Posts Tagged ‘respect’

 

 
What does parking have to do with organization? I would wonder the same thing…until I saw someone take two spots in a very small lot tonight. That did not look very organized. That’s when I realized:  Parking and organization have something in common.

 

 
It takes generosity to be organized and the person who hogs two parking spots is showing their messy drawers for all to see. You could fit more cars in if they had taken just one spot. But really, that was not what I was thinking. I was not thinking – this parking lot is so disorganized! I was thinking, “This person is selfish weenie!” I would use another expletive but I’m feeling rather politically correct at the moment. Don’t worry, it won’t last.

Then I thought more about this and the thing is that being organized is actually about generosity at its core. If you are taking the time to keep your desk in order so you know where things are – that is being generous to yourself. It reduces stress, it saves time and it can save money in all kinds of ways. Therefore, all the acts that add up to being organized for yourself are acts of kindness and generosity for oneself. But these are also benefits for others.

 
Because when you are less stressed you offer that state of being to those around you, you can be more present, show up on time and guess what – you probably take only one parking spot when you get where you are going. Being organized shows a general respect for yourself and the objects and space around you.

 
The space around your desk, the space in your home and yes, the space (singular!) around your car.

A Place for Everything

Having a place for your belongings, putting them back in that place, showing up on time and being present are all issues of organization.  Why are we so obsessed with organization, as culture, in recent years?  On the surface it just seems like, well, who wouldn’t want to be organized?! It is the “right” thing to do.

But why?

I think that it boils down to respect. Yes, when you are organized you save time, money and energy but even that is about respect for time, money and energy – your own and other people’s.

When you have a place for an item you are respecting it and its place in the world, the way it has served you well (that computer we use 12 hours a day, the printer, the coat).  When you put something back in its place you respect the person who is going to follow after you and need that item.

People get so angry (ok – sometimes I do too!) when a computer breaks down or a printer – we can’t believe it!  It has worked perfectly all these years! Exactly. No one ever stops to appreciate how it has always worked – all these years.

One instance of ill-repair and all respect goes out the door? Do we do that to people? Well…sometimes. Uh oh.

People and things need respect in order to show up. Treat the clothing or computer badly and they can’t perform their function. Treat people without respect and the relationship goes into disrepair.  When we care for the things and the people in our world we add value and can feel we left the world in a better state than we found it.

Respect creates a smoother, and dare I say, more organized, life.

Aadil Palkhivala says, “Yet, do not respect because you will attain these results, but because you know that being respectful helps you grow as an individual. Eventually, we respect for no reason, but just because that is who we are.”