Has your water turned to mud?

While creating the other day, I was struck by how beautiful the water looked in my paint jar. A couple of colors added together make such a lovely combination. However, after adding several more, the color became like mud. Eventually, the jar needed to be emptied and fresh water added.

As I dumped the water into the drain, I was thinking about this process — we add paint to our brush, rinse it off and repeat until the water needed refreshing. Life is like this, right? We add more and more to our plates until eventually things are muddy and we need to refresh.

At first, things are manageable and then we add a little more and eventually we lose clarity, get frustrated and feel completely overwhelmed.

Ever leave those brushes in your muddy water only to return later and see them ruined?

Is there something in your life that has turned your "water" to mud? Do you need to refresh your water? Are tolerations causing you stress? Sharing thoughts on how art and life intersect and how to eliminate tolerations. #robenmarie #robenmariesmith…

Like many around the world, I jumped on the @mariekondo train. I’m not following things exactly but I have a renewed sense of needing to remove clutter and simplify my life. I’ve been purging with abandon and it feels amazing. It opened my eyes to things I have been tolerating in my life. Some years ago, I wrote a list of all the things I was tolerating at that time. Stupid things, really. I remember one of them was that I needed to buy a car charger for my phone so I would no longer have to deal with the phone not being charged. I posted about it on Facebook and my sister commented with one word: Amazon. That very day, I ordered one and eliminated that toleration. Simple, right? If it was so simple, then why did I wait so long?

Truth is, most tolerations are easily overcome, but we think it will take too long or be too hard to deal with them, so we continue with our frustration rather than fix them.

Is there something in your life that has turned your "water" to mud? Do you need to refresh your water? Are tolerations causing you stress?

Try This:

Step One: Grab a pretty notebook and pen, or download my FREE Toleration Identification Workbook.
Step Two: Make a list of ALL the things you are tolerating at the moment.
Step Three: Write a solution for each toleration.
Step Four: Choose ONE and resolve to eliminate it within 24 hours.
Step Five: Repeat step four each week.

I purchased two matching wicker baskets with wheels and handles from Home Goods. One is for whites and one is for darks. I am already amazed at how good it feels to have the laundry organized!

The littlest things really do make all the difference!

Have a blessed day!