The Pareto principle, a.k.a. the 80/20 rule, is everywhere! Which means, we need to talk about it when it comes to our health and our home organization! Where are we going to get the best bang for our buck? Where should we be focusing most of our time, energy, and money?

It’s the last week of the first half of 2020 and boy we’ve had a ride. But life is not over! There have been good things mixed in with the new craziness! So let’s grab life by the horns, squeeze some lemons and make lemon aid!

Are you investing in yourself? What does that even mean? Are you treating yourself as your best asset? This week Heather and Ashley discuss how to invest in a happy home, head and health by either spending money or saving money, depending on what you want from life right now. NOW is the best time to invest in yourself!

There is no reason we can’t be healthy, happy, organized and fit WITH our kids! Kids are not our excuse for not getting things done, our kids can be and should be brought along to find the satisfaction in doing what we need to do. Now let’s figure out how to do what Mary Poppins said to do... find that “spoonful of sugar” to make the mundane more fun!

Are you a hare?... Have you ever gotten the impression that in order to have a successful workout you need to be so hardcore you have throbbing veins and almost throw up? Do you think that in order to be organized you have to overhaul the entire house all at once? Or are you a tortoise?... slow and steady wins the race every time? Consistency is key when it comes to any success, in any lifestyle! Let’s jump into it...

What does it LOOK like to be fit? What does it LOOK like to be organized? If you think either of those images requires thousands of dollars worth of STUFF to make it happen then it’s time to have a conversation to shift our understanding of what it takes to be successful. You are more capable than you think!!!

What do you see in your minds eye when I say “she’s fit?” What about if I say “she’s so organized?” Is it a negative initial reaction? Is it a feeling of inadequacy or extremes? In this episode Heather and Ashley talk about how nothing has meaning until we give it meaning and how to overcome negative perceptions to create an image of ‘fit’ and ‘organized’ that’s perfect for YOU!

Heather, what the biggest myth that people have when they hire a professional, coach and trainer and nutrition expert like yourself?

“They're always scared, especially if we're doing nutrition coaching, that they're going to have to give up all their treats and they can never have what they want.”

So what's the truth? If I were to hire you afraid that you're going to take away my doughnuts? Talk me through that process and what it would actually look like.

I actually just had this conversation with two clients this week. I said you may have whatever you like, you may order an entire pizza and eat the entire thing. Because you, my friend, are in charge. But if you want to get to where you told me you want to get, then you need to make choices that will get you there. Can you have a cookie? Absolutely. But if you have a cookie every single day, is it going to get you where you want to go? No, probably not. So you have to choose wisely. And you have to make sure that you're choosing things that will help you get to where you want to go.

But how awesome is that? That you are not only going to help them eat better, but you're going to help them understand why it's their choice. I'm not telling you what you can and cannot have. You're telling me your goal is to wear a swimsuit without shorts in July. If you continue to eat cookies whenever you feel like it, you're not going to want to wear a swimsuit without shorts in July. So the choice is yours. The goal is yours. The opportunity is yours. I am merely giving you the guidebook and the instructions to get to where you want to go. It's whether or not you choose to go there.

One of my favorite quotes and you actually touched this on last week's episode, is from Brian Tracy. “I am responsible, I am responsible, I am responsible.” I added my own little thing to the end and I said, “I am responsible because responsibility gives me power.”

Ashley, what is the biggest myth you find when people are afraid to hire a professional organizer?

“They think that I am going to come in and get rid of all their stuff. That I am going to make them throw it all away.” I don't expect anybody to be a minimalist. I don't expect anybody to get rid of anything that they don't want to. And in fact, I cannot remove anything from your house, that you have not given me permission to remove.

If your goal is to declutter your house and to get organized, I can only do so much to show you how to get there without getting rid of the clutter. There are things we can certainly do to just kind of organize the space and put it all back together. If you want to get there, if you want that goal, you're going to have to get rid of something.

We really do want to help, and we want to help you be successful and give you the power.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Remember, you are the one that's in control and you are the one that knows what you want, not what you have to do, not what you need to do. You're the one that knows what you want. So make sure that you express your wants. Anytime that you go to work with a coach, trainer, whatever it is that you're looking for professional organizer, nutrition, whatever it is that you're looking for, make sure that you know what you want out of it. So that you are working with a person that can get you there.

Hopefully sooner than later gyms will reopen. Walking into the gym can be an intimidating thing. I walk into a gym and I feel that energy. I feel the excitement. Other people walk in and they feel intimidated. But what you need to keep in mind is that the gym, or any space for that matter, is just a building. It does not make you feel any certain way. You, my friend, are in charge of how you feel about that place.

What do you want to feel? Do you want to feel excited and energized by the people there, or do you want to feel intimidated and self-conscious? You get to choose that but you also can make some changes before that day comes, in order to ensure that that feeling happens the way you want it to.

What are your priorities when you go to the gym? How can you make sure that you set yourself up for success when you go? You need a plan. If you have a specific goal in mind, you need to make a plan to get yourself there.

There are a lot of gyms that have a women's area, or a women's only gym. Those are all designed to make you more comfortable. But truly, at the end of the day, what makes you more comfortable is just getting in there. It may make you more comfortable right now. But what happens if one day the pink gym isn't available, or you're out of town, and there are no pink gyms. What are you going to do? Are you going to let that derail you? Are you going to let that be your barrier?

I learned a while ago, one of the most powerful things:

When you think something is making you feel a certain way, you are actually giving your power over your own feelings to that person, place or thing. You are giving up all control over your emotions and allowing something or someone else to control you.

Begin to lay the groundwork, begin to decide how you want to feel!

When you think of a Subaru, what type of a person drives a Subaru? Lots of my friends. Ha! When you see a little Jetta, what kind of a person would drive a Jetta? A very practical person who likes to zip around town. What if you see somebody that drives a 1982 Jeep Wrangler? What kind of person drives that car? They like adventure. A lot of times we buy the car to match our lifestyle, or at least the lifestyle that we want.

What is the inside of your car saying about you? Your car is an extension of you. If you have your act together. You generally have a pretty clean and organized car. Take a look at your car and be honest about it, what does it say about you?

One of the best ways to change something in our lifestyle is to physically move things around. You can't necessarily go out and buy a new car but you can change what happens inside your car. You can set yourself up for success. My car was my excuse to eat poorly, I would eat really well at home. But as soon as I got in my car, I thought, “Oh, I don't have to follow any of those rules anymore”. I started carrying peanuts around me so that I could snack on peanuts. I would always make sure that I had a water bottle in there so that I wasn't tempted to stop and get a soda.

I know I do a lot of work in my car. You can set yourself up successfully there too. Make sure you always have pen and paper, your laptop or your charger so that you can be productive while you're sitting in the car, as opposed to scrolling through social media.

Whether it’s your pantry, kitchen or car, the more that happens in a space, the more containerized and sectioned off. It needs to be.

In order for your car to be contained and organized, you have to have the garage or the space where everything else is going, contained and organized as well.

What are some good non-perishable, healthy snacks?

My parents were Subaru type people. By a Subaru type person, I mean they like nature and they also like to take care of the earth. You know what I'm talking about? They used to bring GORP. You remember GORP? Well, it's what all you city-slickers called trail mix. Good old fashioned raisins and peanuts. If you don't have the m&ms and you don't have chocolate chips and all those other things in there. It's actually good for you. You could easily keep apples or something in there as well. Especially if you're able to take it in and out, so they're not baking yet a car all day.

Set yourself up for success by at least having things contained, know the purpose of the car and all the things that you need to do in the car. Then just make sure that everybody knows the system that you've set up so that they can help you be functional in that space.