The key to building a rock solid foundation is to become AWARE of your environments. You are the product of your environments. Therefore, it only makes sense to intentionally design them to be supportive, inspiring and stimulating. Your immediate environments include the Physical, the Self, Family, Friends, Relationships, Nature, Finance and the Spiritual - Success begins with you and the environments you create.
For many years,
I have been on a journey of discovery. Discovery of the self, my environments and beyond. It has been a journey of continuous learning, which has led me to the most exciting revelation that every single human being has - it is within - the power to be who he or she wants to be. Most of us are nowhere near our true potential.
This revelation in itself filled me with the passion to discover how we can go about being the person we want to be, having what we want to have, doing what we want to do and achieve our life goals, no matter what our present circumstances.
Why do some people seem to have it all, while others struggle? Have you ever wondered how someone, less talented than you, seems to be doing far better in life? How do they do it? Are they just lucky or have they reached their potential and you have not? That is not the reason; a lot of it has to do with attitude, the energy we exude and a willingness to face fears, which is a by-product of our internal and external environments.
If we really want to reach our full potential we need to dig deep and look at the many aspects of building a solid foundation or how I like to put it "creating an environment for a strong root system that allows us to evolve in a powerful way." The taller we want to stand the stronger the root system needs to be so that as you begin to grow you are not blown over by even the smallest storm.
A strong root requires space and room to grow; the soil needs to be prepared to plant the seed. This means getting to work on clearing and uncluttering your home and office space. This will free your energy - that's right - clear the way to let the new you evolve. Have you ever been to a seminar that you felt was life changing? Then you came home with all these new tools to make a fresh start, only to find that you are back to where you were before 3 days later? Why? Your environment was not conducive for the new you.
I cannot stress this enough! You can't function when you are surrounded by clutter! Stuff you have not looked at in years, clothes that are not in mint condition, no longer fit or don't look good on you. Books in the basement that have not been picked up or looked at in years, equipment that is not working, a house or office with bad lighting.
Clutter is a funny thing... it has a life of its own and seriously zaps your energy. When you leave the house or office - guess what? - it comes along. It's cluttering up your mind, which affects your stress level and your well being.
T.R. Raphael said in his book Feng Shui Step by Step:
"Your home breathes like a living body. Its breath...comes in and out through the doors and windows and flows through corridors and rooms. When it flows unobstructedly, it imparts the sensations of ease and comfort. But when its flow is obstructed due to clutter, the opposite happens: [it] becomes obstructed, the elements in your body become unbalanced, and your health and affairs suffer."
I have used the Feng Shui principles of placement at the office and the home and both spaces now exude a feeling of comfort and stimuli.
To get you started I'd like to share a tool with you that will rid you of some of the debris in your physical environment. Take it one step (or leap) at a time.
Don't be stressed, take a deep breathe and here we go:
1. Go through your house, room-to-room, basement, garage, etc., twice at each level.
The first time, throw out all items that are of no value to anyone and are broken.
The second time, pull the items that have some value, but no longer to you. Donate these to your favorite charity. Repeat this process until there is nothing around that you do not need.
2. Go through the same process at your office.
Take a look at your files. Files have to be well organized for fast retrieval. In this fast moving world, you can't afford to get frustrated and overwhelmed, disorganized documentation impedes progress and de-motivates.
3. Free yourself of the frustration of broken equipment at home and the office.
Are your appliances, machinery, equipment, car working well? Notice immediately when something is in less than good order. Repair or replace it immediately or have an expert do it for you.
4. Upgrade your computer, your tools and equipment on a regular basis (within budget).
5. Examine the lighting at your home and office.
Good lighting plays an important role for your well-being especially for people who suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) in the winter months.
6. Now, take a look at your clothes.
Do they fit, are they out of date, are they in good repair and most of all do they make YOU look terrific?
Take your time! Look at this process for what it is - a positive move to simplify your life. Address whichever area is most important to you right now.
Success with one single area will already help you feel more complete and you'll be eager to address the other areas. Then you'll have the clarity to arrange the contents in your home and office the way it suits YOU. You will begin to have more and more energy, which will open the door to ridding your other environments of the less than perfect aspects.
