Do What You Love

This is what is looks like to follow your heart.  Attract, yes?

30 Days of Gratitude Project

I was turned on to this project via Becks Davis, the author of Detroit Moxie.  November is  a great month to focus on gratitude.  The attribute of gratitude is the predecessor to receiving abundance in all forms.  Do this for 30 days and be amazed at your shift in awareness.  All you have to do is create a very simple profile on the site and off you go.  Here’s the link:

http://www.30daysofgratitude.org/

The Zen of Trader Joe’s

To say I was happy when Trader Joe’s opened a store near me is an understatement.  And I can’t really explain why I like it so much.  In fact, they do many things that throw me for a loop. Then I started thinking how their business policies sometimes look like Zen practices.

Zen lesson #1: Want what you have (and not the other way around).

They are a specialty grocery store  which means they don’t carry everything a full service grocery store does.   Because I’m not a huge fan of grocery shopping, I make the limitation work.  In order to avoid going to other stores, I get creative when doing meal planning and cooking.  It’s fun and challenges me.

Zen Lession #2: Learn to embrace change.

As soon as I am comfortable whipping around the store and finding everything I need, Trader Joe’s rearranges things.  The dairy case moves to the other side of the store, the fresh produce is now at the back of the store, etc.  I am no longer able to shop blindly.  And the brilliant thing about rearranging the store is I find “new” things.  Of course they aren’t new, I just didn’t see them in their “old” spot.

Zen Lesson #3: Practice non-attachment.

I could go on and on that Trader Joe’s no longer carries my FAVORITE shopping items.  Just as I get comfortable purchasing my standard food products, POOF they are no longer carried.  It requires me to really let go and rethink menus.

Zen Lesson #4: Find joy where you are

And that would be about finding the monkey.  Trader Joe’s mascot monkey is “hidden” in different places around the store and is often wearing a new costume.  I know it’s meant for kids but I love looking for the monkey, it makes me happy!

In closing I’ll say this, I feel sorry for you if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you ;-)

More on Clutter

A while ago, I wrote a post about the symbolism of clutter in various places in the home.  In this post, I’m sharing another great article by Stephanie Roberts which expands on my previous post.  Addressing clutter will dramatically reduce si chi in your space and increase its overall flow.  Here’s Stephanie’s article:

Clutter’s Side Effects: How the State of Your Home Affects Your Life

by Stephanie Roberts

Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with which you resonate on a subconscious level. Clutter and untidiness within each of these areas causes constriction and inertia in the corresponding aspects of your life.

CLUTTER IN THE KITCHEN

The kitchen has been called the “heart of the home,” and with good reason. Here we are nourished and provided for, even if we are dining on a frozen entrée zapped in the microwave rather than a homemade meal lovingly presented by Mom. An untidy and disorganized kitchen makes it hard to nourish yourself and others, on both physical and metaphysical levels. How you care for your kitchen is a clue about whether you are giving proper attention to your own nourishment and sources of abundance. Cleaning up and de-cluttering your kitchen opens up space for you to receive the support and comfort that you need in life.

LIVING AND DINING ROOM CLUTTER

These are spaces where you mingle with and honor your relationships with family and friends. Here you engage with the world while being at home through watching television, reading the paper, or arguing politics with old friends over dinner. Clutter can turn these social spaces into dens of isolation, especially if the mess is so bad that it has been years since you’ve invited people over. Look around your living and dining rooms to see what they say about your relationship with the rest of the world. Are you hiding your true self from others, burying it in clutter, or putting it on display here?

CLUTTERED HALLWAYS

Hallways are the arteries and highways of your home. Think of clutter in your hallways as a traffic jam that prevents important connections between different areas of your home and your life. Look at your hallways to see how you feel about your life’s path: are they well lit and easily navigable, or do they trip you up? If you feel a disconnect between work and family, self and others, what you need and your obligations, it may be time to give your hallways a good clearing out.

BATHROOM CLUTTER

Bathing and anointing the body is a preparatory ritual for many religious rites both ancient and contemporary. On a daily basis we use this space to prepare ourselves to meet the world. Clutter in the bathroom can indicate a devaluation of self-worth, a lack of attention to self that goes beyond the physical. A clean, well-decorated bathroom can become a tranquil sanctuary for rejuvenation and self-care. Scented soaps, attractive accessories, and fragrant candles have a place here. Beautifying your bathroom by eliminating clutter and disorder and transforming it into a place of refuge will bring a sense of the sacred into your morning and evening personal-care rituals.

