Doing It With Intent-Where are my credit cards???

Well, I have been thinking a lot about the advice I gave my client today regarding "doing things with intent." I know I have discussed intent before, but this time I just want to brush up against the idea of doing something with intent. This will definitely not be the last time I talk about intent either, so get over that!

I go to the store, buy items, get to the cash register and pull out my wallet to pay for the items I just bought. There are a couple of things that could happen here. I could get distracted, drop my wallet, everything spills out, the line gets long, I start worrying about whether I picked up all of my credit cards, money and rolling coins or worry about what all these strangers on this line think of me.

Rule #1, who cares what strangers think? I don't. Rule #2, stop, see where all my money, credit cards and coins just went and retrieve them. Solicit the help of kind strangers to help pick up the rolling coins, #Rule #3, thank everyone for their help, pay bill, leave store with all items safely tucked in wallet and complete and total dignity intact.

Who cares what strangers think, we care about what we think. What does this have to do with intent you ask? Good question. The point is knowing what is in my hand when I whip out the wallet, making sure that I do not rush myself and therefore not pick up my money, etc., not care about the good opinions of others and stop, take a breath, pay my bill, place the wallet and all contents back inside, not rushing and losing more stuff, not caring that the check-out line has to wait an extra minute or two for me to compose myself, stash the cash and happily take my purchase out with me.

Knowing what I have in my hand at all times is about intent. It's about not just moving through life without being plugged into that life. It is about living in the now, really. It's about enjoying the heck out of this NOW!!! It is also being in control of what is in my hand and taking responsibility for where that item goes next.

Good Colleagues

This entry is about my two friends and colleagues that are very special to me. They are Heidi Schulz who resides in Santa Barbara, CA., and Kristin Bergfeld, who resides in NYC. Like me, they work with folks with special needs. Also like me, they work very hard to understand and assist their clients with compassion and respect. All three of us have the opportunity to help people realize that there is hope for them when they feel hopeless.

We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with our clients that have tremendous challenges such as hoarding. We work with these truly wonderful clients to help them achieve something that they once thought was only a distant dream, long-term clutter management. You might be asking yourself how this is managed. Well, it is a long road of continual work built around our client's motivation, desire and need for change.

There are others' that play a key role in the work that we do with our clients. These key players are psychiatrists, therapists, social workers, family members and any other support person that wants to be a part of the organizing process (at our client's request). Our hoarding clients can't do the work alone. They need a collaborative team to help and support them throughout their lives, especially when working on long-term clutter management.

I respect and honor these two women for the fine work that they do. I am fortunate to have them in my life! We are cut from the same cloth and are truly digging what we do for a living! How many people can say that they are living their passion? I know that I can!!!

To find out more about the work these two women do, please check out http://www.heidischulz.com and http://www.bergfelds.com

Amazing Grace

I know this has nothing to do with nothing, but I found this video very beautiful. Once in a while, it is nice to just enjoy and really dig "beautiful." http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1785324681?bclid=1338935106&bctid=1913313052

Check it out and I hope you enjoy it too!

NSGCD Conference

I really enjoyed the five days that I spent in Los Angeles, CA. I didn't see much of the city, but had a great time in the Omni Hotel on Olive St. ) (http://www.omnihotels.com).

My great friend Heidi Schulz (http://www.heidischulz.com) and I did get to eat our 1st pre-conference dinner at a great Mexican restaurant on the Omni's property. The food was Mexican topas. It was so good that we could have stayed there eating our way into oblivion all evening, but we did have restraint and I am proud of that.

I experienced a real treat at this conference, and that was getting a chance to spend some time with my dear sweet colleague Terry Prince (http://www.terryprince.com). I hope she has a great time on her dad's 85th birthday cruise. It was a great conference.

NSGCD Conference

The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization is holding their annual conference from Oct. 1-3 in Los Angeles. I am flying out there this morning. I am a board member, Publications Director, so I need to get there a little earlier. This year's theme is Transitions, Changes in the way we live, work and think.

Our featured speaker is Dr. Daniel G. Amen, an award winning physician, psychiatrist, best-selling author, international speaker, and brain enhancement expert. He is the author of 23 books, including the New York Times best-seller, “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life”. He is at the forefront of applying brain science to improve everyday life.

This years conference will be another wonderful learning opportunity, listening and learning from presenters that work in a number of mental health and related fields, that directly impact the challenges of my chronically disorganized client base.

Sharing time with my colleagues from all over the nation and world is the best part of conference. More on this later.

The Power of a Mom's Love

Michael Phelps was recently in the news again breaking another swimming world record, in the butterfly.

His story has a powerful message that all parents who have children with ADHD need to take wind of and integrate into their families. It is the power of love and belief in others. It is the power of one person, his Mom, to see only the good in her son. When everyone else saw problems, it was the power of one mother to see possibilities. This was the result of a parent's belief, love and confidence her son could do something well, even when other people in the academic world were telling him what he didn't do well.

It was the power of one Mom persevering relentlessly and always saying to her child: "You can and you will if you want to. Don't let what you can't do get in the way of what you already, brilliantly can. Just because you struggled in school does not make you a loser. Just because the teachers didn't understand how you are wired does not make you stupid. I know how you are wired and your brain has trillions of different ways of processing the world around you. If you can find something you love then I will also love it. I will always let you know about your love for swimming as long as it ignites both your head and your heart."

Michael Phelps has a mom who has always believed in his ability to do something well; not everything, but at least one thing. She never gave up letting him know that he won't get satisfaction from trying to making his academic weaknesses stronger. Michael's mom knew you make the most out of life by doing what you love, especially when you already do it well. Think of all the swimmers, musicians, artists, writers, web designers, who may have ADHD and do something well but are directed to spend their focus, time & energy on tasks that play to their weaknesses. Their brains are not getting the nourishment they need. When you have ADHD, you don't gain any kind of momentum, or positive self-esteem by focusing, on what you don't do well. You get ahead in life by focusing on what you already do well and fin ding ways to do it better.

Through the power of his Mom's love and Michael's unrelenting, hyper focus and determination, he transformed his natural swimming talents, into super-human strengths. We were all given the gift of witnessing the greatest swimmer in Olympic history. Thanks Mom!!!!!
(Written by David Giwerc, MCC, ADDCA Founder)

Me & the Flu

My last blog was about the H1N1 flu epidemic. I gave important and helpful information, which I took off of the CDC's website. The main reason I am so buggy about the flu is simple. A number of years ago I had the flu and I unfortunately ended up with viral encephalitis from that flu virus. The virus went to my brain and caused me to go into a coma and end up in intensive care at the hospital.

The long term effects of viral encephalitis on my life was a brain injury and long-term damage. I was very fortunate and a lot of the damage has since been reversed, but there is still some lifetime damage and long-term memory loss that is gone forever. This kind of a brain injury is called an ABI (Acquired Brain Injury).

There is wonderful information out there about brain injuries and the effects of different kinds of brain injuries on people and their families, which can be found on the website for the Brain Injury Association of Texas at: http://www.biatx.org. If you are interested in information on brain injuries, current research and help of any kind, check out this wonderful site.

Since I am in the population of those with compromised systems, I get a flu shot as soon as they are available. So, my main message here is to be careful, wash your hands frequently, sneeze into your clothing and not in the air, and try to avoid touching your face, mouth or eyes after you have touched something, until you can wash your hands. You will spread the germ fast and furiously if you do not take precautions. Teach your children (young & old) these healthy habits too.

To find out where flu shots are available in your town, check out: http://www.healthline.com. Stay healthy this year for yourself and for your loved ones!