Mhm. And the um you know the steps that you need to take uh really are interesting to look at from the uh CDO perspective. Yeah. So say more about that. Well, so you know, again, coming up with the I am creating, you know, most of my clients are creating a functional living space that still encompasses the things that they value most. Yeah. Uh then from the vision statement comes the smart goals. Yeah. And so, you know, the smart goals include selecting that which is the most important. Okay. Uh being willing to uh say goodbye to things that do not fall into that category. Yeah. uh you know actually uh working one on-one with myself and my staff to make the hard decisions of you know this knickknack that chachki how you know having conversations figuring out what the next what the lifestyle going forward will be so that you can look forward to the move rather than dreading the move.
Yeah. Yeah. And that's really what the goals help you do. The goals help you look forward with a smile rather than looking backwards all the time. And that's something that, you know, as we get older, it becomes harder and harder to look forward with a smile instead of reminiscing on what was. Yeah. And moving, you know, moving is one of the top three most stressful things a person can do in their life. Yeah. And so to make it happen and enjoy the process as when you were a child and you your family moved it was like oh new friends new excite schools new environment new places to play. When you get older, 20s, 30s, 40s, 80s, 90s, it's not so much viewed as a fun adventure and it's viewed more as a chore and a task, but it should be a fun adventure. Well, I think that's why it's great if people work with you because you can make it a fun adventure.
Like, you have enough insight into this process to know it's not just about moving furniture and let's get down to task. I mean not like you can't you don't eventually get to the goals and actions which are really important but I think you mentioned earlier that you mentioned mindset like how people are thinking about this and I know a lot of times when I've led the co training um you know I I did a brief stint with uh Drake Beam and Mour and they do outsourcing you know what and out I guess outsourcing is what they call it but if people are laid off they get some programming that would help them move forward and they had me come in to lead the co training and it was so interesting that um these were people that worked someplace for 25 30 years and one day somebody just walked in and said clean out your desk it's over and I can't even imagine what that's like you know and I think sometimes like if you're talking about people who are older who have to move it's the same thing like they didn't imagine that was going to happen but after they did some of the envisioning ex we do a guided visualization which we did in the last podcast.
It was so helpful and people came out of that podcast kind of excited like oh you know one one gentleman was saying I know what I want to do and he'd been like an executive at you know some kind of big company I want to teach junior high math I mean you know in a million years I wouldn't have said that's what you should do but he that's what he saw in the visualization that he wanted to teach and take care of kids and like and then it was like he had this future in front of him of like how could he do that and what would happen? And there were other people that had the same thing where, you know, first it was a bummer and then it was like, oh, I could actually do this or I've always wanted to do that. So, I think bringing it back to possibility like it's a possibility or an opportunity makes a huge difference and then people can go through the steps and it sounds like you very organically walk them through.
So, on the other side of not like you're going we're going to handle your mindset. You don't say that. But and I think with some of the tools from this, like create a picture, create a vision. And I think that's true in life in general, if you have to do stuff, it never feels like a lot of fun. But if you have a vision of where you're going and you start to see the natural process of how you could get there and then you get some support and accountability through and we're going to go through like your private sabotur that always comes up once you have the vision and the goals, you know, we'll go through that. But really, it all ties itself up with that you have a community of support because there's times that things come up and you need and I love that you seem very very compassionate and empathetic that you get this.
You've done How long have you been doing your business? 13 years. So 13 years you've been talking to people who might seem to them that they have to move. Mhm. But you're turning it into an you you shift you allow them and you work with them till they see like, "Oh, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Oh, I could do it this way." And then, you know, dropping a few things along the way. It's not a bad thing if you see it that way. Yeah. Yeah. And I I tell people, you know, that it's not a lot of decisions. It's keeping goodbye. Yeah. I mean, it's really just a yes or no. Okay. You can have a little I can't decide right now. But as you go through the steps of this, as you start realizing you're getting closer and closer to your goal and you're getting closer and closer to accomplishing your vision, it becomes a little easier to look again at some of the I don't think I can make a decisions.