CLUTTER IN THE BEDROOM

Adults’ bedrooms are for sleeping and intimacy, and they should function as places of renewal for self and relationships. Clutter in the bedroom is enervating without being restful. If you feel “wired and tired,” creating order out of chaos in this most personal space can help you relax and let go of the stress of the day. Then you can get a good night’s sleep or enjoy some special time with your partner.

CLUTTERED CLOSETS

Closets represent things that are hidden, unknown, or unrecognized. When we fill our closets with clutter, we stifle our ability to be intuitive and insightful. Cluttered closets can indicate problems that you may not be consciously aware of but which impede your progress through life, work, and relationships nonetheless. Keeping the closet door closed is not an effective solution.

ATTIC AND BASEMENT CLUTTER

A cluttered attic creates a feeling of being under pressure. It’s hard to feel optimistic about the future when there’s so much stuff “hanging over your head.” Ancestor issues reside up there, along with all those boxes and chests holding the detritus of generations. And the basement and other below-ground storage areas are considered abodes of the subconscious, so watch your step and get that clutter cleaned up!

CLUTTER IN YOUR GARAGE

Think of your car as a symbol of your mobility, independence, and ability to be self-directed in life. If there’s so much stuff piled up in your garage that you can barely fit the car in there, you may be hampered or overly cautious moving forward in life as well.

Stop thinking of clutter-clearing as a tremendous chore, and start thinking of it as one of the most effective self-improvement tactics available to you. Every magazine and piece of paper you recycle, every book you give to the library, every knick-knack and item of clothing you release to a new owner creates space in your life for new insight, energy, joy, and experiences to come in!

© 2003 Stephanie Roberts

[exerpted from "Clutter-Free Forever!", Lotus Pond Press, 2003]

Emotional Aspects of Clutter

This is a great article by Stephanie Roberts. Clutter is a recurring problem I experience in my work with others.

When ‘Just Do It’ Isn’t Enough: Coping with the Emotional Aspects of Clutter Clearing by Stephanie Roberts

One reason so many clutter-clearing efforts fail or remain uncompleted is that we have this idea that all that it takes to get rid of clutter is a little effort and determination. While a “just do it” attitude does help you get started and persevere, clutter-clearing is not quite so simple as that. Running unprepared into the not-so-simple aspects of clutter can bring all of our good intentions to a halt.

For every piece of clutter that has piled up because we’ve been too busy or too distracted to deal with it, there’s probably at least one piece that you have avoided dealing with for emotional reasons. The underlying problem is not procrastination, it’s that dealing with clutter means dealing with our own difficult emotions:

* Getting rid of clothes we’ll never fit into again means accepting our current shape and level (or lack) of fitness.

* Getting rid of an expensive item we never use means admitting that we made a poor decision when we bought it.

* Getting rid of books and magazines we don’t have time to read means accepting that we will never have enough time or attention to explore every topic that’s of interest to us.

* Getting rid of possessions remaining after a loved one has died means coming to terms with our loss and grief.

Acknowledge to yourself that clearing out your clutter will involve some emotional risk. Start by exploring why keeping certain kinds of clutter feels comforting to you. For example:

* If you grew up with very frugal parents who taught you not to be wasteful, getting rid of items that are still useful may trigger feelings of guilt. (This is very common among the “Baby Boomer” generation, whose parents may have experienced hardship and deprivation during the Great Depression and/or World War II years.)

* If you grew up poor and hungry, surrounding yourself with material goods may feel reassuring that you will always have enough.

* If you suffer from low self-esteem or come from an abusive environment, you may unconsciously feel that you don’t deserve beautiful surroundings, or that you will be punished for trying to create them for yourself.

* If you have experienced a difficult loss through the death of a loved one or the end of a marriage, getting rid of that person’s things can feel like a betrayal of your love.

* If you have an attic or basement full of supplies for a hobby you hoped would become a career, clearing it out may feel like giving up on your dreams, or it may force a confrontation with the fact that you are getting older.

* If you lack confidence in pursuing a long-held dream, keeping your clutter can keep you from having to go out and actually do it.

Healing and growth come from recognizing your feelings, no matter what they are. If your enthusiasm for clutter clearing suddenly turns into feelings of anger, resentment at the task itself, or a vague sense of anxiety, that’s a sign to pause and reflect on what deeper feelings are being triggered.

Many of our reasons for hanging on to clutter are, at their core, about fear: fear that we won’t be equal to the challenges of the future, and fear of confronting our regrets about the past. Clutter can be comforting; it acts as a buffer between us and reality.

