth cashing in
on that you never thought of, like electronics, instruments,
ink cartridges, unused gift cards, things like that. It's
amazing, because year after year one of the top five New Year's
resolutions, year after year, is people want to get organized,
but 80% say at any given time they're house is a mess. Well, I
believe it's time to clean up the clutter and get organized
for success. Like I said before, what's next in your life is
always connected to what's now. God wants you to start preparing
for the new things he has for you. Imagine your house all
cleaned up and now you can spend more time focusing on writing
the book that God told you to write, or going back to school
and getting your degree, or painting a room, or losing the
weight. Whatever it is, it's all connected to getting things in
order, getting things in place. In fact, it's interesting,
because one of the number one request I've ever gotten on
Facebook and Instagram was, how do you organize your day? I
thought, well, I'll attack that while we're organize our house,
I put an entire chapter in here on how to get your day
organized. I share with you my Sunday night strategy of getting
things in order, getting things together, so that you schedule
your priorities. I call it, succeed on purpose. You're going
to learn how to save time, save money, all kinds of benefits,
just from getting things in order. It's simple to just go
online, call the number that's on the screen, or go online to
terri.com, and we will deliver this directly to you. I
encourage you to get the whole kit, so you can get the entire
audiobook, because that was part of the healing process for me,
was not only cleaning the house, but pushing play and hearing the
Word of God as I cleaned. I believe the way you do anything
is the way you do everything. There is a wealth of benefits
when you start decluttering, getting organized. You won't be
overwhelmed anymore, because you're going to have a plan, a
vision, to succeed on purpose. I'm believing that you are being
prepared. You're going to be amazed at how easy it is to
conquer the clutter and get a vision for the next thing that
God has for your life. Thank you so much for watching.
I look so forward to seeing you next week.
ANNOUNCER: If you feel stuck or overwhelmed with the
clutter around you, there is hope. With her passion
for goals, success stories, and her practical teaching,
Terri Savelle Foy shows you how to organize your
life. In Declutter Your Way to Success, you will discover the
practical and spiritual effects of clutter and what to do about
it, including the connection between organization and
success. How to overcome procrastination. The seven
habits of excellence, and much, much, more. Plus, for a limited
time, when you request the Declutter Your Way to Success
book, we'll also send you the companion workbook. This
practical resource will help you take action and get your home
and life in order. Don't delay. Call toll free 800-795-5597 or
visit us online at terri.com to request your copy of
Declutter Your Way to Success, along with the companion
workbook. Experience the peace and promotion that
comes from a clutter-free home, mind, and life.
TERRI: Hey, it's Terri again. Ladies, I want
to take a moment to personally invite you
to our annual Icing Women's Event. Something special takes
place every year when women all over the world come together for
Icing. TV broadcasts, podcasts are great, but there's something
special about being together. I'll be teaching some additional
things from my brand new book, Declutter Your Way to Success.
My friend, Nicole C. Mullen, is going to be there as well to
share and to sing. What a powerful voice. Plus, we've got
some other sweet treats and a lot of fun planned that you
don't want to miss. Join me in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Will
Rogers Coliseum, October 13th and 14th. The conference is
absolutely free, but you have to register at terri.com/icing to
reserve your seat and your treat. Get a group of your
friends together, and I look forward to seeing you all there.
(Music)
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