Spring Cleaning

Good morning, subscribers.

The weather still can't seem to make up its mind here in
Tulsa: 20-30 degrees in the morning and 60-70 degrees by
afternoon only to return to colder temperatures in the
evening.

People out here always laugh at me, reminding me that I'm
from NY and should be used to a colder climate. That may be
true, but we never had 30-40 degree swings every day.

Everyone in my family is hacking and sneezing either with a
cold or allergies. We all feel like we're going through
menopause -- one hour we're all freezing and then next
we're all sweating to death! Maybe we all need to be taking
hormones.

Spring cleaning is coming. For me, it starts with preparing
my taxes and going through a year's worth of receipts,
trying to make sense of them all, looking for deductions,
trying to figure out how to pay my back taxes.

After I get it all organized and regain storage space, I
always feel cleansed and ready for new business. There's
something comforting and refreshing in throwing away stuff
you don't need anymore.

The second the weather turns warmer and stays warmer, my
wife will be asking me to move the plants out of our garage
where they have stayed for the winter, and place them back
out around our pool.

That will give her a chance to prune and nurse her babies
back to health, and it will also give us a chance to clean
out that third garage bay which doubles as the plants
winter home and our spare storage area for bicycles, pool
toys, scooters and gardening tools. It will be good to
sweep things out and rearrange things, so the garage is no
longer a crowded and dangerous mine field of stuff.

What about you? How do prepare for the Spring? What will
you keep and what will you get rid of -- not just
physically, but emotionally and spiritually?

Are you holding onto old grudges over wishes unfulfilled?
Do you still have unrealistic goals and no plans for how to
achieve them?

Now is the time to wipe the slate clean, to clear out the
garbage that takes up space in our minds and hearts, and to
make room for the future.

It starts with a conscious decision to begin anew and let
go of the past. For me, this means changing the way I've
done business in the past, rededicating myself to finally
realizing certain goals, and making a conscious effort to
be kinder, gentler and genuinely more interested in helping
the people around me. It means getting closer to God, even
if it means rising at 5:45 am to make time for it. It's a
struggle for sure, but it renews me when I do it.

It also means getting out of my safe zone and taking some
chances. It means having faith that it will all work out.
It means careful planning, having an eye for the little
details that can make or break success. It means trusting
that it is possible, believing in it with all my heart and
soul, and then following my plan to make it come true.

It means knowing when to seek help from friends and
strangers, recognizing my weaknesses and accepting them.
Understanding I can't do it all by myself, and that I can
also be wrong. It means knowing when to shut up and listen
because, guess what, I don't have all the answers.

As the weather begins to change over the next couple of
weeks, as the days get longer, the climate warmer, it is my
wish that you all begin to clear out the garbage in your
lives and begin to embrace the new year with new plans, new
ideas, and a new heart.

Until next time,


Steve Schneiderman