Feng Shui Tips

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Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Clutter & Creativity

Clutter & Creativity
By Linda Dessau:

"Take a look around you right now. Look away from the computer screen and scan around you – the surface of your desk or table, now scan farther to look at the rest of the room. Close your eyes and imagine the rooms you can’t see from here; particularly the space where you most often work on your creative projects. Take a deep breath and really take in the image. What’s the impact?

If you’re like me, a reformed pack rat and clutter-magnet (and I think many creative people are), you might even find it difficult to breathe - almost like the piles, mess, unwanted and un-useable items are taking up air. Well, they are!

Clutter, essentially anything you don’t need, use or love, affects your creativity on many levels. In your workspace, it’s messy and makes it harder to find and use what you need to get your work done. In your schedule, it creates chaos and a feeling of a lack of time. In your mind, it clogs the pathway to your intuition and feeds fear and self-doubt.

In your heart, it blocks out love and peace by hanging onto negative emotions from the past. In your body, it weighs you down by making it harder to take care of yourself and harder to hear the messages your body sends you. In your relationships, it clouds your communication and affects your ability to give and receive.

This article will give you come clues for how to spot clutter in your life, and tips on how to begin clearing it out.

Do you have physical clutter?

1. Do you spend a lot of time looking for things when you’re trying to work?

2. Do you feel uninspired, or even dragged down, by what you see around you in your workspace?

3. Does the clutter distract you by reminding you of things you need to do (broken things that need to be fixed, half-finished projects, unanswered mail, unpaid bills)?

4. Are there things in your workspace that you haven’t looked at in years?

5. Does anything in your workspace remind you of unpleasant experiences?

Creative energy needs space. While some of the artists I spoke to when writing my book, “The Creativity Interviews” (http://www.genuinecoaching.com/creativity-interviews.html), seemed to thrive in chaos and busy-ness, most equated creative flow with a peaceful serenity surrounded by open time and open space.

Aside from space and freedom from clutter in our “home base” (the workspace where we write routinely), sometimes it’s OUT THERE that we actually do our best work. Riding on trains, sitting in cafés or surrounded by nature.

Do you have time clutter?

On any given day:

1. Are there many things you did that you didn’t enjoy doing?

2. Are there many things you did that you didn’t need to do?

3. Are there many things you did that didn’t do you any good (maybe even did you harm)?

The clutter in our schedules can lead to a chaotic life while things just seem to “happen” to us.

Do you have mental clutter?

1. Are you distracted by thoughts while you’re trying to write?

2. Do you criticize yourself in your own mind?

3. Do you spend time re-playing conversations or events?

4. Do you spend time speculating about future events?

Sometimes the chatter in our minds is constant and difficult to decipher. Other times there are the same boorish and loud messages over and over again – messages like “You can’t do it!”, or, “You’re no good!”. All of them are distracting and make it much more difficult to hear our muse.

Do you have emotional clutter?

1. Do you “brood” about arguments long after they’ve happened?

2. Do you hold grudges?

3. Do you spend a lot of time focusing on the things in your life that you don’t like?

Emotional clutter stems from the same pack-rat habit of not wanting to let go. Instead of hanging onto an old sweater missing a button, it’s hanging onto an old emotion. Once an emotion is over, it’s over, unless we choose to hang onto it. That’s a powerful ability we have – to either stay enraged, sad or anxious over something that happened three days ago, or three YEARS ago, or let go and give ourselves the freedom.

Do you have relationship clutter?

1. Is there someone in your address book that you’d like to let go of?

2. Do you find it hard to concentrate and listen intently to people?

3. Do you find it hard to be open to what other people are offering you (i.e. the appreciation of your audience or a compliment from a friend)?

4. Do you find it difficult to freely give (i.e. to perform without being preoccupied with your own thoughts)?

5. Do you say “yes” to everything that’s asked of you?

Sometimes we hold on to broken relationships for the same reasons we hold on to broken things: because we think they can be fixed (and that we’re actually going to take the steps to fix them), and because they’re familiar and safe.

The clutter in the rest of your life blocks your communication – it’s just too hard to listen with your whole heart when there are layers of clutter in the way. This affects your inner listening as well – your ability to tune into your intuition, your “muse”. Stage fright is a BIG form of clutter.

Is clutter impacting your health?

1. Are you “too busy” to exercise?

2. Is fast food easier because you can’t find your kitchen counter?

3. Do you exhaust yourself with a busy day and then putter around trying to “wind down” until late in the evening?

4. Do you not notice (or pretend not to notice) symptoms of illness or injury until they’re so severe that you have to take drastic measures?

