My Story in Marie’s Newsletter
Recently I was featured in Marie Kondo’s newsletter. A great opportunity to share my story and I’m delighted as I’ve received feedback from many readers – including a woman from the Netherlands. How exciting! Read below.
Six years ago my husband passed away. He was the love of my life, and he gave me my most cherished gift, our daughter. He also left me a house and two enormous barns full of obscure trinkets, old cars without engines and tires, 53 coffee cans full of rusty nails—and a seemingly endless assortment of items of all kinds. To add to my grief, these items weighed me down both mentally and physically.
Then, several years ago, a friend recommended I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. For me, that book has been truly life changing. For the first time since my husband died, I had permission to let go of the items preventing me from a simpler, more balanced life. I understood that although the barns full of stuff had made my husband happy, they had the opposite effect on me.
So, with the aid of my new book, I was finally ready—and able—to rid my home of the overabundance of items, step by step. And to recreate a home where my daughter and I could heal, find peace, and flourish.
Today I am proud to say I have decluttered and organized my home perfectly. It’s been a remarkable journey. Now there is more time to spend with my daughter and friends, to entertain, to enjoy my lovely home—and to breathe.
Completing the entire tidying process in my own home was so powerful for me that it made me want to help others achieve the same satisfaction and peace. It felt like important work. That’s when I decided to pursue a career as a professional organizing consultant, believing my skills and background in the field of communications would be an asset.
And who better to mentor me than Marie Kondo? I enrolled in the KonMari training program and was certified at the end of 2016. I am thrilled to begin 2017 as a certified KonMari consultant.
I started Declutter Pronto with a mission to help clients refine their possessions by using a hands-on, non-judgmental approach with them. Decluttering can be overwhelming and intimidating. It’s hard work—hard to know where to start and doubly hard to keep going. To really get the job done, most of us need help and a plan, a partner to help every step of the way.
Each of the clients I have worked with has been different. They have different challenges, different needs. The thing they have in common is that each has been ready. It has been amazing to work with them, and a privilege. I knew the KonMari approach worked for me, but after working with others using this method, I have seen first hand how life changing it really is. The thing that has surprised me the most is how emotional it has been not only for my clients, but for me as well. We are working together on something important and we are both invigorated by it. That’s why it’s so powerful. That’s why it works.
When I began to declutter my own home several years ago I was in search of some peace and balance in my life. I never thought I’d find a meaningful career helping others. Today I am happy, and grateful, to say that I have found both.