I admit it...I love polished wood furniture! It makes me happy to walk into any one of the rooms in my home and see that the furniture surfaces are gleaming! None of my pieces are cherished family heirlooms, but I take care of them as if they are or someday might be. The challenge that I have faced is trying to achieve polished wood perfection without using any chemicals.
I was a card-carrying member of the "Pledge and Endust" Fan Club for many years. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to easily wipe away dust and fingerprints and leave a shiny and smudge-resistant surface in their place. The problem was that there were many hormone-disrupting chemicals hiding in plain sight in the aerosol can that had a regular presence in my left hand! Years ago, I made the life-changing decision to go completely chemical-free when cleaning my home. I threw everything in the garbage that had even a trace of toxins - laundry detergents, window cleaners, carpet stain removers, oven cleaners, floor cleaners and even my beloved furniture polish! I did not even wince over the $$$ that had been spent on the discarded products that filled an entire waste basket...after all, it is more expensive to get sick, right?
After much research and investigating, I replaced my cleaning products with natural products, some of which I purchased, others were homemade in my kitchen. My house still looked and smelled as clean as ever...actually, everything seemed "fresher" almost immediately since my products now had the natural fragrance of lemons and oranges and other essential oils rather than chemically produced fragrances. However, one problem remained...my furniture no longer gleamed and shined! I tried one natural product after another and my results sounded like a children's storybook...too oily, too dull, too cloudy...I could not find a natural furniture polish that was "just right."
After what has seemed like a life-long search and much more research, I found an online company that sells only natural products and decided to make a friend in the customer service department. I am such a "frequent flyer" (and the customer service department is so amazing) that I now have my own "personal shopper" who recently recommended the all-natural furniture spray that was finally going to be the answer to my house cleaning prayers!! Sadly, after several tries with my new product, my cloudy-filmy-foggy furniture surfaces remained! Ugh! I was so close to reuniting with my former-best friend "Pledge"! Until I decided to read the directions on the label of my new product! You see, my loyal followers, I incorrectly assumed that the all-natural spray would be used just like its aerosol predecessor. Boy was I wrong!
There is an all-important STEP TWO in the process that I had completely overlooked!! Once you spray the polish on and rub it in with a rag, you have to get a second polishing cloth and BUFF!!! I thought that "buff" was just the word to describe the guys working out at Gold's Gym. I truly had no idea that I had to treat my wooden furniture the same way that my Dad used to treat his Corvette and BMW...you have to get out a polishing cloth and use some elbow grease and BUFF your furniture to a gleaming, shining, award-winning surface!! I should have known better! It made me wonder how many other STEP TWOs I have neglected over the years!
I have heard it said that STEP TWO is the most important one in the WRITING process. It is also a known fact that the most essential step in SALES, following up with prospects, is STEP # 2. Did you know that the most critical and challenging part of the journey of climbing Mount Everest is also STEP 2? Who knew?
Had I not (finally) taken the time to read the instructions and venture onto the obviously essential Step 2 in my cleaning process, I would still be plagued with furniture problems. Taking that first step of setting goals and challenges for ourselves, while important, is not enough. We have to be willing to take the second step of committing ourselves to the behaviors that will get us there. It may take elbow grease, or persistence, or possibly even a polishing cloth or two....but we must take that critical second step in order to be successful on whatever it is we are working on in our lives.
Your challenge may be as trivial as my cloudy coffee tables, or something far more important. Whatever it is, don't forget to take that second step and before you know it, you will be crossing your personal "Mount Everest" off of your To-Do list.
Need help getting to STEP TWO in your life? Set up a complimentary HEALTH COACHING SESSION with me.