Insight

Below is an article written by my dear friend Jackie Tiani, owner of Organized Systems. Jackie specializes in corporate organizing and had this insight to share with all of her readers. I thought it a terrific perspective on professional organizing as a whole. Enjoy...

I have just experienced a defining moment, in terms of my career as a professional
organizer. The events of this past month have tested the boundaries of what I believe
my business life is really about.
I just returned home from spending a week in Atlanta with my sister, a recent widow.
Just prior to our family vacation the fi rst week in August, my brother-in-law found out
that he was to lose his job. He endured his secret alone and did not share it with his
wife because he did not want to cast a shadow on my sister's vacation. On September
4, 2009, three weeks after returning home from vacation, at 62 years of age with no
hope of employment, my brother-in-law took his life. We are all struggling to come to
grips with his untimely death.
My defi ning moment found me staring at the calendar on my refrigerator, which was
still fi xed on July. I recalled the last time I had looked at the calendar. It was just before
we had left for our family vacation. I realized that the snorkel gear and suitcases are
still sitting in the hallway waiting to be transported to the attic. The dining room table,
usually empty, except for the centerpiece, has become a staging area for postponed
decisions. Abandoned projects and piles of paper are dispersed throughout my offi ce.
Death of a family member is often classifi ed as a "qualifying life event change." From
an IRS or HR perspective, this may mean you need to make changes to medical
coverage, life insurance, and/or retirement programs. From a professional organizer's
perspective, life event changes can shake up our world. Certain events from marriage
to divorce, from the birth of a child to the empty nest, from fi nancial windfall to
bankruptcy, from relocation to retirement, all present obstacles that pressure us to
interact with life in ways that we may not be prepared.
Defi ning moments are not always positive, but I believe they present opportunities.
My defi ning moment helped me to realize why ordinary people hire professional
organizers. Ordinary people lack proper focus when life gets in the way of living.
We all reach a point in time where we fi nd ourselves in a state of disorganization.
Professional organizers help people move from confusion to clarity, from being
ineffective to being effective, from helplessness to empowerment. When life is in
chaos, it makes sense to hire a professional organizer to help us through the journey.