The Pain of Organization

We are an airline family, and one of the beautiful perks is the opportunity to fly standby when seats are open on a flight. It isn’t always glamorous. We have countless stories of being stuck in an airport for hours, but many times, it works in our favor. While most people plan vacation travel well in advance, we operate differently. When we have time to travel, we pack our carry-on bags and then hop on the plane that’s open. It feels a bit like the show The Amazing Race, and our approach to travel always makes my “planner” friends cringe.

A few months ago, the kids were off of school and my husband , Dave, was off of work, so we decided to go wherever we could. After some research, Dave noticed that the flight to Austria was “wide open,” which meant we weren’t likely to get stuck in the airport. Not only that, but they had first class seats wide open. First class to Austria? Um, yes. Sign me up.

We were all set. The night before, all four of us were packed and set to go. All we had to do was wake up and head to the airport. Dave asked me if I could grab the passports and set them out. “No problem,” I said and went to grab them from where we store them.

But they weren’t there.

I panicked and then thought, maybe I just needed to remember where I put them. I began looking in secondary “safe” places. No luck. I moved on to full panic. Where could they be? When did I see them last? I began tearing apart my office, my files, and any place I might have put them. Nada.

Dave helped me (and was extraordinarily patient), but still, we found nothing. After hours of searching, digging through every nook and cranny, we decided to go to bed and hope that somehow their location would be revealed to us in our sleep. We woke up and . . . nothing.

The time to leave for our flight came and went. I could not believe that Iwas the reason my family would miss a trip to Austria. At that moment, I knew it was time. It was time for me slow down and pay attention. It was time to be purposeful. The irony wasn’t lost on me. I spend my life coaching others to manage time, create systems, and maximize opportunities, yet I ruined a trip for my family because of my own disorganization.

This experience reminded me of three important truths:

1. We don’t grow until the pain or discomfort of staying the same is too great.

I had put off areas of organization I needed to address. Having spent the last few months writing a book, I let systems in my personal life deteriorate. It took missing a trip to Austria for me to organize my office and get things in place.

2.We don’t grow when we ignore our areas of weakness.

Organization for me, in general, is a bit of a weakness. I am great with helping others create structure and systems, but if I am honest, this is an area I need to focus on. I began to wonder, if I’m not able to do this well myself, how can I outsource it? It’s okay to ask for help, but it’s not okay to ignore the problem and hope it will fix itself.

3.We don’t grow when we can’t face the problem.

Facing our blind spot propels us forward. Admitting we’re part of the issue can free others from feeling resentful toward us. When we bravely own our part, we diminish the shame and put ourselves in a more purposeful position. We are then ready to prevent the same issue from happening again.

You alone can take responsibility for your life. Until you face what is keeping you stuck, you can’t move into the life you are called to live. What area of life limits you from living free? Name it, make a plan, and begin serving and impacting others for good. When we address our weakest link, we take the first step toward becoming unstoppable. (And thankfully, we found the passports the next day. In a “safe place” that I “just knew” I would remember.)

You are amazing! Start living like it!