5. Do you have a hard time falling asleep because your mind is whirling around or your emotions are surging?

If we’re surrounded by clutter and chaos, things like eating vegetables or walking around the block just don’t seem do-able or important. And yet if we don’t take care of our bodies everything else becomes much, much harder and can lead to fatigue, illness, trouble concentrating, pain, addiction and weight problems.

Tips for Clearing the Clutter

1. If you’re serious about tackling your physical clutter, I recommend the book, “Clear your clutter with Feng Shui”, by Karen Kingston. She has wonderful ideas for clearing your clutter and also helps you to have a much deeper awareness of how the clutter got into your life in the first place.

2. One simple method to get the physical clutter out is to create three piles (boxes are helpful), labeled: Give away, Throw away and Put away. You can add other categories if you like (i.e. recycling, repair).

3. To quiet down your mental clutter, try writing. In the Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron recommends writing three full pages every morning. Find your own method – write to do lists, poems, lists of everyone you’re mad at, talk back to your inner critic, write about whatever’s swirling around your hear. You can also write down questions for your muse – help with a particular verse or a request for general inspiration.

4. To deal with your time clutter, just say “NO”. This is a muscle that might need some exercising. Put yourself and your creative pursuits first – just because you’re at home, that doesn’t mean you have to be available.

5. If emotional clutter has your heart tied up in knots, practice letting go. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean condoning what they’ve done. It means freeing yourself and being open to positive emotional experiences.

6. To improve your relationship with your audience and combat relationship clutter, think about what they’re hoping to get from your performance – maybe to be transported by the music, to be inspired, to have their feelings put into words, to be soothed, to be “rocked”, to be energized or to be cradled. You have an enormous power to give them these gifts.

This article was originally published on the Muses Muse Songwriter’s Resource website (September 2004) http://www.musesmuse.com.

© Copyright 2005, Genuine Coaching Services. All rights reserved.

Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach, helps artists enhance their creativity by addressing their unique self-care issues. To receive her free monthly newsletter, “Everyday Artist”, subscribe at http://www.genuinecoaching.com/artist-newsletter.html"


Clutter?! Ha! If I had to submit to a clutter audit I'd flunk for sure! Most of it is mine and a lot of it is just work mess. I really do have the best of intentions but I never seem to get around to doing anything about it, somehow clutter seems to get in the way of me making any improvements! This article gave me some good ideas so I help it help you too.

Sam, Feng Shui Tips

Are You In or Out of Balance?

Are You In or Out of Balance?
By Suzee Miller:

"CLUTTER: When clutter starts to accumulate in an environment, imbalance in our personal, professional and social lives always follows. This can range from health and financial challenges to struggle and conflict with friends, family, co workers, affiliates, as well as with buyers and sellers. Feng Shui is the communication that takes place everyday between you and your environment. At a glance, take a look at your home, office, desk, car and briefcase and check to see if you are in or out of balance!

DE-CLUTTERING: This is the first step in reclaiming your health, vitality, energy and business! Creating a sense of harmony and peace in your space will reflect the same in your life and career. Consciously letting go of "things" that no longer serve your highest good, will invigorate and energize your personal Ch'i, and empower you to attract blessings, abundance, health, wealth and good fortune in your life.

FENG SHUI...
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

"Should I include porches and decks in the Ba-gua when I Feng Shui my listings?"

If a porch or deck completes the Ba-gua square (eliminates a missing corner or qua section) then, yes, include it. If it extends beyond the Ba-gua and is less that 50% of the width, then do not include it. The later scenario is called an "Extension" and is considered a fortunate blessing for the occupants.

"Given the choice to face one of my power directions at work vs. sitting in one of my best gua areas, what would you advise me to do?" Good question. Although some Feng Shui Masters would disagree with me, I would definitely honor at least 2 out of your four "empowerment" directions, at all times, when working or talking to significant others. Also, some Masters believe the sitting direction is more important than the ("eyes") facing direction. I believe the facing direcition is the most powerful school of all. Aligning yourself with your power directions will help to reduce stress and eliminate wasted time in the day. If you are lucky enough to sit "facing" 3 out of four of your best directions, it's possible to reduce your work time by a third, too. This phenomenon is based on magnetic energy alignment. Each human being has four out of eight magnetic "compass" directions that support them in almost every aspect of their lives. (Click onto www.chiquiz.com to find out your personal power element)

"How can I tell if a house has good or bad Feng Shui?"

The answer to this question is both simple and complex. The perfect form/shape of a house in Feng Shui is square or rectangular with no missing corners. However in Classical Feng Shui, we believe that the "unseen" energy inside a property will either support or deplete the Ch'i of the occupants. This is based on many factors ranging from "compass" sitting/facing directions, year constructed, your year of birth, whether you are an East or West Group person, the compass direction of main doors and bedrooms, as well as the location and shape of the land and building too. To embrace Feng Shui from a Classical perspective like this, requires a consultation with someone who practices both Traditional and Western Feng Shui.

