An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?"

"That's because I have always known about your flaw, so planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and everyday while we walk back, you water them". "For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

We each have our own ways to organize that is unique to us. One friend told me she only has two bibs for her child. They are plastic and she washes them off after he eats so she doesn't need more bibs as this works great for her. Another friend has over 15 cloth bibs. She washes and folds them to put in the drawer. She is happy with this system. Both of these are different yet both systems are individual based on personality and needs. My friend with all the bibs has a zillion hot pads. My other friend has opted for the silicone ones that don't take up a lot of space and are heat resistance and she only needs two. Like the saying says, "different strokes for different folks", and both are solutions for their organization needs. Some people are perfectly happy with the towels and linens to be in the closet while others want the towels folded in one stack, the wash cloths in another place. For some people it doesn't bother them to search for the size of the sheet they need every time they change the bed and for others it drives them batty to have to search. For those who like to keep their sheets positioned so they know the size without searching try this tip. Label the shelf with the size of sheet that goes there. Place both sheets and pillowcase inside the other matching pillowcase. This keeps a set together and saves time and frustration of looking not only for the size but going one place for the sheets and another for the pillowcase. Sometimes the amount of space we have dictates what we can and cannot have in our homes. For those with a limited amount of space there are collapsible measuring cups and measuring spoons. For someone else they need a plastic shoe box to put all of their measuring cups. Organizing is a matter of personal taste and doing it one way does not make another way incorrect or wrong. Adopt a system that works for you.

Marilyn Bohn's Bio Marilyn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and is working towards becoming a Certified Professional Organizer. Professionally she has been organizing homes and offices for over two years. She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.

Go to her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips and interesting blogs and helpful articles on organizing.