IN THIS ISSUE:

I. I Didn't Keep It Simple
II. Five Quick Tips
III. References
IV. We're Open

I. I DIDN'T KEEP IT SIMPLE

Ask anyone who has ever done a home remodeling project how it went and they will probably roll their eyes. While some "Weekend Warriors" on the Home and Garden TV Show beam with pride about their "do-it yourself project," my opinion is that they must have been interviewed either way before they got started or way after the project was completed! Which gives them plenty of time to forget the actual "doing it" part!

A recent project my husband and I went through gave me several ideas for titles if I were to do a TV remodeling show. "What They Didn't Tell You!" "Nobody Said It Couldn't Be Perfect!" and "All the Experts Have Different Tastes than Mine!" My husband said if he had a show, it would be called, "Just Ask Me What I Like So You Can Do the Opposite!"

Now that it's completed, I can look back and know I spent time, energy and effort to obsess about details, be a pain in the neck with some of the workers, call my design-expert sister a million times, and make it as perfect, if not as simple, as possible. Did I say "perfect?" Interestingly enough, I chose all natural products! These are materials whose beauty lies in their individual character flaws and that are, therefore, not perfect!

I did manage to keep it simple in some areas, though. After researching and deciding what I wanted for our new kitchen sink and fixtures, I found a plumbing company on the Internet. I made a deal with them, my items arrived within a week without a hassle and I saved a few hundred dollars, too. Another simple decision was made based on what a store near me had in stock and immediately available.

There are some things in life that are going to take some time and may not be entirely as simple as we want. In those cases, it may be more important to take the time — time to decide what we want, to look for what we want and to complete the project — than to "keep the project simple."

Did I need the time and attention to detail to make sure the products and suppliers were reputable? Absolutely. Did I need the time to obsess about every tile's unique shape and pattern? No. There were times when it would have been better to slow down, notice what I was doing, and take a moment to decide what was truly important to finesse and what could be resolved simply.

I believe the process of keeping things simple includes giving ourselves permission to take the time to understand that simple doesn't always equal perfect. Excellence and perfection, after all, are only goals. There's lots of beauty and enjoyment just this side of those absolutes. Most important, I think, is to just have fun on those journeys!

Linda

P.S. By the way, know a simple way to refinish a hardwood floor…?!

While these tips were inspired by my recent remodeling project, they fit in other areas of our lives too.

1. The Internet is a great resource. It is a good way to narrow down your choices before you run all over town looking at everything.

2. If you have others helping you with the work, volunteers or people you've hired, you need to be very specific about what you want and how you want it. It is better to ask for exactly what you want and even check in while they work, than to have to do things over.

3. Even if you are hiring someone or have a picture in your mind, read up first and look for visual references to help you communicate specifically what you want. There are a lot of great "how to" magazines and books to guide you.

4. Take smaller bites. Break your project down into the smallest pieces you need to fit your lifestyle and take it one small step at a time when necessary.

5. Use mock-ups to see what your finished project might look like. Cut up old boxes or pieces of cardboard to see how a round table might look as compared to a square, or how a different size of something might look in the space you have.

(6. Move!)

" A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done." - J. H. Newman. Source: The New Encyclopedia of Christian Quotations

III. REFERENCES

To find more resources or to order these, go to
http://www.simplifylife.com/reference.html

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.
(Room 2 – Toss Your Tolerations - http://www.simplifylife.com/stratgy2.html)

"Simple ways to keep the small things from taking over your life," Carlson's handbook reveals 100 ways to calm down in the midst of your incredibly hurried, stress-filled life.

IV. WE'RE OPEN!

The Virtual Reality Self-Help Center is celebrating its long-awaited launch! (I'll talk about the "simplicity" of opening this business and website in a future issue!)

The purpose of the website is to provide the latest resources, tools, support and encouragement for people who wish to be active participants in their own mental health care.

For being a subscriber to Making Lives Simpler, I am offering you an opportunity to become Charter Members at a special member price of $9.95 for the first year, rather than the usual $9.95 per month. Members will receive ongoing discounts on an array of classes and products offered at the website like the FREE-to-members telephone class "Resisting Exercise: Want to Know Why?" on Monday, October 27, the 2-session telephone class "Purpose In Life Workshop" by Jerry Lopper that starts on Tuesday, October 28, or the FREE 30-minute audio interview with world-famous author Susan Jeffers, whose latest book is "Embracing Uncertainty." She is also the author of "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway." You can also sign up for our member-only ezines, like the Self-Help Tip-Of-The-Week.

So, please visit www.vrselfhelp.com now and take advantage of this special offer!

MORE ABOUT "MAKING LIVES SIMPLER"

Linda Manassee Buell is a full-time Personal and Business Coach, and author of the tips eBooklet, "Simplify Your Life, 101 Ways to Create the Life You Love," the audiotape, "Simplify Your Life, 7 Simple Strategies for Doing What You Love to Do," the revised edition of the workbook, "Simplify Your Life: A Journey of Personal Discovery," and her latest book, "Panic and Anxiety Disorder, 121 Tips, Real-life Advice, Resources & More." She is also the President and Executive Director of The Virtual Reality Self-Help Center, vrselfhelp.com, an Internet- based resource center for mental well-being.

To order your personal copy of any of the above by check or credit card, just go to http://simplifylife.com and click on "Shop the Store."

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The contents herein are solely the opinions of Simplify Life and Linda Manassee Buell.

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