"What is your 5 Element Business System all about? There is a gal in my office who had you Feng Shui her office last year and teach her this and now she is number one in our office, but she won't share anything with me, it's like some kind of big secret."

I'm happy, but not surprised, to hear she made #1!! However, I am sad to hear that your associate is not willing to share her success story with you and others. There is an "endless supply" of abundance in the Universe for everyone to tap in to, even within the same real estate office; therefore, it's impossible for competition to hurt anyone.

My 5EBS is not difficult to learn, and it is not a secret. It's a powerful color code system based on the "productive cycle" of five Chinese elements that when used properly, magnetizes business to you. This system is effective in any industry. It's our most sought after consultation; it's called the COMBO (a 2 hour recorded phone consultation) and includes the Feng Shui of your office, desk and learning a 5 Element Business System that supports high volume sales. This consultation has helped hundreds of Realtors® triple their existing sales and income in record time. However, because the 5EBS is designed to honor each individual's or company's visions and goals, it is impossible to duplicate the 5EBS on CD, thus the reason why it is done by consultation, one-on-one. (click onto the Consultation link at www.FengShui4RE.com for more information or to read a few Real Estate testimonials)

"I have a listing that won't sell, what can you do to help me sell this property fast before the listing expires in 30 days?"

Believe it or not, 90% of the time, it's the Ch'i of the land that needs to be Feng Shui'd more than the house to get it SOLD. Western Ba-gua, the simplest school to learn, is the easiest and fastest way to Feng Shui and sell a difficult or hard to sell listing. You can learn how to do this, step-by-step, on your own with our REALTOR® EMPOWERMENT program. It's fun and the results are fast and dynamic, and your sellers will love it too. You can order this unique marketing and sale program online at www.FengShui4RE.com by clicking onto the Product link. After learning this program, it will take you less than ONE hour to Feng Shui your listing!! Also, super star agents around the world are proactively Feng Shui'n all their listings today, even when they know they are going to sell quickly, because Feng Shui'd properties act like magnets to attract buyer, seller and referral business, effortlessly.

"Someone told me that single women artwork in my bedroom is affecting my ability to find a mate, is this true?"

Feng Shui is the language of symbols, colors and metaphors (among other things). Thus if you are single and desirous of a partner in life, this would be an inappropriate placement. Pairs of things would help to pull in partners i.e.. artwork of lovers kissing, dancing etc. would certainly enhance your odds. However, I have found that many clients, both male and female, with single object artwork in their living environment, are often times more "ambivalent" than desirous of a relationship. Thus the fourth realm of INTENTION always rules! You would benefit greatly by listening to TeleSeminar CD# 2 LIKE GRAVITY you Don't have Believe in Feng Shui for it to Work!!

"I've listened to your REALTOR® EMPOWERMENT program several times and think it's TERRIFIC! I also Feng Shui my listings using your program, and they all have sold!!! I love Feng Shui and it's amazing how both my life and career have changed since using your unique methods. Thank you so much!! I can't wait to learn more, can you tell me what books I should read or do next?"

Congratulations!! It sounds like you are ready for advanced Feng Shui! I suggest you join our monthly interactive Feng Shui TeleSeminar series. Classes have begun and are open for registration. If you are unable to participate LIVE, you can purchase this seminar and those you have already missed on CD or MP3 at www.FengShuiTeleSeminars.com All of our CD TeleSeminars include handouts that you can retrieve on line as well. This advanced course is presented in sequential order, so there is still plenty of time for you to catch up.

With Peace and Blessings,
SUZEE MILLER
Feng Shui Paradigms
www.FengShuiParadigms.com
800-499-7844

Feng Shui is not superstition, philosophy or a religion. It is the art and science of living in harmony with our interior and exterior environments. Suzee Miller is a nationally recognized expert on Feng Shui principles and their applications in business and real estate. She has authored 17 audio programs on Feng Shui and appears as a frequent guest on radio and television talk shows. Dedicated to healing the planet and to empowering people, Suzee is fast becoming the most sought after Feng Shui speaker and consultant in the nation."


I'm definately NOT in balance. If I were a washing machine I'd be banging against the sides and making a terrible noise and you'd probably come running to see what the noise was and to stop the machine before it destroyed itself.

How about you? How are you doing? Is your life in balance or are you a toy boat in a 5 year olds bathtub? Sometimes it's not possible to escape turbulence (anyone thats been on an airplane will know that it's not always possible to go around and sometimes you just have to slam through and pray you survive).

I hope this article offers you some help!

Sam, Feng Shui Tips