Sunday, on a train headed south to Richmond, I was in the front car.  The very front seats (with a great big window) were occupied by a family of four: two engaging young children and their parents.

The little boy was very observant, sharing his impressions of what he saw, first in the tunnel and then out in the clear as we bridged the river and had a view.

As the train ran south along Number 3 Road, his father added the observation that – having driven this route many times- it was odd to see it from this higher level,  from which many of his landmarks did not appear, or were not visible in their usual way. His perspective had shifted and with it, his sense of where he was, too.

Isn’t it interesting how often in life we change our positions, usually without realizing how that has changed our view?

How have you trained your perspective?  How has it trained you to respond?  What does it take for each of us to really change our view?  Have you trained your perspective, or has it just trained you?

In my New Year’s Eve blog I promised to keep you posted on my de-cluttering efforts over the holidays. So here it goes: I tackled my desk and the clutter consisting of business cards, file folders and notes that I had told you about. I took the file folders and put them in the appropriate places in my filing cabinet, which wasn’t very difficult. Lo and behold, there was actually some desk surface peeking through and encouraging me to keep going.

Now on to the business cards. As an interim solution – until I find a better way of storing them – I took a cardboard box, divided it up into four segments (one for each of my networking groups and one for ‘Other Contacts’) and put all my business cards into the appropriate slots. Oooh-kay! This now started to feel really good – I was motivated to do more! I felt in control again and got into that mode of operation, which, once you start it, becomes self-propelling. It felt great and I kept going.

Next were the notes and sheets of paper. I went through them one by one, threw out what was no longer needed and filed the rest. Done! I… Was… Done! My desk was cleared up; I had created space and room to breathe. That felt so awesome!

How long did it take me to do that? Less than two hours! Unbelievable, less than two hours to rid myself of a mess that had affected my mood and my efficiency for at least two months!

So, what did I learn from this exercise? It’s actually not that difficult to regain order and control if I set my mind to it. It all starts with my attitude, my mindset. It’s ME and nobody or nothing else that is in control of my mind, the conclusions I draw and the actions I take. No excuses, I’m responsible and I have the power to create my experience. Wow, that was a good realisation!

Now, what’s next? What will I do to keep things as tidy as they are now? Come back – I’ll tell you!

In the meantime, though, I’d be curious to hear from you: How do you keep your life uncluttered? What are your de-clutter strategies? How do you feel with a clean desk?

Monika is Owner at Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching and is located in Vancouver, BC.

However, as each new year approached, I was reminded that there needed to be a focus or a direction to my life, and that ‘just same old…’ was not enough.

Last year, 2009, I had a concept – and it worked: I gave my year a name. I called it My MBA YEAR. No, I did not go back to school in the conventional sense, though time, effort and money were involved. What I did was invest in learning some very specific skills that would make me a more valuable asset to everyone with whom I ever work. MBA for me stood for “My Business, Accelerated”. I travelled, I studied, I brought back absolutely current approaches and wove them into what I already knew….and the more I learned, the more my business did accelerate! Yahoo. Do I stop now? No, of course not, but I have achieved a new level of traction in my business life that I want to apply in other areas.

So this year, 2010, has a name, too. It’s my Y2ES year (reallly, YES with a little 2 above the Y). This year I am going to be actively looking for ways to say Yes 2 Expanding my Space. Now, that doesn’t mean I am looking for real estate, though that could happen too. What it means to me is that I am going to enhance my experience of life in terms of available opportuniities; that could mean new places and spaces, new people, new activities, new ?. It’s not about throwing out everything I already enjoy in my life – and everything about taking it all up a notch (or two!).

I will keep you posted. In the meantime, you might want to think of a name for your new year too. Let me know, when you do. As to next year, I already have an inkling about a name or two. Stay tuned. Happy New Year to you.