How to Gain Freedom by Working the To-Do List

A lot of people I know have been tackling "projects" lately. These projects tend to be laborsome, not always fun jobs around the house that just need to get done. We have a list, mental or hard-copy, of these things that are weighing on us. The places in our home that drive us crazy. They make us sigh or scream whenever we are in that space, and we swear we are going to do something about this! As soon as I have time...as soon as I get my bonus...as soon as the kids are in school...as soon as...

What if you knew that the energy of that space was directly related to your health? Would you deal with that project sooner if you knew it could help your migraines? Or what if you knew that the energy of that space was directly related to your career? Would it become more of a priority if you knew it could help you get out from under the pile of busy work you have to do so you could be more efficient and affective, doing the work that you enjoy?

Let's make a list of some of those projects--I'll just take a look at projects that are/have been bogging me down:

- closets: organizing and purging

- yard: clearing out debris and generally tidying and cleaning up

- car: vacuuming and removal of kid-related rubbish

- pantry: tossing expired/stale items, cooking with what I have

- playroom: sorting toys to be donated, toys to throw away, reintroducing old toys to spark new creativity in the kids

I could go on, and I know you have your own lists that are scrolling through your brain. Remember the last time you started AND COMPLETED one of these projects? How GOOD does that feel?! It helps us breathe a little deeper, stand a little taller, and think a little clearer when we devote our energy and intention to delving in to these spaces and clearing them out. What if you knew by doing this you would feel less stressed? You will!

I find that Mondays are a day when people start anew. What I want you to do today is pick one of your projects, make it a manageable one (I'm not talking paint the house or something major like that--unless you're really ambitious and driven to do it!). Give yourself a deadline. I'm going to help you--your deadline is this Sunday at 1:00pm. Now take a look at your calendar. Can you start today? Find the pockets of time you have in the next week and write your project on your calendar. Keep in mind that you are doing this for your own well-being. Dedicating time to this is a gift to yourself, even if it's not the most enjoyable exercise to go through. The next step is big--DO IT. You may live in disarray for a bit since this is probably something that can't be completed in one sitting. Active chaos is much better than inactive chaos, and the end product is worth the mess.

Take a before picture for me, then at 1:00 on Sunday step back and look. Then close your eyes and take a deep breath and realize that even though your eyes are closed you can still FEEL a difference. Smile, and pour yourself a mimosa, a coffee, a bloody mary, a beer, a milkshake, a green tea, an ice water with lemon, whatever your celebratory treat may be and be thankful to yourself for the gift you've just given and received.

I bet by this time next week you'll be reading my next blog feeling a little lighter and a bit more prepared to tackle the week that lies ahead.

Happy Feng Shui'ing!

Hearing

Grinch: "That's one thing I hate. All the noise, noise, noise, NOISE."
That's for sure--at the end of the year we are bombarded with a cornucopia of auditory stimuli. There are the pleasant sounds of Christmas carols, the Salvation Army bell, sideline whistles at the football game, and squeals from kids as they spot Santa or play in the snow. There's also the sound of the frustrated person in front of you in line, the whining of the kids when they're fingers are frozen, all the electronic games and annoying singing toys, and the crowds on the street/at the mall/on the rink/etc. Put it all together and what have you got? A headache.

Try to sneak away and find some silence. There's something about the air when the temperature drops to the lower numbers...it sounds different. I don't hear it much now that I live in the South but I remember the sound of snow crunching under my boots when I lived up North. Walking in the snow at night has a feeling--and a sound--like no other. The crackle of a fire in the fireplace--turn off all other sources and sit with that sound for a bit.

On the other hand, music can lift me to a whole new energetic level. Think about those times when your favorite song comes on the car stereo and you wail out the lyrics without a care as to who may be watching you from the car beside you. I love the tone I set in my home when I put my Sunday morning acoustic music on. My whole family eases through the morning. Music can be used to get you running faster on the treadmill or open more deeply into a pose in yoga. Songs can inspire us to make positive change and can resonate with the deep emotions within us. Through the sense of hearing we can feed our souls.

As we look to the New Year and new beginnings, consider that hearing isn't only done with our ears. We each have a little voice inside of us that speaks, and that voice needs to be heard. When we hustle through life at a crazy pace trying to keep up with the Jones', or even with just our own to-do list, we lose the ability to hear that inner voice. It requires being in tune with yourself (pun intended!). That higher spirit, that voice of God that lives in all of us, will tell us what to do to reach our goals. We need to trust it, listen to it, and let it guide our journey. And in challenging times, rather that speaking and asking why, try being quiet and opening yourself to answers you hadn't considered. They might not come right away but if we keep listening we will find peace.

"Peace is not the absence of noise, trouble, or real work. It is to be in the midst of those things and be calm in your heart."

peace, love, and good vibrations~

Peace starts within

Have you ever said something to your partner, friend, or family member that you immediately wish you could take back? Or have you ever had an argument and woke up the next morning just wishing you had shut up and gone to bed instead? Sometimes we hurt the people we care about. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words DO hurt sometimes! Sometimes even more than sticks and stones. Words can wound us deeply, in a place that doesn't heal nearly as quickly or easily as a physical injury. Why do we do it? Sometimes when I step back and think about it I can logically tell myself that I didn't want to cause pain. That I don't want that person to be more like me--in fact, I probably didn't want me to be like me. When we let our emotions take over and allow painful words to escape, we are first and foremost disrupting the peace within ourselves. That peace was probably already compromised by fear or self-judgment if we got to the point of expressing negative sentiments, making snide remarks, or behaving in a passive-aggressive manner. We all need to have tools to recognize when these feelings are brewing inside and address what is going on within ourselves before we turn the blame on someone else. I like to envision that little flame deep in my core that never goes out. Even when it's dim, it's there, and focusing on that reminds me that I am having a human experience but I am larger than my problems and with each challenge I can learn more and become a fuller person. That light will shine brighter on the other side of this bump in the road. After going through that exercise I can soften around whatever hostility is surrounding me. In doing this, I change the whole energy of my environment.

This is what it means when we hear "Peace starts from within." And it applies to interpersonal relationships as well as it applies to world peace. Why do we hurt each other? Because we don't have peace within. It all starts with that little flame that is within all of us. It's what you see when you look yourself in the eye in the mirror--it all starts there. There's an old Chinese proverb that goes something like this: "If you have harmony within, you will have harmony at home. If you have harmony at home, you will have harmony in your community. Harmony in your community creates harmony in your country. Harmony in your country creates harmony in the world."

When you look at your neighbor, do you see a reflection of yourself? When you look at your child, do you wish they had the wisdom you've acquired through your life experiences? When you look at a politician, do you wonder how another person could have such a different view than you? Do you want everyone to be more of the same? More like you? I hope not. I hope you can look at any person and see their flaws, their beauty, their struggles, their joy...and see your own. If our hearts are open to the differences in the world, then we are honoring ourselves. With this, all of our flames can shine brightly and peace can spread from one individual to the next. Like a tidal wave it can wash over the entire planet.

peace, love, and kind words...