A successful independent business person named Sue is in the field of sales and also a client. She recently told me, "Without surrounding myself with Feng Shui principles, I'd never reach the end of my day meeting my self-defined sales quotas without being totally exhausted. Fortunately the Feng Shui principle of taking care of self helps to ensure that I have enough energy left at days end to shop, go out to dinner or spend quality time with my family or friends."
It is not uncommon for people in our busy, fast paced multi-tasking world to simply run out of energy well before the end of any given normal day. Not only are we constantly multi-tasking and being bombarded with over 60,000 visual and audible images every day but our days are crammed full of things we must do, those things we do for others and things we should do for self. It seems like the last thing on our list always is "taking care of self."
Are You at the Top of Your List?
In the world of Feng Shui, "taking care of self" should be on the top of your daily "will do" list, not the very last thing you tend to and then only if there is time and energy left to do so. Only when you take care of you first will you be able to perform well at work, properly care for children, nurture a spouse, have rewarding equal relationships or be a good volunteer.
Caring for self is not the same as being selfish but rather a new way of looking at living your life. Making a priority out of "Caring for self" provides you a more energized way of living and thinking. "Caring for self" as a priority develops new positive energy habits that will reward you with productivity and efficiency during the day and with enough energy left at the end of the day to do necessary household tasks, enjoy your family and social commitments. "Caring for self" as a priority also creates an environment with much less stress.
While there are no magic cures when it comes to reducing stress in our lives and energizing self, there are a few simple steps you can follow that will help energize you while reducing some of that stress in your world.
The "energy boost" Plan
Step One is always "unclutter your world." There is no exception to this step. When Sue finds herself unmotivated or in a real selling slump - she gets busy organizing and getting rid of "stuff" which helps her clear her mind - the result - improved focus and productivity. Go through your home room by room and get rid of everything that does not fit, is broken, doesn't look right in your current home or is simply stacks of "stuff" that you really do not need.
The more uncluttering you do the simpler your life becomes and the easier it is to take care of what is left. In fact, the things that are left should be only things you really love because those are the things that provide you the best positive energy.
Do you really need dozens of magazines you will never read, stacks of books you have read and will never read again or hundreds of pictures of glowing sunsets you never look at and enjoy? Will you ever again wear half of the clothes in your closet that are either a size too small or went out of style three years ago? Get rid of all of that stuff. The rule of thumb for clothing is "if it doesn't fit, is out of style or you don't feel great in it, get rid of it."
Whether you have a home office, your work is your home or you work outside of the home, follow the same procedure for uncluttering your workplace.
Next, learn to work with daily lists of things to do. Call it a "Will Do List" since that shows action and present tense. At the very top of your list place at least one thing you will do to take better care of yourself. It can be something as simple as quietly sitting in the sun by yourself for 10 minutes just relaxing; or, listening to soothing music and allowing your mind to go completely blank for 20 minutes. Only when you allow your mind to go completely blank can you remove stressful thoughts and be filled with new positive energy and new ideas.
On the remainder of the list place the things you have to do and the things you want to do. Number them in order of importance and begin with No. 1 so you always get the most important things done first but only after you've done at least one thing for you to energize you. This step alone will remove much unnecessary stress from your life.
And third, be sure to unclutter your mind not just your external surroundings and personal environment. The mind stores forever all of the negative things that have happened to you over your lifetime unless you clean them out. Most people never remember all of the wonderful and good things that have happened to them - but always manage to hold onto a misinterpreted five word phrase someone said 10 years ago or all of the hurts un-intentional and intentional as well as painful experiences. Holding onto the negative energy of misconstrued statements, arguments, painful emotions and misspoken words only keeps you in negative energy space rather than creating uplifting caring for yourself energy.
The more negative thoughts you hold onto the more negative energy you carry with you on a daily basis. If you are holding onto all of this negative energy, this may be a big reason why you may not have enough energy left at the end of the day.
The easiest way to get rid of negative thinking it to simply say to yourself, "I no longer need to hold onto _______ (your specific negative thought); I have learned all I need to learn from that experience and now I send it away forever." The more you follow this simple procedure the more positive energy you will have left at the end of the day.
If you need an energy boost, remember to unclutter your surroundings, make a daily "Will Do List" placing "caring for self" at the top of the list and unclutter your mind - get rid of all of those negative thoughts.
These few changes in your lifestyle will lower stress, help you to be more efficient and productive and provide you lots more positive energy.
Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2008
Pat Heydlauff, President of Energy-by-Design (http://www.energy-by-design.com) and Feng Shui expert, is a consultant, speaker, columnist and award-winning artist. She has been consulting with individuals, families, and companies since the early 1990's, with clients ranging from California to Florida. In addition, she speaks at corporate and organizational functions, and gives seminars to enhance productivity. Pat Heydlauff can be reached at balancingenergy@energy-by-design.com
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