surround yourself with items you love

Most of us believe that our surroundings should make us feel good.  So why is it that we continue to hold onto items that make us feel otherwise?  I challenge you to walk through your home as though you were seeing it for the first time.  Look objectively at each room and determine if everything in your space lifts you up or drags you down.  Consider the paint colours, the picture frames, the items on your countertop and ask yourself these questions:  Do you love it?  Do you use it?  Does it represent something you wish to have in your life, right now? 

that's feng shui

Recently I was visited by someone whom had never been to my home before;  she knew very little about me, only that I was a feng shui consultant.  Within a short time, she admitted that she was very surprised to see that the décor of my home was not “feng shui”.  In her experience, a home designed by a feng shui consultant would have Buddhas, waiving red cats, Chinese symbols and three legged toads … everywhere.  While we can certainly see those items becoming popular in the design world, if they do not represent your personal style, you do not need to use them. 

In actuality, our home is carefully designed so that my family and I have a comfortable space that can assist us in reaching our goals.  It is reflective of our own personal style and I have used my knowledge of feng shui in order to pull it all together.  I do admit that I have a gong in my dining room that I absolutely love, but every corner is not filled with I-Ching coins, bamboo flutes and firecrackers.  When you enter it, it feels welcoming and comfortable and to me, that’s feng shui. 

do what you love

I wish I could tell you a wonderful story about how I first became interested in feng shui.  The truth is, I’ve been interested in the topic for at least twenty years and I have no idea what first piqued my interest.  In the beginning, I started picking up books and articles on feng shui and slowly began to build my knowledge on the topic.  My friends, family and colleagues started asking me random questions, requesting paint colour recommendations for their homes and advice for redecorating.  Eventually, I was asked how much I would charge to present my knowledge to a group of friends at a fun evening.  What?!?!?  I was so surprised (yet secretly thrilled) that someone would even consider paying me for what I thought was just a fun way to spend my time and decorate my own home.  I immediately told my husband who looked at me with a puzzled look on his face and said, “Well … why aren’t you charging for it?”

I decided that maybe he was right, but I was not willing to charge people for consultations without formal training.  I researched a number of schools and eventually enrolled in a certification course with Leigh and Paul Kubin through the Feng Shui Training Centre in Texas.  Despite all of the knowledge that I already had, I was amazed at how much more there was to learn and I realized that despite the hundreds and hundreds of hours that I was spending on this course in my spare time, I was energized and excited by what I was learning.  This seemingly simple revelation, begs the question, “Why doesn’t everyone do what they love?”