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What is Feng Shui and Why Do I Care?
Feng Shui is
the art of balancing and harmonizing the flow of
natural energies in our surroundings to create
beneficial effects in our lives. These natural
energy flows must be able to move about freely
to have a good flow of life force energy in your
home and workplace.
Blocking this
flow causes the energy to get stuck. And your
life will get stuck along with the flow.
Clutter is one of the biggest obstacles to flow
of energy. So if you have clutter in your home
or workplace, you are blocking the flow of good
energy.
CLUTTER
The problem with clutter:
·
Energy stagnates when clutter accumulates—the natural flow is blocked,
causing energy to be blocked and become stagnant
also.
·
Clutter can make you feel tired or lethargic—energy cannot flow freely
if blocked by clutter. Unblocking the energy
flow by clearing the clutter will transfer that
energy to you.
·
Saving clutter can keep you in the past—holding on to the past will
keep you in the past. Letting go of the past
will allow you to move forward with your life.
·
Having clutter can affect your body weight—overweight people often have
fears buried deep inside them and use their
weight as protection from those fears.
·
Having clutter can make you procrastinate—clutter stagnates your
energy, making it difficult to do anything.
·
Having clutter can cause disharmony—if you live or work with clutter
around you and others don’t, you may impede
their progress or slow them down, causing
disharmony.
·
Having clutter can depress you—clutter stagnates energy, and feelings
of hopelessness are compounded by this clutter.
By clearing clutter, you are clearing the way
for something new to come into your life.
·
Having clutter can put your life on hold—are you putting off a vacation
or move or job promotion because of the clutter
in your life? Clear the clutter and move on.
·
Having clutter can be a health hazard—besides the fire hazard it can
create, it can also affect your physical, mental
and emotional health.
·
Having clutter can be a financial burden—think of all the money you
spend maintaining your clutter. Is it worth
paying a large mortgage on a large home to house
your junk?
Why do we keep clutter?
·
We think we may need it someday—but if that day hasn’t come in five
years, is it really worth keeping?
·
It identifies you—if you didn’t keep all those trophies and photos, how
would anyone know the real you? Yet you aren’t
identified by what you own—rather by who you
are.
·
Status symbol—how often have you purchased something for yourself or
your children merely because your neighbor or a
family member purchased it? But you don’t stop
there, you have to get more than one, or the
next best model. We have become a materialistic
society, forgetting about the true worth of
life.
·
A sense of security—we are brainwashed by advertisers telling us we
need their products, otherwise our lives are
incomplete. And our basic nesting instincts
want to create that perfect, secure home.
·
Because that’s the way mom and dad did it—how often do we inherit the
habits of our parents? They kept everything, so
it must be okay for me to keep everything.
The benefits of clearing clutter:
·
Cleaning up your clutter can clean up your life—lose bad habits, lose
weight.
·
You are your home—everything around you mirrors your inner self. So by
changing your home, you can change your life.
·
Emotional freedom—to do those things you were always afraid to do.
Identifying clutter
·
Things you do not use or love—things you enjoy or love have vibrant,
joyous energies around them. Things you don’t
will stagnate that energy and bring you down.
·
Things that are untidy or disorganized—being disorganized can create
stress and confusion in your life.
·
Too many things in a small space—could you breathe if you were
surrounded by clutter from head to toe? Neither
can your home.
·
Anything unfinished—any unfinished project clutters your psyche or
mind.
Clearing the clutter
·
Identify the clutter—whether it’s paper, things or emotions.
o
Things you no longer use
o
Unwanted gifts
o
Things you don’t like
o
Things that need fixing
o
Doubles of things
o
Inheritances
o
Mystery or unidentifiable items
o
Empty boxes
·
Clear the clutter
o
Do it at your own pace
o
Do it anytime of day or night—what works best for you
o
Set out boxes for sorting
o
Begin small
o
Remember it’s safe to let go
o
Dispose, discard or return
o
Treat yourself when you are done
·
Maintaining the space
o
Find a logical place for everything—keep like items together
o
Use the filing cabinet for filing
o
Store what you don’t use often
o
Stop clutter before it starts again
·
Stop yourself and think before buying something
·
Empty the wastebaskets on a regular basis
·
Don’t procrastinate
·
Hire a professional
Clearing mental and emotional clutter
·
Stop worrying
·
Stop judging—yourself and others
·
Stop gossiping
·
Stop complaining
·
Tidy up loose ends
·
Catch up on correspondence
·
Clear your calendar
·
De-clutter your mind for restful sleep
·
Keep up to date with everything
As you read
this, you may think this is either impossible or
too overwhelming for you. The important thing
to remember is that you can start small. Every
little bit can make a difference. And after a
while, every little bit will make a big
difference! Don’t get discouraged, and you will
accomplish you goal for a healthy, prosperous
life.
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