The Best Problems to Have

We just celebrated the one-year anniversary of Goodwill's Donate Movement! We are spreading the message that donating clothing and household goods is good for the environment, the community, and YOU. It is remarkable what we've achieved in this short time... the Donate Movement corporate partners are:

• Levi's (the D icon is on Levi's care tags)
• Hanes
• Gap stores
• Family Circle (Watch for their Back to School clothing drive coming soon!)
• Planet Green (see the Dresscue Me show for Goodwill fashion finds!)

And more partners are to come! I am particularly excited that my friend Joel Greene, producer and host of the Curiosity Quest show seen on PBS, filmed a whole show about Goodwill and the Donate Movement, which is part of the new Donate Movement Kids' site here.

As part of our one-year celebration, I spoke to Goodwill's CEOs recently at their conference in Rochester, NY, and I shared with them this personal story about what the Donate Movement means to me.

My brother Steve joined the US Army in his 30s, leaving a comfortable professional job to enter as an enlisted person, going through basic training and everything, because he wanted to be a part of the Army's little known division called Civil Affairs. They help rebuild war-torn areas, building schools and bridges and wells, and winning hearts and minds and friends. People don't hear very much about this side of the Army, but they do a lot of good out there.

While he was in Afghanistan in 2005, we had a long Skype conversation, and we were discussing the Afghan children that always happily flock to the soldiers and vehicles when they arrive in their towns. (Click photo for a larger image of Steve and the kids) My family and friends had put together a shipment for Steve of basic medical supplies, toys, and candy because he wanted some things to give the kids when they came up to see him. He was remarking at how these kids have NOTHING, and they treasure every little thing, something as simple as one coloring book or a piece of candy means everything to them.

I was reflecting upon how many children here have too many toys and don't appreciate any of them, and I remarked to him how fascinating, compelling, and really almost embarrassing it is that, here in the developed world, we have SO MUCH STUFF that we feel the need to hire experts like ME to sort out the abundance... while these kids cannot even imagine what that is like.

Steve paused and said, "Lorie, I see you on a stage someday talking about that." And I agreed. I was very inspired to share this perspective and this message. This was before I even conceived of our Clutter Diet program, which has now helped thousands of people in 18 countries... it was when I had only a local business in Austin and San Antonio. I had NO IDEA that 5 years later, I would ever be able to reach MILLIONS of people with the Donate Movement. (Our Donate Movement radio tour at launch last year reached 99 million people in one day!)

That conversation with my brother is the exact reason that at the end of every weekly Clutter Video Tip on YouTube, I say this tagline that I wrote, "May you always be happy and grateful for having more than enough."

The "problem" of managing clutter is really a privilege to be grateful for. I believe that when people are grateful, they feel more abundant. And when they feel abundant, they feel like giving to others. To me, the Donate Movement is about ACTIVATING PEOPLE'S GRATITUDE.

I hope you'll join with me in promoting this movement, this perspective, and this important message. Please visit http://donate.goodwill.org to learn more, use our Donation Impact Calculator, and find out how to get involved. See also our landfill ticker, illustrating how Goodwill diverts over 2 BILLION pounds of usable goods from landfills each year! And most importantly, gratefully and joyfully DONATE to Goodwill as you manage your own abundance.

 

 

PS:  For a more humorous take on this concept, here are some examples of "problems" taken from the lyrics of a video called The First World Problems Rap, by FunnyZ. (http://tinyurl.com/firstworldproblemsrap)

• My fridge is so full I have to reach way back
• My cleaning lady's vacuuming, I can't hear anything
• I can never find the right lid for my Tupperware
• Netflix is suggesting things I've already seen
• I have to add water to this cupcake mix and THEN bake it?
• My pillow's too soft and I have too many sheets
• What the heck do I do with all these Starbucks receipts?

Comments

[Marilyn McSpadden]

Very moving message. Thank you for sharing it. Your brother is ADORABLE...just like you
!

[Steve]

Bravo Lorie! Love the message and the direction you have taken your organization. So very proud. Much love.

[Jill Hopkins]

I was a client of Lorie Marrero's home organization service 10 years ago and I'm still organized. The practical practices she taught me will last a lifetime. She has helped me break the generational cycle of being a pack rat (hoarder). Thanks a million.
We are starting the BIG project of de-cluttering my boys toys in their room and we will surely donate them to Goodwill. A GREAT organization.

[Anne Sedler]

Lorie, I knew you way back when we were all just getting started. Congratulations! You have done remarkable things for your clients. Your Donate Movement is a wonderful idea and I commend you and the program for helping the givers and the recipients of donated items have better and richer lives.

[Aviva Goldfarb]

Lorie, what a moving article. So often we forget what abundance we have and how fortunate we are. I love your messages about not buying everything in sight unless you really it, and taking the time to sort through and donate what we don't need/want. Thank you!

[Alyce]

I consider myself to be extremely rich. Compared to the rest of the world, my life is full to overflowing. I am inspired to clear the excess out of my life and pass it along to people who have little or nothing. My life will be simplier and their lives may be just a little better.
Share the wealth!

[Eva Wallace]

What a wonderful cause to be aligned with! We should always remember, even on our poorest days, that we are so rich! Thanks, Lorie!

[Kathia Emery]

I've always LOVED your tab line, and quote it to people who have never heard of your website. In my business (interior design), the issue of clutter comes up a lot, so I often tell people about you and your website. Thanks for sharing the background story about your brother.

[Beth]

I made my kids (11 and 12) read the portion of your post about your brother and then watch the rap video. It was an eye-opener to me that the only things they didn't have were the vespa and a walk-in closet, and the cleaning lady. Wow! They even attend private school. I've always considered ourselves "middle" middle class. Obviously, we are much richer than we thought!

[MJB]

I have always LOVED that tag line. I've actually quoted it to a bunch of different people (giving you credit, of course.) For me, the issue of clutter is about perspective. Your words (the tag line, but also other quotes from the videos) have been SO incredibly helpful. They help me make better decisions and motivate me to deal with things differently.

[Fraise]

Hi,

I am glad to see clothes retailers like Levi's, The Gap or Hanes support Goodwill. I think it would be even better if they could set-up donation stations in their stores. First, that would densify the network of dropping points for donations, and I think their hours of operation could suit more people. Then, it would help enforce the "One in, One out" rule for Clutter Dietters: it could become an "habit hook" that when you go shopping for clothes, you also drop older ones in the same trip...