Hello and Welcome to the first issue of the Solutionary Press.
You who are receiving this are the faces of many What A Relief! and I have crossed paths with over the years, both in person and on the internet. I will be sending this out every 4-6 weeks. Forwarding or unsubscribing to this newsletter is very simple using the links listed below.
This is an interactive newsletter. You will find scrolling down a Q & A (Questions and Answers) and a Creative Writing section. Here your thoughts are welcome and encouraged. Please send any comments, questions, suggestions and/or writing compositions of 300 words or less to solutions@whatarelief.net.
The theme for the Spring/Summer months is MOVING. It looks like everybody is doing it. I see people moving house, changing careers, parting from loved ones, making new decisions about who they are and what they want to do with their lives. It's a very exciting time indeed. What A Relief! may be just what you are looking for.
The mission of What A Relief! is to help people help themselves. I offer Professional Organizing, Life Coaching and Project Development services to individuals and small companies. Each of these services is personalized to your needs and is focused on empowering you to take a risk and make a change. I supply the enthusiasm and efficiency; you make your dreams a reality. What are you waiting for?
SERVICES
* Rooms, attics, basements, offices - big or small
* Files
* Closets
* New systems
* Grounding
* Focus
* Abundant ideas, perspectives
* Strategist - Collaborator
* Someone who cares
* Research
* Event planning
* Logistics
* Data processing
In subsequent issues I will focus on one of the services and their applications. For more information please write to me solutions@whatarelief.net.
TIPS
Today I will have a look at getting started. For some getting started is the hard part, and others it is the following through. Each has their challenges and both benefit from knowing how to use what you have in your own very special tool box. It is full of your experiences, equipment, ideas and more. When we know what we have and how to use it, we have the potential to become prolific creators in our lives.
First things first...Go to the beach (or the equivalent). Take a whole day and remember to bring a small pad and pen. Pack your food and water so you don't have to spend any money. Turn off your telephone(s) and put a pretty cloth over your computer(s) and television(s). Notice how you feel, what you think as you quiet all the devises in your life. As you are putting out your towel on the beach, look around. Are there clouds in the sky? Which way is the wind coming from? Are there children playing in the waves? Breathe deep several times throughout the day. After you have taken a bit of a snooze and filled yourself with the sounds and smells of the seaside you open your eyes slowly and before you is a magic Genie! You hear the voice say "I will grant you three wishes. What do you want?" Write those three things down.
Q & A
Submit your questions to solutions@whatarelief.net
P: Djamil, what is the inspiration for your company, What A Relief!?
D: The company was inspired while I was living in New Jersey in 2001. I had just moved and was recreating myself when I happen to be in NYC on Sept. 11, the day the world trade centers were bombed. Long story short, it evolved in my healing process. I realized I wanted to be the same person at work and at home. I decided I want to be part of the solution to make the world a better place for all life. These services are things I'm good at and enjoy. They are building block type of services and it's such a thrill to help people move to a place where they feel motivated again. The name came a little later. "What a relief" is what I/we often say when we have finally accomplished something that matters somehow. Ahh...what a relief!
Creative Writing
The theme for the Spring/Summer months is moving. How do you feel about moving? What is the best move you have made, either on the inside or the outside? What was the worst? What makes it easier or what is the hardest part? Below is an avant-garde piece I wrote recently about moving.
Please submit your writing of 300 words or less to solutions@whatarelief.net
Moving
I see you looking back at me. You see me too and wonder as I do which way I will go. It makes no sense to move back to the places I have already been; to the places where I no longer thrive. What they are is familiar. I can always find solace in this fake sense of control measured by my unconscious meandering from day to day in tasks that no longer require much focus or care. I know you so well - past. I know to move from you is to liberate myself from old habits, comfortable ruts, but at what cost? There is the great abyss I must cross to the clear field on the other side. I have only glimpsed the field and cannot see it once I enter the abyss. In the abyss there is no one I can call on, no one who can save me. Only I can see me through. Do I have the strength? I do not have the strength to repeat the old and continue to live. The stench of my spirit decaying is enough to push me into the void, come what may. If I don't make it across, at least I will feel alive again in the adventure, in the excitement of the possibility of making it to the other side. We are not fooled, my spirit and I. Once we arrive to the open it is only the beginning of the work to rebuild and nourish the parts of me that have become dormant, and wait. Wait while the healing takes place. As the sun warms that place deep inside where I have become frozen in my own fear and neglect, the triumph of completing the passage challenges my negative voices. The agony of the dreams I have not lived and dreams that have been taken from me will be replaced by the revival of my true voice. The awe and wonder of me breaks the damn made solid with years of frustration. Going back isn't an option. Into the abyss I go. The only thought in my mind is to be united again with my spirit; how we'll dance...
In Closing
I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to those of you who glanced at this or took the time to read through it. Hopefully you found something of value herein. I also want to thank the people who have stood by me and believe in me. Fair enough, I am grateful for the folks who offered me their harsh criticism as well. The rainbow has many colors and it simply isn't a rainbow if one is missing. Thank you!
Onward and upward,
Djamil Graham
Your comments, suggestions, writing and questions are all welcome.
Cell 617.359.7323
Tel. 617.524.2145
Professional Organizing, Life Coaching, Project Development