focus

My grandfather always kept his car in spotless condition.  He believed that the state of his vehicle displayed to the world how well he took care of everything else.  While I definitely try to keep my vehicle clean and maintained, hockey trips and vacations somehow equate to McDonald’s French fries underneath the back seat.  Yes, busy lives mean we tend to let some things go.  This year, I am focusing on … well … focusing.  To me, that means being conscious of how I spend my time, my energy, my money, what I eat and basically being in control of my life, not the other way around.  In order for me to do that, my environment must mirror that;  it must be as simplified, orderly and as in control as possible.  So, while I will always continue to carefully consider the items that I surround myself with, this year I have decided to place additional emphasis on cherishing not just the items in my environment, but the spaces themselves.  This includes an always clean vehicle that is French fry-free.  Are you cherishing your spaces?

the resolution

I admit that I too, am guilty of making the New Year’s Resolution that is not possible for me to maintain:  “I will go to the gym every day for one whole year” or “I resolve to never drink coffee again”.  Rather than swear off making resolutions, I have revamped the way I view this New Year’s tradition.  Now, over the course of the holidays I reflect back on my accomplishments of the past year and I begin to set various goals for myself that I wish to achieve in the upcoming year.  Once I’ve set those specific goals for myself, I look to my space and “feng shui it” so that I can reach those goals. 

You may be thinking, “Haven’t you already feng shui’d your space?” and the answer is, "Of course I have", but it is an ever-evolving process.  When you set a new goal for yourself, you can make some minor changes to your space that will support you in reaching that goal.  I always say that feng shui is like a vision board for your home;  your vision board changes as your goals do and so can your environment.

According to several websites, the most popular New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight in 2012.  If you are one of those people, here are a few feng shui tips that will assist you in keeping that resolution:

- section your home or work space into 9 equal parts like a tic-tac-toe board.  The middle sector represents your health and well-being.  The elements for this area are earth which represents stability and groundedness and sun which represents vibrancy and life.  Clear out all the clutter and sweep the area;

- add a healthy plant to this area and nurture it

- add items in earth tones, earth materials or square objects to this space

- add yellow items (if it works with the colours in your home) to represent the sun

- write down your goals onto a piece of paper and place it somewhere in this space (even tack it to the back of a picture where it is unseen)

- now take a step back and objectively look at this space.  Ensure that everything in it reminds you of being healthy

That’s a great start… good luck and Happy New Year!