Happy Birthday to Simply Organized!!

YES!! All month long I am going to be celebrating Simply Organized's Birthday! It's been an exciting few years as a business owner, and things just keep getting better & better. I have had the extreme pleasure of working with so many amazing clients in their homes & offices. The projects have been so rewarding and just knowing that their spaces are left in a much better place completely nourishes my heart & soul.

In honor of the Birthday, I am going to be doing some giveaways this month (via THIS blog). So, you need to be an active reader, and it's so SIMPLE to win a limited-edition Simply Organized gift. Here's how to participate:
(1): Comment to this blog below (just a Happy Birthday "shout out" will do)
(2): Share the Simply Organized Facebook page, and then send me a message to let me know (beth@simplyorganizedtoday.com)
(3): Post on the Simply Organized page (an organized quote, picture, etc.)

Easy, right?! It's going to be a really FUN month and I thank each & every one of YOU for your continued support! Make it an organized week!

Energy & Persistence

It's been a challenging week for me, to say the very least. In the past week, my email & Facebook accounts were hacked on three separate occasions. It was a frustrating process, and one that I'm not planning on going into the details about ... nonetheless, I will just say that the infinite amounts of patience that I exhibit (at times!) helped me to deal with it all. Technology is a tricky thing, it's supposed to make our lives easier, more SIMPLE, right? Well, while that is the truth for the most part, it can also complicate our lives at times, as it did in this particular case.

I learned MANY lessons through the process of cleaning up the accounts, and I will likely be writing a blog post in the future about how you can protect yourself if this ever happens to you. So, be on the lookout for that one!

All I can really say, is that the quote that I had on my Simply Inspired page really rings true to me right now: "Energy & persistence conquer all things." (~ Benjamin Franklin) They do, and I feel like I conquered my fear of dealing with technology issues, as well as several other issues to make my own life easier throughout this week. I came out a stronger, more informed business owner, and I will continue moving forward. What else can we do when something like this happens?! The only answer I have is to stay on a positive path and to continue to make SIMPLE a way of life!

Inspiring Doodle Challenge

Recently, I accepted the "30-Day Doodle Challenge" on the melissaAnne Facebook Page. I never think of myself as artistic, although I can be creative, I wasn't quite sure what to make of this challenge. But, with my usual excitement, I joined it to help my artistic juices flowing. I'm currently working on a collaborative book project and I was hoping that it would help me to continue on the writing journey.

Is it working? I think so! I am having such a fun time spending about five to ten minutes each morning coming up with a Doodle to start the day! It kind of makes me feel like a child again too, just opening up the markers & crayons and taking them to a plain white piece of paper and creating a picture without really thinking too much.

I tend to be a bit critical of my "artistic" work, but this is really helping me to be less of a perfectionist and just letting it all FLOW.

On the Simply Organized horizon, consulting work continues to keep me busy & I've been working with clients that I truly enjoy - some who are working on new projects in their home & offices and others who are just starting something new. Have I told you lately how much I LOVE my job?!

SUCH an inspiring weekend!

One of my clients for Simply Organized is a women's sporting events company, and this past weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling up north to go to one of their amazing tournaments!

One thing that I got to experience over the weekend was a "Locks of Love" event ... and while I know I use the word "inspiring" pretty often, this particular part of the event truly inspired me! To see these very young girls cut off (10) inches of their hair to donate to Locks of Love, really brought tears to my eyes. Many of their parents told me the background stories of why they were donating ~ some because either they had been touched by cancer or someone they knew had been affected. The very first girl to sit in the chair to cut her hair was only (6) years old ... AMAZING! One of the girls was traveling from the West Coast, and after getting the ok from her mom & dad, her entire team surrounded her to support the cause. WOW ~ I was just truly blown away!

It was a weekend I will never forget, for many reasons, but I do know that the images of Locks of Love & the inspiration that came from seeing that part of the event will stay with me forever.

Inspiration, Motivation & Organization!!

Such an interesting week that I've just had. Do you ever just feel like you aren't sure if you are coming or going? Well, I do like to keep busy, even if the world seems to be moving too fast at times ... it always makes things beyond interesting around here!

The tagline of Simply Inspired is to inspire, motivate & organize. This is what I spend each & every day doing in my life! I am beyond grateful to have a job I love where I help my clients organize their homes & offices. The fact that I actually have a job where I enjoy getting up & get excited about doing has been a long time coming. It's not to say that I didn't like my other jobs, I really did. But organization is something that just lights a fire within me, my true passion. I've realized that if you can't spend your time doing what you truly love every day, then why are you spending the time working so hard?! It took me years to realize this ... while I learned & grew and took the time to analyze what in life was really important ~ and to me it always meant helping others ~ and now I can through organization.