Here are some points to help you maintain a perspective of clarity as you work on your clutter:

* Living clutter-free does not mean living in a sterile environment; it means getting rid of the excess so that everything around you is there for a reason.

* The past is over and the future isn’t here yet. Confronting the emotions raised by clutter will make living in the present less threatening.

* In the course of clutter clearing, you may get rid of something that you later wish you’d kept. Emotionally healthy people do feel regret; but then they let it go, trusting that an equal or better item will be available if they need it.

* Letting go of regrets about your present clutter will help free you from the fear of regret that drives the accumulation of future clutter

* People who are able to live without clutter trust themselves to make good choices. As you become more conscious of what you allow into and keep in your home, you will develop a higher level of trust your own decisions.

* Hoarding against an uncertain future reveals a lack of faith in the ability of the Universe to provide what you need at the time you need it. The antidote is to focus on gratitude for all that you now have, and for all the ways in which you are already being provided for.

If difficult feelings come up for you as you work through your clutter, acknowledge them. You may discover that you just aren’t ready to confront some tasks or part with some things yet. It is self-defeating to push yourself all at once through changes that are too large for you today. Be gentle with yourself, take baby steps, and work at your own pace.

Remember that the space you create by releasing clutter will allow all kinds of gifts to flow into your life, on the physical, spiritual, and emotional levels. Letting go of excess makes room for blessings.

© 2003 Stephanie Roberts

[exerpted from "Clutter-Free Forever!", Lotus Pond Press, 2003]

Stephanie Roberts is the author of “Fast Feng Shui: 9 Simple Principles for Transforming Your Life by Energizing Your Home”, a #1 most popular feng shui book at Amazon.com. Her new “Clutter-Free Forever!” e-book and Home Coaching Program are now available at http://www.clutterfreeforever.com.

The Importance of Being Open Minded

I came upon these quotes via Lynn Scheurell. This is for all those people who come from a place of no.

“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” — Western Union internal memo, 1876.

“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” — Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.

“Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.” –Marechal FerdinandFoch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre, 1911.

“The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?” — David Sarnoff, responding to advisors urging him to invest in radio in the 1920s.

“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” — H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.

“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” — Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943.

“That [atomic] bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives.”– Admiral William D. Leahy to President Truman, 1945.

“I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.” — The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957.

“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” — Decca Recording Co. executive explaining his label’s decision not to sign the Beatles in 1962.

“But what … is it good for?” — Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, expressing his evaluation of the microchip.

“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” — Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977. **

“The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.” — A management professor commenting to Fred Smith, founder of Federal Express, on his paper written while he was a student at Yale proposing the creation of a reliable overnight delivery service.

“A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.” –Response to Debbi Fields about her proposal to start Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.

“640K ought to be enough for anybody.” — Bill Gates, 1981

** I used to work for Digital Equipment in the 80’s and early 90’s.  They were once a fortune 50 company with a AAA bond rating.  Now they no longer exist!

Married Life Graph

Today I’m in the mood to post something silly.  My husband and I have been married for many years and both laughed out loud at this graph from Graph Jam.  I don’t know about your relationship, but this graph has some truth to it!  Enjoy.

Positive Cities Campaign

Sick of negative news?  Bring Positive Cities to your city.

Positive Cities Campaign

Feng Shui Element of Metal

Add some creative juices to your space by incorporating the element of metal.  Metal is associated with mental energy.  Think of it as the process of collecting the initial spark of genius (yes you!) and turning that genius into something physical.

Chi Qualities:Focus, concentration,structure, precision, mental clarity, and logic.

Metal is represented by the colors of white & pastels.  Anything mined from the earth is a metal element.  These are rocks, stones, ore, crystals, etc. Metals are gold, copper, brass, iron, steel, silver, etc. The shapes denoting metal are arches, circles and ovals. Metal is associated with the direction of west and the season of autumn.

Too much metal in a space: May cause rigidity, sharpness, sarcasm, sense of being rule bound, coolness.
Too little metal in a space: May cause scatterness, disorganization,
procrastination, avoidance.

Six Inspiring, Integrity-Based People

I just wanted to do a short post and share six individuals that I find inspiring for their innovative and integrity based approaches to their work.

In business:

Chris Brogan – a refreshing look at doing business on the internet

Seth Godin – not your ordinary marketing expert

Daniel Pink – promoting the cultivation of right brain skills and other cool stuff

In life:

Cesar Millan – inspiring change in humans through their interaction with their dogs

Byron Katie – modeling 100% ownership of choice which creates our life experiences

Marhall Rosenberg – teaching all to use language that respectfully resolves conflict