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This blog is short and sweet...my dad’s health (91 years!!!!) is declining rapidly and this week has been a little tough. He’s moved to a 24 hour nursing care facility and even though the transition was not completely smooth, I think he and my mom (well, our whole family) are relieved to have the professional support. If you have a moment to send him some love, I would sincerely appreciate it.  That’s me, “helping” my dad get ready for Air Force Reserve meeting--55 years ago! Tonight is the LAST “Ask Jane Q&A Call”. So, if you have a question, big or small, please send it along to me so I can put you in the queue for tonight’s call. Here is a sampling of what we’ll cover…
I would LOVE to include your question in the mix--reply right away for your question to be answered, too! CALL-IN DETAILS BELOW I hope you’re having a wonderful week… Lots of Love, XO  ASK JANE
Complimentary Q&A Call~ Wednesday, October 26, 8pm CST--Please join me! Below are the call-in details: Dial: 712-775-7085 Enter: 626584#, when prompted
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First, welcome (!) to the members of the Legal Professionals group who attended the talk last Wednesday--we’re so happy you’ve joined us. I’ve been in San Diego, CA, masterminding with my two favorite mentor/friends:  We set intentions for the next year, got INSPIRED with some fresh new ideas, and released blocks that prevent us from getting our gifts out into the world--VERY POWERFUL! I had never been to San Diego--what an exciting city--I’ll definitely be back! HIghlights of the city for me: The BEACH! Balboa Park, Old Town, Little Italy (the pizza at NAPIZZA-WHOA!) and rollerblading around the bay behind Mission Beach. The retreat was over on Saturday evening and I read an entire book yesterday--on the beach--just for fun--AHHHHHHHHHH! So good to slow down and take the time for all of this... Note to self: Do that more often. :) It is truly my joy to support you in creating a home and workspace that nurtures a life you love. Here’s an interesting truth about transforming your environment and transforming yourself: you can’t do one without the other happening. If you transform your environment by de-cluttering, organizing or Feng Shui-ing, the very act of creating your ideal sacred space will transform you. If you start by transforming yourself, clearing out old beliefs and identities and allowing the newer, greater version-of-you to come forth, you’ll soon realize that your environment needs to be transformed as well--to catch up to you! And not one or the other is “better” or “right”, it’s just how it happens. So no matter how you’re feeling the nudge, the other is very possibly on it’s way! Did you ever hear of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi? He developed the Transcendental Meditation technique in the 60’s and was notable guru to The Beatles and The Beach Boys as well as countless other individuals.  Maharishi used a great metaphor to teach a foundational spiritual principle: the three legged stool. He said that our lives are like a three legged stool. Each of the legs represents a separate area: Mind, Body and Environment. Pull on any of the three legs and the other two are affected. What do you notice about how you keep your environment and how you feel? What do you notice in your body when you rush or feel angry? Do you believe that there is a yoga, or union, of mind/body/environment? Take a few minutes this week to intentionally notice this connection for yourself, and then let me know (hit reply), I’ve been loving your responses the last few weeks! If I can guide you to a more beautiful environment to invite the rest of your life to move forward, please let me know, I would love to help. Lots of Love, XOXO  SUCCESS STORY: “YEAH!!! The Kitchen cabinets were removed yesterday! Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me in so much detail on Monday. It was really helpful to talk through it with you. It helped me have confidence with the plans for the kitchen as the demo was happening. I felt so excited with the kitchen being torn apart!!! That is such a shift from July/August when I was having re-hab fatigue and feeling overwhelmed... Thank you so much again. You have been such a steady support...for me during this process.” ~T. L., Madison, WI  Please join me at 1pm, Saturday, Nov 19 at the WOMEN’S EXPO, at the DreamBank stage. Bring your friends and make a day of it! The WOMEN’S EXPO is scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday with tons of inspiration, excitement and fun. PLEASE mark your calendars, I would LOVE to see you there! I got to see all the girls and BOTH babies this weekend--lucky Nana! Here they are with the third story view from our apartment window--yes, sweeties, the WHOLE WORLD is yours!!!!  Something that comes up a lot when we work with clients is the subject of storage and how to maximize that space. So, whether it’s closets, bookshelves, dressers or storage shelving, it’s common for all of us to think…”How much can I cram in here?” I’m going to challenge you to make a slight shift and consider this… If this is the bookshelf (closet, dresser, storage shelf) you have, and IF there is too much for it, then some editing is in order so that your belongings EASILY fit on or inside.  I realize this is possibly a stretch but consider the example of the books and bookshelf. If the books are jammed and stuffed into the shelf, sideways, longways, (double rows, anyone?). Then, yes, you’ve technically “fit” them onto the shelf. Usually, though, as pictured above, the books are also stacked and trailing near the shelf or in various other locations throughout the house. How does it feel? Take a deep breath. What if you used the bookshelf as your guide and only kept the books you loved and really spoke to you and your perceived future. The exact number of books that EASILY and HAPPILY fits on the shelves. Using your personal energy to decide what to keep and what to let go of is ALWAYS a good place to start when editing. If, however, there are still too many to fit the storage space, then perhaps another round of editing is in order. Let the “container” help guide you: If your magazine rack holds 12 magazines then 67 magazines will not fit. If your closet holds 30 pairs of shoes then 97 pairs is too many. If your bookshelf holds 100 books but you own 3,640 books then some intentional editing is in order. If your garage holds 2 cars but currently there’s room for 0 cars because of accumulated sports equipment, hardware, unfinished projects, bulk shopping items, boxes of heirlooms, stuff from college, your old job or trophies from High School, then it’s time! Winter’s coming! Let’s get the cars in the garage!!!!! (28% of Americans park in the driveway because the garage is being used for “storage”.) Are you with me? This week give it a try in a small area...is your sock drawer stuffed and stuck? Do just that--take them all out, let go of the orphans, the “holey” ones, any that are stretched out. Fold the rest, arrange them by type and watch that drawer glide in and out like MAGIC! Feels good, right? Let me know how this concept applies to you...I LOVE hearing from you! Thank you, also, for your generous responses from last week--just about everyone answered with a resounding “over 50%” of items that could GO. I hope you all have a wonderful week! Lots of Love, XO Jane SUCCESS STORY: And I heard from Lori (from last week’s newsletter)-- “It was soooo inspiring to hear my story. It brought little tear drops to my eyes. It really helped my motivation to hear your encouraging words. I'm trying to take this in bites, so as not to burn myself out. Next weekend I hope to paint my kitchen. I cleared most of the clutter from my book shelves and I want to place an ad on Craigslist to sell my desk (need to work on clearing it first). I hung my mirror over the couch and it has definitely changed the energy. It brings light into that corner of my space...Letting go of stuff can be emotionally terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. This process is helping me to wrap myself around the reality that I can change my life for the better. This is monumental for me. I have never believed that I could experience abundance in my life and I am opening myself to the possibility. Thanks so much for your help and encouragement.”  Please join me at 1pm, Saturday, Nov 19 at the WOMEN’S EXPO, at the DreamBank stage.