Another big part of my life has been inspiration. I have always read quotes & affirmations each morning & before I go to bed at night. They have always helped me to motivate me and to lift me up in those days where maybe I felt a little less positive. Now, I am able to share them via the Beth Bracaglia's Simply Inspired page. I can now see that the quotes, pictures and videos that are there really can assist others. And that truly makes me happy! Life really is good and I am truly grateful for all the people in my life that help to inspire & motivate me.

Another Organized Week!

It's been another fantastic week with Simply Organized & Beth Bracaglia's Simply Inspired. Sometimes, there is so much going on, it's enough to make a person's head spin ~ and that is in a GREAT way!

First off, I continue to make updates and changes to this blog. I've been able to highlight some fantastic blogs over to the right. These are ones that I read on a regular basis, and are always interesting. Feel free to take a look, and if you see one that you like, let me know. Or, if you are a blogger and want to tell me about yours, by all means do!

I've recently been working with some new clients, and have been busy organizing their homes and offices. I'm always up to the challenge and have been totally enjoying finding new ways to design the space by working with them to come up with the perfect solution. It's always so wonderful to work with people who appreciate the hard work and whose lives are changed because of my work. Have I told you lately how very much I love my job? Well I do! And, I am grateful each & every day to do it and to live the life of my dreams ~ finally!

On the (2) Facebook sites, Simply Organized & Simply Inspired, major milestones were achieved over the past week. On Simply Organized, there are now over 2000 "Likes" and on Simply Inspired, over 3000. For that, I want to take the time to THANK each & very person who supports me in ALL that I do. I certainly couldn't have the success without their help. Make it an organized & inspired rest of your week!

NEW Look ... Moving Right Along

So, notice something pretty cool? I've updated the look of the blog ... and to no one's surprise I'm sure, it's even MORE bright & full of Orange! Yes, my blood runneth orange, ever since attending Clemson University "back in the day", it's just a color that's full of inspiration to me. I LOVE it! I often wear all things orange, eat all things orange-y, and even the Simply Organized logo is full of orange. I just can't help myself.

I've had another busy week, and believe me, I'm not complaining. We've got some exciting new Simply Organized clients, and also just completed the "Packing Light" party with Sherryl & Dr. Julie from the "Let It Shine" Facebook Page on Monday. For more details, or to check out all the organization/traveling tips there, visit http://www.facebook.com/#!/LetitShinewithSherrylandDr.Julie
They are going to be traveling all across the country, stopping at all of the Awesome Women Hub tour stops, and interviewing women throughout their trip. It's going to be an amazing ride, and I for one, can't wait to see what these two truly inspiring women will be up to.

Another big thing that happened this past weekend, is that my oldest nephew graduated from high school with honors. He continues to impress each & every one of us in the family, with a full-ride scholarship to college in Engineering. He's really going to set the world on fire, and I am just the MOST proud aunt ever! Here's a picture of us together at the graduation!

Much more to come & continue to have an organized & inspiring week!

Yes, it has been a while...

Hello everyone! WOW ~ where do I even begin?! There is so much going on at Simply Organized, I may just have to direct you over to the Simply Organized Facebook page to get you updated since I do post there at least 2-3 times per week.

It has been a while since I've blogged here, and I sincerely apologize, as life has been busy ~ in a VERY good way. Right here, right now, I am making a commitment to work harder on this blog, and to make the necessary improvements in the layout & design of it (in the very near future). For now, just know, that when I write it down and commit to it, things happen!

I do want to make a quick comment that I haven't ever claimed to be a techie girl - those who know me well know that while I worked for a technology company (in a previous life many, many years ago), that was as a Training & Development Specialist, not a programmer/developer. So, I will continue to do my best and I will keep you all more updated about what is going on in my life here much more often. Sound like a plan?

For now, please visit the Simply Organized Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/simplyorganizedtoday to get all the latest & greatest happenings at Simply Organized. You'll see a current interview I just did with Kate Sanner of Vivacity where we talked about organization, motivation and inspiration.

Guess what? I'm teaming up with Sherryl & Dr. Julie to do a really fun Simply Organized/Let It Shine "Packing Light" party in the very near future on both of our pages! On the Simply Organized page, I have started by posting many NOTES about Travel, Packing for a Trip and many other great posts to get them started on their nationwide tour! See you over on FB and then I will see you back here soon! Make it an organized week!