‘Before and After’ pictures…does anyone else get a kick out of them? What is it that is so captivating? Perhaps it’s the mini ‘rags to riches’ story the pictures tell, perhaps it’s the solution to a problem, perhaps it’s a life-long goal finally met that is appealing, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…
A few months ago, as a bit of a neat freak, I was sorely noticing the disarray, misplaced and messy items cluttering our living space. At certain times, such as before a trip, things get cluttered and there’s really nothing to be done. But this was not one of those times and my brain began thinking up plausible and pleasant ways to get the family involved in cleaning everything up.
That’s when I landed on the idea of the ‘Before and After’ game. Quickly, I gathered brothers and sisters together and invited them to play, of course there were some rules. Here’s how it worked: Each person creates their own ‘Before and After’ pictures, documenting them with a camera. There is only one catch, no staging! (You mean no dumping laundry on the floor, snapping the ‘before’ picture picking everything up and capturing the ‘after’? Nope, totally against the rules!)
Guess what? …It worked! Within a matter of minutes things were looking much better. Clothes, shoes, papers, chairs, toothpaste, toys and the like started finding their appropriate places. Offices, counters, floors, desks, mirrors, pictures and such were straightened and looking tidy and the best part? Everyone was having fun! Who knew it could be so much fun to clean house?! Of course, everyone had a great time that evening showing off their ‘Before and After’ pictures.
From a disorderly mess, to a clean and tidy house in a few hours…what a great ‘‘Before and After’!
Even though certain kinds of work are not overly exciting to do, sometimes we can find a way to make it less of a chore. For instance, playing this ‘Before and After’ game certainly made cleaning house a lot of fun. So, next time you’re faced with a monotonous or less than desirable task to be done, try and think of a way that will encourage you and others so the work can be done fun and effectively!
-by Anna McFie
