Monday, August 17, 2009

Clearing Out Space for Change


Feng Shui adepts believe that there are deep and real messages about ourselves hidden inside our piles of stuff. We must ask ourselves why we feel like we need to own and hold on to so many things. In order to make changes happen in your life, you must provide an environment that invites change. You must clear out the old in order to make room for the new.

A few weeks ago I was packing away 13 years worth of files, books and resource binders. I am taking a year-long leave of absence from my job with the federal government to start my own consulting firm in organizational development. Packing is not a job that I enjoy but I must say that going through your stuff and purging what is not useful or relevant anymore has a therapeutic effect. There is often an emotional undertone to choosing what to keep or toss.
It is a lesson in letting go of what no longer serves you.

In the end, it took nine two cubic feet boxes to pack all my office stuff! As I looked at the pile of boxes I started fretting. Where am I going to put all this stuff at home? I will be sharing an "office space" with my two computer-dependant teenage daughters and my self proclaimed "geek" of a husband. I'm lucky to get half an hour of computer time a day. There are only two computers, two work surfaces and three chairs in our work room and guess what, I am usually the odd person out. There is no storage space either. Our shelves are overflowing with books (we are all avid readers in the family) and craft supplies.

The challenge of finding space for this new home-based business venture was the subject of many animated discussions between my husband and I. We would need to shift things around and re-think the set-up in the basement where we store all the stuff that, to be honest, we don't use very much but still can't bear to give away.
On the weekend we finally rolled up our sleeves and tackled the job. We enlisted the help of our daughters who reluctantly looked through the shelves upon shelves of dusty unused toys to determine which ones we could give away. It was at times a painful experience for them. I was surprised to see how attached my 17 year old was to her vast collection of Barbies, Polly Pockets and plush toys. "They are good souvenirs of my childhood" she said.

In the end, we packed up two van loads of "stuff" for a charity garage sale and the Salvation Army. I may have been the only one in the family feeling this way, but I felt such a sense of relief and satisfaction when my husband drove away with the heaps of bags and boxes of unwanted things. Since then, when I go down to the basement, I am thrilled to look at the clean uncluttered space. It feels like a fresh new beginning.

Amanda Slaz, a Feng Shui practitioner says that your space mirrors your life:

The flow of energy is a channel that literally becomes clogged. When you thoughtfully sort through your possessions and eliminate all those that are no longer useful to you, a positive void is created in your life. This, in turn, forms a powerful current for attracting all sorts of life enriching and wonderful changes!
If you want to do a bit of space clearing of your own you may want to consider these questions as you sort through your possessions:
  • Do I love this?
  • Does it fit into my current lifestyle?
  • Does it bring me joy and ease?
  • Am I saving it for someone who loves and wants it?
  • Is it of great value to me for sentimental reasons?
  • Will I use it in the next couple of years?
  • Am I keeping this because I feel obligated because it was a gift or inheritance?
  • I'm afraid that if I get rid of it that I might need it some day.
  • Is it still in my life because I can't figure out what to do with it?

Be patient with yourself as you begin to look at the baggage in your life. Our belongings, and our reasons for keeping them, give profound clues as to who we are and what issues we need to look at in life. For many of us the way we orchestrate our external environment is also a reflection of our inner world: are our work space and home environment chaotic or peaceful?

But what about your internal environment? I believe you can transpose the Feng Shui principles to non-material things as well.

What are some thoughts, beliefs and habits that no longer serve you? Maybe you have always said that you were a shy person. For years this has served you well because it was an easily understood explanation for your preference for working alone and protected you from unwanted intrusions and invitations. But today, you realize you have much to teach others and wish you felt comfortable speaking with groups. The first step to realize this personal goal might be to "throw out" the old belief that you are shy so you can try on a new more outgoing persona.

Who you are is ever-changing, shaped by the multitude of experiences and encounters in your daily life. From time to time you have to ask yourself if it is time to re-assess what you take for granted.

My friend Paul is a professional coach. One day I was lamenting that I had all these dreams and aspirations for my future but I felt stuck. Paul gave me this wonderful image. He said: "Sylvie, you are like a colorful hot air balloon that wants to rise up in the sky but you are tied down to the ground by all these ropes. You need to cut the ropes that tie you to your current frame of mind and throw overboard the bags of sands that weigh you down."

What do you need to do reconsider, and maybe throw away, so you can rise up to your full potential?

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