facing down disorder

I abominate clutter. I loathe disorder. Messes make me maniacal. Okay, I may be overstating it just a bit, but the bottom line is that disorganization makes me quite anxious. So it's ironic, isn't it, that I'm a professional organizer? How is it that I can manage to trudge through other people's varying states of disorder and not go completely loopy? I do wonder that oftentimes.

I think the answer is that 1.) it is an amazing feeling to witness the transformation of a space from chaotic to orderly and 2.) it is just as amazing a feeling to touch the lives of others by assisting in such transformations. As much as I love the end result (an organized space), it is, in fact, helping another person regain peace of mind that makes me feel most successful. The process of getting organized can, indeed, be quite laborious, even painful, but the rewards of sticking with it and seeing it through are immense. I love walking my clients through that process and watching their growth.

[However, helping one's own spouse/partner get organized is an ENTIRELY different animal altogether. It's probably a bit like a teacher trying to educate his own kids, or a therapist attempting to counsel her own family members. Sometimes necessary but not often recommended.]