Cleaning up Life's Little Messes... it's Journal Entry Friday!

(No, this is not my house!)

There is nothing more frustrating than the messes that crop up just when everything is running smoothly, right? You are out of school for summer... sleeping in every morning, no more homework, no more tests and WHAM someone hits you broadside with a nasty rumor they heard about you!

Summer vacation is supposed to be trouble-free, right? At least that's what we tell ourselves when we are falling asleep during our math final. As we nod off while trying to find what "x" is, we dream of sandy beaches, pool parties, summer romances, girly sleepovers and .... never do we leave room in that dream for drama!

So, whether it is a family struggle, a health issue, a pending move or just plain GIRL DRAMA you feel like you are boxed in with no where to go. No out. Not big red flashing EXIT sign. And you're sinking fast.

So, what do you do with the mess?

I found it coincidental that the picture I found to illustrate the idea of a "mess" had a bottle of RESOLVE sitting in the foreground.

re·solve  [ri-zolv] –noun

1. a resolution or determination made, as to follow some course of action.

So, a plan.... you need a plan.

Now, I am SO not an organized person but my husband is... when my life seems like it is going in 1,000,000 different directions, like today, he reminds me to make a plan. If I lay out my day on a piece of paper in an orderly way- it makes it much easier to deal with...

• places I need to go
• things I need to buy
• what I need to clean/straighten in the house
• what is coming tomorrow that I need to be prepared for

Now, you are thinking, "Well, it would be nice if my life's mess was like my room and I could sweep "the mess" under the bed and call it done."

But what I am suggesting is that you lay out your "mess" on paper in a sensible way:

• people I need to confront
• situations I need to handle
• friends I need to apologize to
• things I need to confess to someone
• issues I need to talk over with someone
• help I need to seek out

Now, you may end up with a huge graphic that looks like a spiderweb on crack - but it's all there and now you have a plan. Won't it feel good when you can cross some of those things off?

Now, when you make this list on the journal page I am providing below (just click on it, save and print) make sure you are NOT including things on the list that are not in your control. Keep your list focused on the difference YOU can make in your own "mess." Don't add to your list things that your friends are dealing with, "Help Becca get a boyfriend" should not be on your list - be SELFISH with this list.

Start cleaning up your OWN mess. You will find that as you create this list, a weight will soon be lifted. It will look like a map of how to get out of your "mess."

Good luck!
Leave a comment if you have questions about how to make your list.