Bring your friends and make a day of it! The WOMEN’S EXPO is scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday with tons of inspiration, excitement and fun. PLEASE mark your calendars, I would LOVE to see you there! Purchase tickets HERE Well, as a matter of fact, grandbaby Harper DID like a teensy taste of apple pie…Bob (lovely husband) had just taken it out of the oven when we returned from the DreamBank…  And, speaking of the DreamBank, A BIG WELCOME to all of the wonderful people who came to the event last Wednesday! What an amazing hour we spent together--hopefully you’ve been inspired to take some action and have already felt some shifts that come from attending to your space. I love meeting people who are excited and open to using their homes as a tool for transformation--very powerful--we’re so happy you’ve joined us!  I read an article this week about a woman who let go of 75% of her belongings. She also decided to only shop from a very short list of “necessities” for one year, consciously choosing NOT to acquire anything else in that time period. She reported some amazing results:
The results were so astounding that she decided to continue to challenge herself for a second year to see what else could be coming her way... As I was reading, I was nodding along because not only have I seen those same kinds of AMAZING results for clients; we often ask clients that very question as we begin working together... “How much of this can go?” “What’s the percentage?” The answers range anywhere from 25-75% One recent design client, Lori, said “50%” immediately upon me asking...she didn’t even have to think. As we looked in her closets, pantry, on top of her desk and dining table, we could see that IF 50% was cleared out of the storage spaces then ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING that was out in her living space (if she is keeping it) would have a home. AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! That’s when we started dreaming about how good it could really be! If 50% of her stuff is gone and everything’s put away...then the next step was to put together a Feng Shui Design that would infuse her space with empowerment, abundance, connection, and health (Lori’s requests)... Look out world, because here comes Lori! I will be sending you pictures as soon as the project is complete. Lori has a fire inside--she is going after her clutter ON HER OWN--not an easy task! She’s using the re-design and the BIG dreams for her future as incentive to clear it out. If you have a moment, send her some clutter-clearing-love--we can all be with her in spirit! And, what about you? Would it help you to come up with that number for yourself? If 50% or 30% or 75% of your items could go, what would you be making space for? How would that change your life? What would you be excited to create for yourself and your family? Let me know (just hit reply). I would love to hear from you! And if you do feel inspired to reply, will you also tell me in one word (or more if you have time) what your biggest challenge is when it comes to decluttering? I would be SO GRATEFUL! Lots of Love, XOXO  SUCCESS STORY:
“Well Done Jane. I am so happy with yesterday. Your smile and energy lifted the day; we got all the value I had hoped from your visit and then some! Can't wait to see the coffee shop unfold.” ~Bruce, Coffee shop owner, Madison WI Well, yes, sweetie grandson, Jude, was “tasting” rocks on my watch this weekend--gotta have a wee bit of dirt for the antibodies, right? He put all of those rocks on the sidewalk himself--so smart and strong!  This morning on my walk, I was in HEAVEN! My favorite weather--55 and sunny--I’ve been waiting for you, FALL! I looooooove jackets and boots season!!!! And, as I was putting my laundry away last week, I suddenly had the urge to drag out the folded items from a small 2 foot, 4 shelf section of my closet--the clothes were getting a little out of control, tipping over and well, messy! With fall arriving, I knew there was some editing and rearranging to be done. I just did ONE section (it’s all I had time for) and pulled out first the jeans and pants, then the tops and sweaters, edited, refolded and, I timed it, it took me 20 minutes. One bag for donation and an idea of what to buy to create a few, fun outfits--3 or 4 long sleeved T-shirts and a pair of jeans, if you must know :) Consciously editing and consciously shopping is a tool that can be useful if you want your closet to “fit” you and your life. It might be an adjustment in your approach, and it might take some practice, but give it a try! My friend, Christyn, said to me the other day, “ I went through my closet, Jane, I was so proud of myself...there is now a section of clothes that is ON PROBATION.” HA! I love this idea! She was not quite ready to let them go, although in my experience the “maybe pile” usually ends up leaving the premises:) Instead of letting the editing process slow her down or getting stuck with a few items she wasn’t sure about, she put them on probation: (I imagined it going something like this…) “Ok, Clothes, you’ve got yourselves a 3 month probation...It I don’t choose you or find you off the hanger and on my body in that amount of time, you are going out into the world to charm someone else.” Kelly (Organizing Specialist on our team) also says, “After I edited my clothes, it seemed like I had MORE to wear because I could see them all!” Kelly also removed the “fat clothes” from under her bed--said she could just hear them taunting her. Why keep clothes that are too big? No one’s EVER hoping to grow back into the too big ones, am I right?  If you need assistance with editing and prioritizing your closet for the cooler seasons, let me know--Kelly still has a few openings for ½ day sessions in October and would LOVE to help you create a closet to match to your glittering, gorgeous self! Lots of love XOXO  Photo Credit: Janice Laufenberg
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Jane Antonovich
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