At huge expense we recently replaced four of the windows in our apartment. Two of them, original to this 1892 building, were literally falling apart.  Another was replaced years ago, but with the wrong size replacement.   And the last had been replaced with a sheet of solid glass which rested on an ancient air conditioner that hadn’t worked in years. 

After thoroughly renovating the rest of the apartment a few years ago, we continued to live with these non-functioning windows.  We covered them with curtains and figured we could live with it.  But the truth is -- we were stuck.

I’ve written in the past about how windows need to be clear and fully-functioning so that healthy chi energy can circulate freely in our lives.  Windows represent our “eyes” to the world – they affect how we see things, and how the world sees us. 

But because we were afraid of the difficulty -- expense, time, expertise -- of the project, we didn’t follow our own best instincts and take care of it.  Finally, though, there was no avoiding it: the best way to take care of ourselves was to clear the energy of these windows, and when we finally did, our lives changed.

Along with better flow of air and light in the apartment we’ve noticed a distinct uplift of healthy energy in our lives.  The pace and quality of my work has been elevated, my husband is achieving increased visibility at work,  we are welcoming people into our lives who we haven’t heard from in decades (you know who you are!).  It’s been an amazing time.

Are You Stuck?

Stuckness might be present in home-improvement projects like ours, or in closets and bags full of unused clothing.  It might be a pile of things from your parents or other relatives that you feel obliged to keep but don’t really want, or belongings left behind by a former life partner. 

It could be that you simply don’t have good storage options for the things you love and need, or that your life path has changed but your environment hasn’t.  Or maybe it’s a stack of paper – insurance to file for, letters to write.

What often keeps us stuck is fear: fear of the difficulty of the job at hand, of breaking through, of the unknowns that await us on the other side of completion, of the empty space that remains after clutter has been cleared. 

These are valid considerations.  Fear of the unknown is a natural human emotion, driven by our primal instinct for self-preservation.  Breaking through blocks in our environments constitutes a form of risk-taking.  Getting unstuck is a courageous act.

But consider the rewards: a beautiful, more comfortable home or office, improved pathways for the flow of healthy chi energy, room for new and better people, things or events to enter your life. And the bonus is ridding yourself of the guilt that seems to go hand-in-hand with procrastination.

Get unstuck. Here's how.

• Look around your space.  What feels stuck?  Where is energy blocked in your life – do you see it in your space?  No judgment is required, only clear-eyed compassion.
• Sit quietly and “feel” the first step to taking care of this stuckness.  A few minutes of meditation will help you – simply sit and concentrate on your breathing for one or two minutes.  When you emerge from your meditation you'll have a new perspective.  The first step will come more easily to you.
• Take that baby step.  Pick up one thing and deal with it – one article of clothing, one piece of paper, one phone call to someone who can help.  Recognize and appreciate how good it feels to do even this much.
• As you are able, take more and more steps, never pressuring yourself to get it all done at once.  Soon you will find yourself with momentum.  The project naturally takes on a life of its own and it feels more natural to complete it than to let inertia return.

Complete the project and celebrate!  Cook a beautiful meal, buy yourself a token of remembrance, treat yourself to something special.  You deserve it.  Enjoy your "new" space and the rewards that come with it.

Find out more about opening up the energy and creating great Feng Shui in your space during the free 15-minute phone consultation I offer.  I look forward to hearing from you!