Feng Shui Tip – How’s Your Chi?
December 17th, 2008Chi…in the realm of Feng Shui, it is the cornerstone…or should I say, more precisely… it is the foundation of this ancient Chinese philosophy. But what is it exactly? Why is it so important?
Have you ever noticed how bogged down, unproductive and tired you feel when working at your desk that is cluttered with files, disorganized paperwork, notes, etc.? Think about how relaxed and happy you feel when you walk into your comfortable, tidy, clean master bedroom. This is good chi. Or the turmoil you feel inside when instead there’s a disaster of littered clothing, an unmade bed, and nightstands piled high with magazines, toiletries and last night’s snacks. This is Sha Chi – the chi we want to change.
Our lives are constantly changing. We’re no longer college students, or newly wed; now we have children in high school and maybe we’re starting a new job. Well, just as we change so does our environment and our relationship with it. Often we don’t notice these changes because we’re so busy with life. Our home seems crowded, our office just never seems to be organized, and the kids’ clothes are not where they belong.
Take a moment to think about the “chi” in your life right now. Does it feel good? Are you feeling worn out and ineffective? Do you feel as though you aren’t making any progress in your life toward your goals like finding a partner, success in your career, increasing your prosperity and maintaining a healthy body?
If you have made changes in your life I’d love to hear your experiences with rearranging areas in your environment and how it made you feel and work better. Or if you’d like to make changes but just haven’t done it yet, share with me an area in which you are struggling where a change in “chi” might be just what is needed.
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:34 am
I am making some big changes in my basement now and it’s turning out to be a bigger job and taking longer than I had hoped. I’m also feeling kind of confused, tired and overwhelmed lately. I guess from what you say my feelings are related to the mess I have below me. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to finish this project. But somehow I’m more confused now about what I want to accomplish than when I started. Do you have any suggestions to help me clear my head and get me moving again?
January 25th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Yes, I know it’s quite a job to tackle a basement. I recently worked with a client and we de-cluttered her basement. It took four months and it made HUGE positive changes in her space and her life. So just know there is good stuff coming if you keep at it.
Some things I can suggest are making a vision board to show how you want the basement to look. If you don’t like to do vision boards, just write it out so you can refer back to it often. Make a schedule to work on your basement every week. And stick to the plan. No matter how you feel. Don’t be hard on yourself and spend too much time there, but 2-3 hours a week will make a huge difference. Get help if you can. Often a friend can help you with sorting and tossing. They have no attachment to your things and so they often help you see more possibilities for de-cluttering and re-arranging your furnishings. And, working with someone occasionally helps ease the tension and feeling of ‘overwhelm’ we all get.
It’s important to clear out the space and actually throw things away, sell them, give them away so you actually have more open space. Don’t keep stuff in a pile and say “I’m throwing this out as soon as I get the rest done”. The act of clearing out the space also works on clearing your thinking at the same time. Your mood will improve, your thoughts will be less scattered and you will be able to better focus on whatever you are doing.
Try these suggestions and keep me posted on your progress.