Practice Gratitude In Genealogy Organising
Christmas and the New Year festive season is so special because there’s so much love and kindness circulating around us that this time of year.
Which made me think about the spirit of generosity within the genealogy community…
So I thought I’d meld the two together and offer some tips on how to practice gratitude while organising your genealogy.
Appreciate The Journey
Organising genealogy research can be both a challenging and rewarding journey.
It’s important to acknowledge the ups and downs that come with learning and practicing this skill.
Recognise The Ups & Downs of Learning How To Organise Your Family History
Embarking on a genealogy organising journey can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Firstly, remember that you’ve already taken the first step by showing an interest in genealogy organising.
This shows curiosity provides you with a fantastic launchpad.
It’s the first step of many, and with each one you take, believe in yourself and trust that you’re capable of learning and growing in this field.
And you probably don’t realise it, but you come to genealogy with existing organising skills (just think about all the home admin/coordination you’ve done over the years!) – so think about your previous experiences and bring those to your journey.
Even if these organising skills aren’t directly related to genealogy, they can still be valuable in helping you determine the best way to organise genealogy research.
So recognise your strengths and use them as a foundation to further develop your skills.
Whether it’s organising genealogy data or organising genealogy documents, it’s a continuous learning process.
Embrace the journey as an opportunity for personal growth and development.
And remember, there’s no such thing as a mistake – they’re just lessons learned.
By believing in yourself and embracing the challenges, you can navigate this journey successfully.
Celebrate Small Steps
Sometimes we get so caught up in our desire for big achievements that we overlook the importance of celebrating the small steps we make along the way.
Remember, that every effort, no matter how modest, is a step in the right direction.
There’s terrific power in celebrating the smaller milestones we achieve – because each small step forward brings us closer to our goals.
It’s important to recognise that progress comes in different shapes and sizes – it’s not always about making grand leaps – it can be as small as dipping your toe in the water.
When we celebrate our small wins, we shift our mindset and embrace a more positive outlook.
Which helps reduce our feelings of overwhelm when we think about the all of our genealogy organising goals.
Having gratitude for small steps helps gain momentum and maintain motivation – even when faced with challenges.
This Is About Progress – Not Perfection!
Instead of striving for perfection, we need to strive for progress.
Progress is about movement – it’s about pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones and embracing accomplishment, no matter how small.
And remember, progress isn’t always linear.
It’s completely normal to experience setbacks or plateaus along the way.
But embrace these moments as opportunities for growth, learning and improvement.
It’s about recognising that no effort is ever wasted – and that there’s gratitude to be found (and enjoyed) in every step.
Share Your Insights
If there’s one thing we genealogists are good at (apart from research!), it’s sharing our ideas and tips with one another.
There’s a glorious spirit of generosity in the genealogy community and it’s something in which we should be grateful and participative.
As family historians, we all have unique insights and knowledge that can benefit others – whether it’s the best genealogy program or the best genealogy storage – or anything in between.
By offering our genealogy organising ideas and tips freely, we contribute to the collective knowledge of the genealogy community and help each other make progress.
And it feels as wonderful helping someone as it feels having someone help us.
(As an aside, if you’d like to join a highly interactive genealogy organising community, we’d love you to come and join us in the Organise Your Genealogy facebook group).
The Law Of Reciprocity
The tremendous upside of sharing and giving to others, is that it activates the ‘Law of Reciprocity’ which is hardwired into our social human brains.
Basically… if you help someone else, they feel compelled to return the favour.
So truly, when you help others, you are also helping yourself.
Your assistance might be as simple as offering a word of encouragement or it might be more indepth when you share helpful genealogy organising resources.
Either way, any genealogy organising tip, idea, resource or support that you can offer helps create a generous flow of reciprocity – and for that, we can be all grateful.
Tidy Up Your Genealogy Space
Genealogy is not just about collecting names and dates – it’s about sharing stories between generations past, present and future.
And importantly, it’s also about creating a space where we can build these familial connections.
I always consider my love of genealogy as a blessing.
The fact that we’re drawn to this fascinating pursuit is a gift in itself – because we’re the ones that get to pay homage to our ancestors and keep their memories alive.
So it’s important to create a space that nurtures and facilitates our family history endeavours.
As part of your gratitude in genealogy organising practice, take time to appreciate your genealogy space by giving it a bit of a ‘spruce up.’
Whether your office is a dedicated room, or a corner of the kitchen table, take a few moments to acknowledge the amazing research you do in this space by giving it a little clean.
It deserves a little tidy up.
Because tidying up your genealogy space goes beyond mere physical organisation – it’s about appreciating your gift, your talent and the work that you undertake on behalf of your family.
Embrace ‘GEN’joyment
GENjoyment is a word I’ve coined to represent the enjoyment of organised genealogy.
There is a certain sense of satisfaction that we get when we see our genealogical records are neatly categorised and organised.
That of course is GENjoyment.
But having organised genealogy is not just about the destination – it’s also about enjoying the the journey.
And that’s too is GENjoyment!
If there is one thing I want you to remember about organising your genealogy, it’s this –
Organising your genealogy is NOT about finding the time.
It’s about finding the joy.
And if you look for the joy – you’ll very often find it!
So viva la GENjoyment – it’s gratitude at its finest.
Use The 2024 Genealogy Organising Planner
Let the 2024 Genealogy Organising Planner help you find the joy of organised genealogy.
While it’s highly practical, it’s equally supportive in nature and may be the resource you need to get started.
And it’s gloriously free (and we all love that of course).
This planner is designed specifically for genealogists who struggle with organising genealogy records and archives.
And best yet, it keeps you motivated and inspired every step of the way because you don’t have to do this on your own…
You have a whole community in the Organise Your Genealogy facebook group who are waiting for you and ready to offer support.
The 2024 Genealogy Organizing Planner is more than just a workbook – it’s a way to get organised, find GENjoyment and connect with a supportive genealogy community.
PS. If you haven’t already, you can download your free 2024 Genealogy Organising Planner from www.genealogyspace.com.
PPS. These posts will assist you when working with the 2024 Genealogy Organising Planner (even though I posted them with the 2023 version).
#1: How To Set An Annual Goal For Your Genealogy Plan
#2: Plan Your Genealogy Quarter-By-Quarter To Achieve Your Goals
#3: Monthly Plans For Genealogy: 5 Simple Steps
#4: Introducing The 1-Page Genealogy Research Plan
#5: Boost Your Genealogy Workflow With This Simple Productivity Template