How to Manifest Your Goals with 10 Feng Shui Fixes
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When we’re feeling stuck in a rut and are unhappy with our lives, we turn to different modalities to inspire change (e.g. business coaches, therapists, home organizers, shamans, etc. etc.). Or perhaps we just pull the covers over ourselves and hope that sleeping the day away might be the answer (we’re catching up on our beauty sleep, right?!).
No matter what you wish to alter about your current life situation, in order to transform your life you must first give attention to your surroundings. As energetic beings, we respond to the energy of our environment more than we realize. If your neighbor likes to play house music until 3 am, your mental health (and hearing!) might suffer as a result. Conversely, if you live above a bakery, the smell of fresh bread wafting through your window might comfort you and keep you very hungry.
When we transform our surroundings, we’re getting all our ducks in a row on the home front. We’re telling the universe that we’re not messing around this time. Transforming your space is often the first step on your journey to personal transformation. And when I say transform your space, I’m not talking about fleeing your apartment for the Costa Rican Jungle, although you could certainly do that too.
The kind of transformation I’m speaking to requires a little bit of elbow grease, perhaps a fresh coat of paint, some garbage bags for decluttering, and a visit to your local florist, among other low-lift tweaks. As you set the intention to find a better space, here are ten ways to raise your home’s frequency so you can raise yours:
1. Declutter your space. When your home is crammed full stuff littered around your house, the universe can’t make its way to you with exciting new opportunities. We all have those nooks and crannies in our home that are pleading for our attention. Perhaps it’s your kitchen junk drawer, you master closet, or even your fridge. Give yourself permission to say goodbye to items that you liked at one point, but no longer care for. It’s normal to outgrow things as we evolve and grow. Take this editing process for what it is: a learning opportunity! If you bought a handful of sterling silver napkin holders and haven’t touched them, now you know! You’re not a napkin holder person. Give them to a friend who will appreciate them more or donate them. The more you give the more you get. And the more space you have in your home, the more it can be filled up with positive energy.
2. Paint your walls. The fastest way to brighten and lighten up your space is to paint your walls a lighter color. Those dark grey rooms might inspire in you a dark and stormy mood, and a fresh coat of paint could bring about a shift in perspective. My go-to shade of white is Decorator’s White, which is not too white and not too beige but somewhere perfectly in between.
3. Clean your windows. In Feng Shui, the windows are considered the eyes to the home. If they’re grimy and covered in dust and dirt, you’ll have a hard time seeing things clearly in a metaphorical sense too. Grab some nontoxic cleaner (preferably vinegar + water) and spritz away the grime. Your vision might not be 20/20, but your windows will be.
4. Greenify your home. Having your home drenched in snake plants and succulents seems to be all the rage these days. I’m not suggesting you turn you home into a greenhouse, only that you consider a few plants to enliven your space. Plants aren’t just nice to look at; they oxygenate your home and and invigorate it with fresh new energy. In Feng Shui, plants symbolize the wood element, which relates to growth, exploration and new beginnings. No better symbol than a plant to inspire growth and new beginnings! If you’re in NYC, Greenery Unlimited in Greenpoint has an excellent selection of easy-to-care for plants.
5. Turn your bedroom into a hotel suite. You know that amazing feeling you get when you enter a perfectly crisp clean hotel room? Part of it has to do with the other fact that you’re on vacation obviously, but the other half has to do with the fact that your hotel room is free of clutter. So treat your bedroom like a luxurious hotel room! Declutter your bedside tables, furnish them with lotion and lip balms and a nice book and not much else. And by not much else I mean no iPhones by the bed! Swap it out for an alarm clock just for one night and see what a difference it makes in how smoothly you wake up.
6. Make your fridge abundant. Isn’t it the pits having jars with less than half a teaspoon of jam left inside? Don’t be the person who leaves behind a nothing burger for the next guy. Use it up or toss it! We want to create an air of abundance, vitality and vibrance in our home and one of the the best ways to demonstrate this is through our fridge and pantry. That also means tossing any significantly expired items, like that box of cereal that might as well be fossilized.
7. Keep your WFH desk clean and next to a window. it’s easy for the documents and pens and snack bar wrappers to pile up on our desks, but all that clutter can’t be good for your productivity. Some people claim to work better amidst organized chaos, but I would wager that their subconscious is very bothered by all the visual clutter. When you only have what you need at your desk, your productivity skyrockets. And when your productivity sky rockets, you’re more likely to manifest your goals. As for the window: keep your desk as close to one as you can. When you have a view other than a wall, you’re able to think more expansively.
8. Add mirrors to open up the space. While you’re waiting for your bigger more beautiful home to reveal itself to you, create the illusion of a bigger space in your current place with some mirrors. Mirrors bring more light and openness into any area of your home. Dark and cavernous hall way? Hang a mirror! Living room not as big and spacious as you’d like? Hang some mirrors! One thing to note: make sure they reflect beautiful, abundant things and not a garbage bin. This West Elm mirror is my go-to mirror recommendation as far as chic circular mirrors go.
9. Create a quiet space for yourself. Whether you meditate, journal, gaze longingly at a vision board, or look up at an altar of Beyoncé, it’s critical to have a place where you can collect your thoughts and strengthen your resolve for a bigger, better future/home. It’s especially critical to carve out a corner for yourself in a shared living space.
10. Go easy on the sharp corners. In Feng Shui, sharp corners are referred to as poison arrows for the attacking energy they impart on your energy field. To the best of your ability, keep things well-rounded! That means swapping out your sharp-cornered coffee tables and end tables for round ones. Whether you believe this or not, think of how much more harmonious rounded objects feel in your space, and how much easier it is to avoid bumping into sharp corners.