don't do the dishes, pile of dishes

A photo of my dirty dishes piled up in my sink is making its way around Facebook.

I posted the photo after I went on strike. Yes, housework strike. If you haven’t done it. You must. It is absolutely necessary and must be done often.

Unless, of course, you absolutely love spending your day emptying, loading, sweeping, folding, stacking, dusting, filing, scrubbing, washing, and organizing over and over and over again. If you do, no need to read on.

Instead of doing the dishes I left them piled in the sink and went on a walk with my husband. Instead of putting away the laundry I left it piled in baskets and visited extended family. Instead of picking up toys that would be out again tomorrow I played with my kids at the park. Instead of cleaning my basement and garage, I reflected on my life and weekend with good friends, read a book, and sang.

Housework strike is ok and necessary!

It will ALWAYS be there, unlike the people in your life and the time for yourself. So many of us get so caught up in all these things we think we “have” to do and “should” do. We fill our heads with stress and worry, creating problems that aren’t even there. We put ourselves on this hamster wheel of never-ending chaos.

There is no one standing in my house judging me for the dishes in the sink or the laundry not put away. And if they are, I have the wrong people in my house.

We can leave things undone.

There are still plenty of clean dishes and underwear to go around when we need them. I live my life very differently than I did 4 years ago. Losing my dad has a lot to do with that. Before my dad died, he sure didn’t say, “I wish I had worked more. I wish I did more laundry and dishes.” Instead he said, “Kerry, I have no regrets. I have lived a great life.” I ask you this, if tomorrow was your last day could you say that same?

I am not sure many of us could. It took a major tragedy to get me to wake up. In my transformation classes, I try to evoke the same motivation in my clients that I had when I started my journey. Sometimes, I find it challenging with those who haven’t experienced a loss like I have, so I need to use tools to get them to “see”…to get them to take action NOW!

One of the ways I do that is to have them look at their life on paper. Yep, they have to draw out what their life looks like currently and what they would like it to look like.

I love this because after the 8 week class, people can look back and see how far they have come and it helps hold them accountable. While many of us love to draw and color, this assignment can often be dreaded. Because what would happen if you drew a picture of your day? Try it. See for yourself. You may just see how much life you aren’t living. You may see a harsh reality, but the good news...it can all be changed – because you are in charge.

Below are some examples of before and after pictures from some of my students. The photos themselves were motivators for them. These are everyday people that enrolled in 101 to have less stress and get more out of life. All of them have achieved their after photos and much more!

So I dare you:

Leave those dishes. Go to a quiet place, pick up a pencil and start your before and after drawing right now!! Share them on my Facebook page – let’s see everyone’s ideal day and set some intentions together!!

If you are interested in mapping your own path and working towards it, I highly recommend jumping on one of the last spots on my upcoming autumn Transformation 101 class. You can read my testimonials on here, and on my Facebook page to get an idea of how this is not only helping and healing people, but radically changing their lives. Learn more and register today, we start Sunday!!