Well here’s a great article courtesy of Kathryn Weber, the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine on how to get what you want in life by… drumroll please… creating space for it. 

How to get what you want in life by creating space for it

In today’s shopaholic world, we have a tendency to hang on to too much stuff. Our homes and offices are jammed with equipment, clothing, papers, and all those bargains we haul home from the mall.

The problem, though, everyone says, is the clutter. Actually, the real problem is not the stuff, it’s the lack of space.

When we don’t have space, there’s nowhere to grow and no room for anything new.

 Instead, we experience more stuffing and filling versus positive, beneficial growth.

Recently, I was consulting on a large commercial project. The architect recommended that the client leave some empty space for future expansion. I told the architect that was a brilliant idea.

Too often no one plans for growth and expansion and then has to worry about where to grow and where to go. Instead, what happens is a too-small space gets rearranged and more crammed with time.

Some time ago, I lost some weight. My clothes no longer fit. As I stood in the closet looking at my old clothes, my thought was that I wanted a closet full of beautiful new clothes that fit my new size and projected my new, slimmer image.

That’s when it occurred to me that I couldn’t have what I wanted until I got rid of what I didn’t want. So, I took a hard look at all my old, now-baggy outdated clothes and began pulling them out to throw away or give to charity. My closet now had space — space to grow and get what I wanted instead of being filled to capacity with what I didn’t want.

Soon after, I stumbled on a huge sale at a pricey boutique with bargain basement prices on some fabulous clothes. I bought almost $1000 worth of great clothes that had been slashed to $9.99 and $14.99 and $19.99. So, at those prices, I was able to fill my closet with gorgeous clothes — and matching accessories. I was in heaven. Now, I go in my closet and can’t wait to get dressed, knowing I have so much to choose from

The point is to be thoughtful about what it is you want in your life.  Is it more money, more opportunities, more friends?  If so, you can take a big step in the direction of what you want simply by creating the space for it. 

Here are six ways you can get what you want by creating the space for it.

1. Want more business or career opportunities?

Clear off the front of your desk. Keep the area in front of your desk open and clear. Are you committing a feng shui sin and facing the wall at your desk? Turn it around and put your desk in an executive position so that you are not facing an obstacle or block. A wall in front of you stunts your growth.  Make sure your front entry is beautiful, open, and uncluttered.  This invites opportunities to you.

2. Do you want more wealth?

Set aside a binder and label it “Investments.”  Even if you don’t have any investments, this is where you’re going to put your information once you start them.  Call your investment person and ask how you can get started slowly on building some investments, with a DRIP (dividend reinvestment program) for example, that you can pay a small monthly amount into. Then, make your wealth accumulation an obligation, like a bill, and put money regularly into your investment.  That’s the secondary secret to wealth:  consistency.

Sweep the sidewalks and clear out the southeast corner of your living room and the garden too. Keep your wallet orderly. Be respectful of your money and don’t just wad it up and ram it in your purse or wallet. Clear out your financial files and shred old, unnecessary items.  The last step, and perhaps the most important, make space for your accumulated wealth. 

3. Do you want better health?

Clean out your pantry, cupboards, refrigerator and freezer.  Old food represents stagnant energy — and that leads to stagnant health.  Use organizers in your pantry and refrigerator to help you keep food organized, easy to find, and accessible. 

Don’t allow food in your home to become old, outdated, or worse, moldy.  Clean the refrigerator out every time you go to the grocery store.  Throw away those jelly jars with a teaspoon of jam at the bottom.  A good clearing out and cleaning of your refrigerator will help you find items faster — and help your health.

4. Do you feel pressured and stressed?

Clear our your closets and drawers and be ruthless. Those hidden messes create pressure and stress. Get rid of “obligation” articles and furniture. Stuff you feel guilty about getting rid of creates an environment of guilt — who can grow in that? And watch those “collectibles.” Really, do you need 242 ceramic clowns?

5. Looking for love to enter your life?

Stop hogging the bed and sleep on the correct side (women on the right, men on the left as you are in the bed). Clear out a space in the closet for your new love and have two nightstand tables and matching lamps in anticipation of a love interest to come into your life.

6. Want more friends and social opportunities?  

Create some open space for what you want to happen in your life and cram the space for what you don’t want (like using a small basket to hold your bills). You might be surprised at how open space can attract what you want in your life simply by giving you the room to grow.

