My best friend showed me the lump in her neck in a café in Amsterdam where we were having an after school drink. Doctors later confirmed it was cancer.

 

As a young adult I had lots of dreams and plans for my future, and this was the first time life interfered with my plans.

 

A year earlier, I was told my mum had breast cancer, that it had spread to her lungs, and that the BRCA-2 gene runs in our family. Every day I struggled with that knowledge.

 

While my friend waited for her baby to be born so she could start chemotherapy, my mum called with more bad news. My father had been rushed to the hospital and the doctors did now know if he would make it to the next day. He ended up staying in intensive care for four months, battling life-threatening bacteria that destroyed his vital organs. I visited him every day, fearing he would never see my unborn baby boy.

Clearly, my life had other plans for me.

Bad things happen; all I could do was make every day as fulfilling as possible.

 

The hard realities of life made me re-think my personal life goals.

 

Here they are:

 

• Stay healthy (this comes first otherwise my next goals can’t be completed)
• Be the best mum I can be for Yorick and Marit and best wife, partner and friend to Roger
• Build strong relationships with friends and family
• Make a difference in people’s lives through my work as Professional Organizer
• Keep on learning; listen, stay curious, explore the world, and do things that scare me

To accomplish my life goals and dreams I need time.

 

And I discovered that one way to free up time is by eliminating time-wasters like CLUTTER.

 

The sad reality is that many people suffer from the amount of belongings they own. They feel uncomfortable and stressed in their own home. They waste precious time searching for misplaced items and end up having no time for doing the things they love doing. Stress levels are high, which massively impacts their overall health.

 

I try to make a difference in other people’s life through my work as Professional Organizer.

 

That is why I founded iQuitClutter, to eliminate the worldwide suffering caused by clutter.

 

There is no reason to feel bad about yourself if you struggle with disorganization. Home organizing is not taught in school and often, the way our parents organized their belongings does not work for us.

 

Being able to live an organized lifestyle has less to do with the stuff, than with your thoughts, habits and brain-wiring.

 

If you tried many things (books, workshops, online courses, support from friends), and nothing helped, I can help I understand how awkward and difficult it can be to show someone your house, especially if that place makes you feel so uncomfortable. I like you to know this: since 2002 I lived in 7 countries outside my home country The Netherlands. The different cultural backgrounds and personal values of the people I met, helped me think out of the box, and approach each situation with a non-judgmental attitude.

 

Making it through challenges made me stronger and happier.

 

Change is difficult, I know. And it might sound strange, but I am thankful for everything that happened in my life, particularly the challenges. It made me the person I am today; happy, strong and confident and ready to follow my dreams and help others.

 

Remember that life is what happens to you, but you are still in control of how you respond to it.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Hopefully you feel inspired to take steps towards living the life you dream of.

 

Warm regards,

 

Nathalie