Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
Why I’ll Never Be a Lifestyle Guru
This morning, while reading the magazine section of The New York Times, I realized that I’ll never be a lifestyle guru. I admit, I was a little sad: The 4,000-square-foot house in L.A. where the lifestyle guru I was reading about lived sounded perfect, and I could embrace a wardrobe of flowing white cotton—I’m into monochromatic. But still, in my heart I know that I’ll never be a lifestyle guru—not because I’m 51 and my skin isn’t dewy, not because my well-utilized 1,400-square-foot apartment isn’t “photogenic.” No, I’ll never be a lifestyle guru because I really don’t want to sell anyone anything: not a powder, not an organizing journal, certainly not an image of how they should be.
So much of marketing is based on making people feel insecure about who they are, and I hate that. I want my clients to embrace who they are, because honestly, the fact that they are all so different and interesting is what makes me love my job. And, I feel confident that I can help people get a grip on chaos and clutter without playing to their insecurities or holding myself up as some utopian ideal of organization. Because in addition to being 51 and not having dewy skin, I’m not perfect.
So, I guess I’ll never be a lifestyle guru, but that’s okay. Luckily for you, I’m not going to recommend that you buy file boxes (with or without a Perfect Daughter label) made out of sustainable materials, or throw out all of the clothes that don’t make you deliriously happy. I just want you to be able to find what you need when you need it and have less waste and chaos. It might not be a lifestyle, but it can be life changing.