And also, you know, sometimes people revisit the things that they absolutely thought they needed and they say, you know, I don't really need this. Yeah. I don't really So, it's it's an evolution. It's a process. You know, that's why with the CDO training and with the um accountability groups, that's why there's goals one month at a time. Yes. And so you set the goals for the year, but then you are accountable one month at a time on mini goals. Yep. And sometimes when you revisit the goal at the end of the month, you say, "Okay, I want to continue doing that." Or you say, "You know, that wasn't exactly what I thought. I need to go back and and think it again." Yep. And so it's, you know, it's part of the organization. It's part of the visualizing. It's part of the accountability. And basically in my business, we provide the accountability to the clients.
We hold their feet to the fire. And when they stumble and run across a drawer full of love notes from from their spouse from years gone by and need to read every single letter, we can still continue through the rest of the living room to ask, "What about this? Do you need that? Do you have to keep this?" And by the time they're finished that shoe bo box full of letters, they look up and they're like, "Oh, we haven't gotten anything done." And I turn to them and I say, "No, we're done the entire living room." So, it's you are a great partner to have. It's it's because, you know, we're not as attached. And that's the thing when you have circle groups and you have accountability partners, they're not as attached to the direction and the decisions you as a person are making. Yeah.
And that detachment allows them to guide you with less pain and anxiety than uh even if you had a family member trying to help you, you know, because they have perceived notions about how you're thinking and what you're doing. Yeah. And their own attachment to things. Yes. And so by having a detached accountability partner uh you know they are able to keep you on track and keep you on the path. Yeah. To success. To success. Okay. So I mean we've related this to your business and you're a very good example of how it plays itself out in your business. So you're a natural coach for people about how do you go from vision to reality? you know because that's a step you know people like to talk about visions a lot well but that you know till you pick a time until you pick a you know the goals and the actions it doesn't necessarily happen so it's very important to have that bigger picture more of that lofty view that shows up in your co statement that feels really good so if you want to get there you got to go here and that if you have accountability along the way it really helps now I know I've invited you to speak at the Dream Factory Gathering on April 17th.
This is 2025. Um, I want you to relate to what we're talking here like what are you going to talk about there that people would want and it's going to be on Zoom plus in person at the Waterview Terrace Apartments. What are you going to offer people on that? Like this is more you're move you're older, you're moving. That's the business you run. I'm sure you could move younger people and do the same thing, right? Oh, we we do all ages. You do all ages. Okay. You know, the frequency of people who are moving to a larger living space and actually decluttering and downsizing is a lot lower than the people who are moving to a smaller living space and need to declutter and downsize. Okay, that well that's a good distinction. But we we do all ages. We've done uh people from uh early 20s to I think 97 is the oldest client we've had so far, but there's no limit.
Okay, good. Well, miss. Well, good to know. I appreciate you telling me and everybody that, but I want to get back to So, you will be speaking. It'll be a general population uh you know I'm sure it'll be mostly women uh of different ages but what would you you know what's the advice you would give to the general population who isn't moving well I mean the focus is the focus is organization and I mean I think the key is you need to have a plan okay you need to have uh actionable able targets to accomplish that plan. Okay? And you need to I tell people even when they're sorting, I tell them, you know, you need to remember your organizational plan. Okay? If you're going to put dots on things you want to keep, then write it down somewhere because uh I learned early on, I don't even know how young I was when it was first driven home to me.
If it's not written, it's not real. Okay? So, write it down. Make sure your plan is something you can go back to if you forget it. If you have a certain way, you're going to organize, you're going to put things in piles, you're going to put labels on things, you're going to uh have bags or buckets, whatever it is, whether it's mental or physical, you need to know what each bag or bucket or compartmentalized item. You need to know the identity of each compartment. If you forget halfway along the way, then you've kind of undone all the good work you've done so far. Yeah. So, that's why it's important to write it down and be consistent. And those are kind of the keys on organization. Uh, and find someone who is not emotionally tied to the project you're working on who can be a sounding board.
Okay. What is what is one of your bigger challenges that you've met with people who are trying to organize? Any thoughts on that? Uh there are some people who believe they thrive on chaos. Okay. And um you know organized chaos is a thing. And so if you thrive, if you think you thrive on chaos, but you can organize your chaos into those piles that are written down so you know what those piles are, it's okay. Less is more. Okay. Um but that's one of the challenges is just getting past the again it's mindset. Get getting past the mindset of um you know, do I really want to do this? Do I really want to be organized? Okay. And uh and the flip of that is the attitude of I can do it on my own. We all need help doing everything. I mean it you don't need someone holding your hand and telling you how to do it.
