How To Get Motivated To Get Organized
July 19, 2013A friend recently asked me if there was anything in particular that helped me to get motivated and power through boot camp. (If you didn’t know, I served in the military for over six years.)
There are too many things I remember about boot camp and most of them unpleasant.
Running in combat boots for miles.
Getting yelled at.
Doing push-ups until I collapsed.
Getting yelled at.
Woken up in the middle of the night for inspections.
Getting yelled at.
30 second showers.
And, yup, you guessed it! Getting yelled at some more.
I recall thinking at one point: “Why am I putting up with six weeks of this?”
While all my college friends were enjoying amazing summer vacations, I was being subjected to unwanted rules, impossible orders, minimal sleep, nasty food, physical fitness ad nauseam – all topped off with copious amounts of shouting.
Then I remembered how much I wanted to be in the military and serve my country, and I refocused on the fact that six weeks of training would only make me a stronger, better soldier. The end justifies the means, if you will.
You see, I faced a crossroad: I could be miserable during the whole ordeal, or I could make the most of it … and the final outcome was totally up to me.
I realize that for some of you out there, getting organized may be just about as fun as boot camp. But living in our world today, as the pace of life gets faster and faster, you can’t afford not to be organized.
Dr. Wayne Dyer once said, “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”
Isn’t that so true? In my story, I could have been miserable through boot camp, but instead I tried to motivate myself as much as possible, keeping the end in sight.
The same goes for organizing …
If you know you have to get organized, you can choose to procrastinate, and your disorganization will just cause you more frustration. Or you can choose to get motivated, get organized, and truly know the freedom that comes with it.
It’s always your choice.
Carmen Coker is a former US Air Force officer turned professional organizer. If you want to get organized and calm the chaos in your life, go to CarmenCoker.com for her free video how-to called the Secrets of the Super Organized™.