Open up the south corner of your home.  Throw the curtains open, take the clutter out of the corners of this sector and throw away old papers, magazines, and any excess.  Put a healthy, lush plant in its place.  Move the furniture around and take up a carpet if you have one here.  This will speed up the chi in the room to make the phone ring with invitations from friends!

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter Feng Shui E-zine and certified feng shui consultant in classical Chinese feng shui. Kathryn helps her readers improve their lives and generate more wealth with feng shui.

For more information and to receive her FREE Ebook “Easy Money – 3 Steps to Building Massive Wealth with Feng Shui” visit www.redlotusletter.com and learn the fast and fun way how feng shui can make your life more prosperous and abundant!

Makes you feel like tossing some clutter, doesn’t it!

If you want to learn the secrets to Declutter Fast… and who doesn’t… check out this book.

Post from: Queen of KAOS - Living Clean...

Empty Space is Good Feng Shui

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I notice now that I work away from home how much I appreciate my time at home.

When I’m feeling stressed from not having enough time, I stop and remember that anything I do over the next few hours is a gift - bonus time.

If you have your health and love in any form in your life, you are rich beyond measure.

 (Tip: love is something you feel and give. It’s in the little things as well as the big. Having love in your life is completely up to you.)

When I’m at work, I appreciate that too, because I love my job for many reasons and all the great people I come in contact with every day.

There is something good in almost anything you have to do.

If not, do it and get it over with so that you don’t have to waste any more time on it.

And consider not doing it anymore – or finding a way to get some help.

Bottomline, time is a gift that is yours to enjoy – sometimes (often!) it’s a matter of adjusting your own attitude to enable you to enjoy it.

And time is free! All you have to do is breathe it in and enjoy it.

Take a minute right now to appreciate the time that you have in this minute, no matter what you are doing.

If you are here and breathing, which I’m assuming you are if you’re reading right now, today is a gift.

Enjoy it!

Post from: Queen of KAOS - Living Clean...

Time Is a Gift

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Since it’s Family Day here in Canada today I thought I’d post an idea or two.

1. Dance! Kids and Moms (and even some Dads!) love to dance. Put on your favourite tunes and have an imprompto dance party.

2. Bake something together. My kids usually like this because it means that they are getting something good to eat.

You can make it even more fun by dancing while you bake!

Just be careful not to burn yourself or drop anything.

And be sure to record your recipe so that you can start a family tradition and make it next time – or tweak it if it doesn’t turn out quite right… It doesn’t have to take a long time to do this.

Here are a few of my own healthy recipes with chocolate chips to increase the fun factor - follow the links at the bottom of each post for more…

Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins

http://queenofkaos.com/home/easy-meal-planning/healthy-homemade-muffin-recipes/banana-chocolate-chip-muffins/

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://queenofkaos.com/home/easy-meal-planning/healthy-homemade-cookie-recipes-easy-meal-planning/chocolate-chip-cookies/

(I’m getting hungry)

3. You can probably tell that I’m extremely popular among my children as I think that playing Get It Done Games are a fun way to spend quality family time :0)

If you would like to spend some productive quality time with your family but don’t know what to do, here are a few Get It Done Games that you can choose one or a few from.

20 Minute Match Game

http://queenofkaos.com/home/get-it-done-games/20-minute-match-game/

Beat the Clock Game

http://queenofkaos.com/home/get-it-done-games/beat-the-clock/

5 Things Numbers Game

http://queenofkaos.com/home/get-it-done-games/5-things-numbers-game/

Double Day Game

http://queenofkaos.com/home/get-it-done-games/double-day-game/

Today Would Be a Great Day If Game

http://queenofkaos.com/home/get-it-done-games/today-would-be-a-great-day-if-game/

You may want to tweak some of these to be more suitable (ie. fun) as a Family Day activity, but they may give you some great ideas and possibly allow you to get a few things done too. (do remember that the emphasis is on the fun today – the productivity is an optional bonus.)

Share your tweaks in the comments section!

A few other things that you may want to do?

4.  Feed the birds. If you don’t have a bird feeder, you can make a nice one using an old milk carton here (I made this one at Christmas, it is still hanging but I didn’t have a glue gun so it has lost some of it’s decorations. I am making a new one for spring.)

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/make-recycled-bird-feeder-710474/

You can get a lot more craft ideas here as well.

5. Go for a walk. It is a magnificent day here. If it is at your place too, grab the kids and go for a nice long walk today. Take the dog before you attempt activity number 5 below.