But the key is there's a difference between guiding and telling. Okay. And um one of the big issues I have is a lot of times when I'm working with families, the families the the children will come to me and say, you know, how did you get mom or dad to do that and to move forward? We've been struggling with that. And it doesn't matter whether it's a filing cabinet or a china cabinet or a uh kitchen cabinet or someone's uh plan for the future. You know, we haven't been able to get them to approach that and deal with that and make the decisions we think they should make. and they've already highlighted the key issues in that because they're not listening to what the individual or the couple wants. They're imposing their views and their values. Yeah. And so you need someone who can be a sounding board and be an assistant and be a guide who is not going to tell you what to do but is going to ask you what you think you might need to do.
Okay. And to guide you along the way. And it seems like getting back to the plan would be really important. like when you see what might you need to do, you can reference it off of the plan or the vision or however you phrase it, you know, or the co statement or, you know, people don't all have to do co statements. I understand, but there's some essence in that that's really helpful. So when you ask that question, they have something to reference that off of. And I I use a lot of analogies, but I love analogies. But um another analogy I was told ages ago is, you know, this whole process is like trying to get from Massachusetts to Florida, if you use a map and you map out your path, you're more likely to get there than to just hop in the car and say, I'm going to aim south.
And so this whole process, the whole CDO process and uh setting the goals and everything else is basically your map. You know where you're going. You're mapping out how to get there. And yeah, you can take some sightseeing detours along the way, but you'll still eventually get there. Yeah. without having that map, the probability of you arriving there is much much slimmer. Yeah, I would totally agree. And I liked what you said before when you're in the circle sometimes, you know, when you go monthly and you look at your goals and sometimes you say that goal is not quite right, you know, and then you can change it. It's not like everything's etched in stone and you set it and you have to do it. You know, it really is about keep mapping to the plan and keep looking to see what are what are the best possible goals.
But at least when you set goals, it gets you on the map like you've written something down and you're on the map. You're on the road. So, it it kind of helps and like, oh well, I don't really want to go there. I think this is a straighter location. I just checked Google and they said this. I think I'm gonna go this way. That's totally fine. But goals and actions keep you on the map. They keep you on the road, on the map, or however you want to say it. Like you've got a logical plan. Yeah. And if you if you want to keep to your navigation Yeah. We've got the philosophy. You know, you'll notice when you're using your navigation system, when you make a turn different than the navigation system thinks you want, it reroutes you to ultimately keep getting you to your final goal.
Yes. And so that's the point. You can change your goal or you can change your route. Y um but if you're looking at it, if it's written, if it's uh tangible, yeah, you're able to adjust and know what the consequences are of any decision you make. That sounds fantastic. But that's good. You put it into a logical plan and then you get support around following that plan. Yeah. And it doesn't matter whether you're talking about moving to a smaller living space, right? Or trying to create a new business after you've been laid off. Yeah. Or uh you know, designing a piece of artwork. You know, you still have a destination and a path to take. Yeah. And it's all and I keep reminding myself like and it's tied into a bigger vision, you know. So it isn't just goals and actions, but it's tied into a bigger vision that's inspiring and something you truly want.
I think it's great. So I think you've given some really good ideas. I mean, with the podcast, I I think the whole point of it is I do want people to map through what the CDO training looks like in reality. So, it's not just a concept, but it gives you some ideas of how you can utilize it. And then, you know, that I wasn't planning on necessarily having a guest that's going to speak at a gathering, but we do have one on April 17th. And so, I feel like I would imagine when people come to that and we will get a, you know, we will have some sort of print out about that. And with the podcast, I am going to put them on the website for Caner Consulting that what do you think people will get for will if they show up for that whether it's on Zoom or in person?
Is there one last thing you want to say about what people will walk away with from participating in that? Well, hopefully they'll walk away with being a little more organized. Okay. And some tips on how to get there. Okay, great. I think that sounds wonderful. I mean, Ann, I think you've really demonstrated the power of what you do and how you do it. It's important and we all need to get more organized in a lot of areas, but I love that you have a very concrete business that serves uh, you know, serves in a particular way and it's such I love to see somebody who really loves what they do because I know you do and who's really good at what they do. So, I really appreciate your time today. Oh, thank you. and I appreciate you inviting me to talk. Yeah. Well, we've had this good relationship for a long time and uh it's nice to have that mutual appreciation.