Too often we as a society find ourselves in personal situations that create great imbalance in our lives. If you are a young parent with one or several small children around you quickly realize that sleep and privacy are precious commodities. If you are the breadwinner for your family you find that you spend most of your waking hours in the company of strangers at the office or shop instead of with the loved ones you leave behind every morning. And for those who are seniors, you may find you either have way too much time on your hands, wishing to be with those grandchildren 2000 miles away; or you may have become so involved in your volunteer work that you have no time for yourself.
No matter what the reason, there is always a price to pay for such imbalance in your life. This is where using the principles of Feng Shui shine. Feng Shui is all about using positive energy in your world to bring about desired results. In this case, you are seeking balance to counteract all of the things that get in the way of what you desire.
Because life is made up of choices, all of the things that create imbalance in your life are actually things you choose. Now you may say you have to go to work every day to support your family, which is true. Not only do you choose to go to work everyday to put a roof over your head and feed your family, but you also chose where to work, your career and how far you have to travel to get there every day. Or, being a young parent you chose to have children knowing that they will take a very large percentage of your time. And seniors choose to get involved with community activities, winter in warm climates away from their families and participate in volunteer organizations, sometimes realizing they are committing to large amounts of time and other times not.
The most important and first step is to recognize that some portion of your life is out of balance. To create balance in an imbalanced lifestyle you need to discover just what is creating the imbalance. For most people that is the hardest part. You can go along for years and not realize something is missing and then one day you wake up and think “is that all there is to life” or “where have the years gone” or “why am I always so tired” or “you fill in the blank______”.
Once you have determined what is creating your imbalance get a tablet and create two columns on two pages; on page one label the left column “Imbalance Issue” and the right column “Options”. Then write in the left column the most significant issue creating your imbalance. In the right column first write all of the reasons this significant issue exists. Using going to work as an example, write into the right column things like you need money for food, shelter, clothing, medicine, entertainment, etc. After you’ve exhausted all of the reasons why this imbalance issue exists, then write any or all of the things you can possibly think of to improve the imbalance. Taking the work example again, perhaps you can work from home one day a week or change your hours to avoid heavy traffic patterns. When completed, move on to page two.
On page two, label the left column “Create balance” and the right column “Options”. Now you need to decide what would create balance in your life. In the case of working away from home, what might create balance for you is more time with your family or one hour of total alone time before digging into household issues or 30 minutes of exercise to relieve the stresses of the day. If you’re a young parent it may be as simple as taking a long hot shower without worrying about little ones or a romantic dinner for “two”. Maybe for a senior it would be a calendar with one day a week empty so you can do all those things you never have time for. Whatever will create a more balanced life for you is what should go into the left column. In the right column write all the things you can do to make it happen. Then do it.
Remember, imbalance comes from choices you have made in the past and continue to make on a daily basis. Sometimes it is as simple as you need to fix your computer so you can begin writing that book you’ve promised yourself for years that you will do “someday”. Or, you will finish sewing that quilt for your granddaughter before she grows up and has children of her own. Remember the old saying “take time to smell the flowers”. Time is very fleeting and it is important to do those things that are important to you now. Someday is today.
Balance is the end result of using positive energy in your world to bring about desired results. Feng Shui, although often thought of as only placement of things, location and layout of homes and offices, is also about creating balance so you can find joy and peace.
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© Pat Heydlauff, All Rights Reserved
Pat Heydlauff, president of Energy Design, uses Feng Shui design principles to eliminate chaos and stress at home and within oneself. More than a Feng Shui expert, Pat is a consultant and speaker who helps remove clutter and negativity while encouraging personal growth, improved relationships and prosperity. Her new book, “Feng Shui: So Easy a Child Can Do It,” shows how to achieve a better tomorrow. For information on her consulting, speaking and artwork, call: 561-408-2708.