6. Wash the dog. Hey, dogs are people too!

Maybe your children might like the idea of washing and brushing Fido. Once he’s all spiffed up, maybe he can join the fun as an honorable member on family day too – muttering the words ‘aren’t you a pretty boy/girl will always liven up any occasion and lighten the mood. (OK, this may not be the most thrilling of family day activities, but since I’ve got to wash my dog today, I thought you might want to do it too!)

7. Snuggle up and read a book. If your kids are older, you can all read your own book. If they are younger enjoy this time with time and read them a few stories – with conviction! (one of my favourite memories of story time is way back when I used to read to my son – he is 21 now so his Barney days are sadly over – I was innocently reading thinking I was doing a bang up job when he piped in and said, “Mom, why don’t you read with conviction??

Turns out his grade one teacher was coaching them on how to read with conviction.

To this day he is a very passionate speaker, I still think that I have his grade one teacher to thank!)

8. If you have a sister (or can borrow one) have a or relative with kids who you enjoy spending time with, make it a point to go over and visit them today or have them over at your house.

My sister has 5 kids. The memories of visiting them when they were little are still some of my most precious.

You never know what life is going to bring. My sister moved away when they where all still children so I’m glad that I used to spend a lot of time inviting myself over to her house!

9. Make a nice meal and sit down at the dinner table together to eat it.

10. Watch a movie or two. Wind down the day with a full out relaxation time watching a good movie together.

 I think it’s highly underated as a family activity, especially if it’s an occasional event.

And especially if the munchies are good.

What we are eating now? Tortillia chips with melted cheese and salsa. Yum!

11. Just chill! Relax. Don’t worry about an agenda. Spend today enjoying all that you are as a family and be thankful for the home that you have created, (even if your kids are older and out with their friends). These are the good old days and Family Day come only once a year.

What not to do?

Don’t spend the day surfing around on the internet!

Shut down and enjoy the day.

BTW, if you don’t have an official Family Day or if your work place doesn’t give you the day off, celebrate it anyway.

Family Day is a concept that is not ruled by anyone but you ultimately.

In reality, every day is Family Day. Don’t miss out…

Post from: Queen of KAOS - Living Clean...

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I was feeling extremely stressed.

After examining my feelings for a few minutes, an extremely handy thing to do if you find yourself feeling stressed – many times we just roll with it and don’t take the time, but if you can pinpoint where it is coming from beyond the surface symptom – many times that will be a major step to removing it from your life.

In my case I made a huge discovery that will indeed help me to remove a major stressor.

It is the theme that I have allowed to cloud my mindset for many years (probably since I had my first child 21 years ago!)

The theme?

NO TIME

I found that I had a thought loop running in the background, maybe not so far back, that I had no time to tackle this major project.

Partly because I had turned it into a mountain for a very long time in my refusal to make a start at it even though I knew that it was the first step in making my home office more functional and to enable me to begin a few important projects (that I couldn’t find things I needed to start because they were lost in ‘the pile’.)

Sound familiar?

And partly because I didn’t want to take the time. I wanted to do other things on my list.

Things that felt like better progress than this.

Things that could not be put off and were waiting for me.

Once I realized that I was creating my own stress, it was a lot easier.

And I realized that the concept of having no time was all in my head.

I had lots of time, I just had to decide how I wanted to use it.

I really did want to get that closet cleaned out, even if it meant some unpleasantness to do it.

Easier is not always better, that’s my motto!

In examining my thoughts, acknowledging them and TAKING the time to thinking things through, in the end I gave myself permission to TAKE the time to do this.

Are you seeing a theme here? It’s true, many times the fix is to realize that if you want the time, you have to not only make it, but you have to TAKE it.

If you are alive, there is no such thing as no time.

If you find yourself stuck in this mindset try adding one word…

NO TIME LIMIT

You have a lifetime.

Do you feel more free already? 

The key is not to limit your time by creating an invisible wall spray painted with the words No Time.

The key is take a deep breath and realize that your time – your life – is yours.

Give yourself permission to live in this moment – to enjoy it – what ever it is.

If you want a clean closet - what’s stopping you?

PS: If you’d like to follow my progress, join me in my new Fresh Start program and check out my iShine Community blog.

Post from: Queen of KAOS - Living Clean...

No Time

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4. What CAN You Do?

It’s simple.

Decide on 3 things you’d like to do – probably the first three that pop into your head – they will be the things that are likely nagging you the most.

Write them down.

Put a time limit beside each one.

Set your timer for the first item on your list.

Go!

That’s it.

Why not give it a try right now?

Post from: Queen of KAOS - Living Clean...

Doing the 3 Step

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