From a new book "The Joy of Being Disorganized" by Pam Young:

"Clutter has energy of its own, and it can sap our spirits with its countless venomous voices. Clutter is also insidious. If it's left in one place for more than 21 days, it becomes invisible and it lowers its volume, becoming white noise in the background to which you become accustomed."

Back to work today quieting those "countless venomous voices."

Barb I came here to reread your post, thank you. Helps me to read it and understand, it is ok to try new things, like spray foam, and even if I mess it up, I will learn how to do it better, just like i did with caulking gun, first time was a mess, then learned to use painters tape to keep area small, sure appreciate your posts!

Chinese or Japanese proverb

Fall down 8
Get up 9

the good teacher explains

the superior teacher demonstrates

the great teacher inspires

... William Arthur Ward

Design ID #47431
vinyl phrase by Kolette Hall at silhouette dot com

Thanks Barb, very meaningful.

I just read an excerpt from a new book called The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. The paragraphs copied below apply to me as I work on decluttering and deciding whether to keep, give away or trash. Procrastination and feeling like a failure are two things I struggle with on a daily basis. The authors write:

"The ability to make decisions big and small, in a timely fashion, and take responsibility for them, is a critical expression of confidence, and also leadership, according to all of our most confident women. Even if you make the wrong decision, they say, decide. It's better than inaction.
What's the worst that can happen? You could fail - but the costs of failure are nearly always worth the risk that comes with trying something just outside your comfort zone.
Make a list of decisions you've been putting off, big and small. Cross off two each day. Keep track of the consequences.
Missteps really do provide accelerated opportunity for growth, as well as a chance to tap into another internal resource: self-compassion. As the research shows, practicing self-compassion provides a sturdy emotional safety net, one much stronger than our traditional concept of self-esteem. Self-compassion, centers on the acceptance of our weaknesses. Instead of saying, "I am not a failure," it's more useful to say, "Yes, sometimes I do fail, we all fail, and that's okay." It's extending the same kindness and tolerance - the very same qualities we find so much easier to afford our friends - to ourselves, while coming to terms with our own imperfections."

To read an excerpt from the book and take the free survey with immediate feedback on what you can do to increase your own confidence level, go to The Atlantic.com and click on The Confidence Code on the right hand side of the page.

My friend Lee Ann sent me this definition of an optimist by Robert Perault:

Someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's a cha-cha.

I love this poem! It is light and funny and curious and well...me 🙂

Blaming yourself is like wearing a lead life preserver in the water.

Brooks Palmer

I get up.
I walk.
I fall down.
Meanwhile, I keep dancing.

Hillel

I can choose my attitude.

I can be bitter or better.

Today I will be better.

This fun poem describes the bookends of my life;
Staggering out of an "All you can carry" college bookstore sale and packing a garage.

cited by Leider and Shapiro in
Repacking Your Bags.

Thanks Dianne. I have to stop myself several times when I jump from project to project, idea to idea, and ask myself what is important to do now, it will rain, so finish the gutter and patching area most impt. I enjoyed your quote so much, and all the things you put into your posts, insightful, kind and supportive.

Start by doing what is necessary,

St. Francis of Assisi

Thank you Barb, that quote really hits home!!

Here is my quote for the day from Zig Ziglar:

"The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now."

I am feeling the urge to shop today. Then I saw this quote. I don't need anything more. I just like the feeling I get of choosing and purchasing something that is pretty and new.
Once I am out shopping, I go from store to store and avoid going home. I am procrastinating.
But what I want most is a neat, clean, comfortable house. That is more important than the "fix" I get from shopping.

Dave do you think it would be good to start a separate thread on breaking addiction to thrift stores and bargain hunting? Since this is qute of day, just realized might be better to start new thread, although I forgot how to do it

Dave I am so fond of you for many reasons, seeing how much we have in common including, the denial that we are addicted to thrift stores. We can see thrift stores as providing us relief from dealing with clutter, finding great bargains, people to talk to, something positive to do, when in reality, it is contributing to our discontent. I am so proud of you for supporting us in not shopping for a week, I need the support as much as you do, once I get started shopping, it seems rational to me. When I have to deal with stuff, I see how nuts it is, and then go back and do it again. Just like an alcoholic that forgets the misery alcohol causes, just remembers the relief the first drink begins. Your wife is worth keeping happy!!!! Hugs to you Dave, and thanks for helping me with this.
Remember the time you wrote about going through a little container of junk and the time it took you to sort it? I think of that so many times when I am spending time sorting stuff, that be tossed, but think it has value in future, you add so much to this site.

diane
I was just thinking this morning about how things that you say come out of hard earned experience. And that I would probably have to seriously consider things that you said, EXCEPT "stop your shopping trips"!

A couple of cartoons rather than quotes, today. (For those who didn't see them in the Sunday chat session.)
Dennis the Menace
Batman

Dave, so happy you did not go to thrift store, we both made it through the day without shopping, how about we both stay out of thrift stores for 7 days?

diane

I overrode the desire to be guilty with the intention to make positive statements about what I had done and was going to do, and then acted accordingly. (An adaptation from comments of author Stephen Levine.)

Success comes from action, not excuses. Cory Chalmers
OMG I felt guilty all morning for getting upset at excuses people make rather than action, then I read this, wish I would have read it yesterday, could have avoided a lot of ragging.
Thanks Cory for always being on top of things and so very good at what you do.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
Lao Tzu

"Success comes from action, not excuses"

-Cory Chalmers

"Growth is not steady, forward, upward progression. It is instead a switchback trail; three steps forward, two back, one around the bushes, and a few simply standing, before another forward leap." -Dorothy Corkville Briggs

A goal is a dream with a deadline.
Napoleon Hill

(fear of failure)

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
Theodore Roosevelt

(about life)

Life without endeavor is like entering a jewel mine and coming out with empty hands.
Japanese Proverb

Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I believe the post below should be removed from the listing.

It has a twist to the meaning of hoarding that is not applicable to most of the people here and characterizes "hoarders" in a demeaning way that is not helpful to posters here working to recover their lives.

Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.

Robin Morgan

Many people, especially young people, would like to be more independent and on their own. But it is very difficult and they suffer from feelings of isolation. I think that is one reason why young readers support my work.

Haruki Murakami

We don't function well as human beings when we're in isolation.

Robert Zemeckis