Our Garage Sale & 3 Well-Being Lessons!
August 18, 2014
Happy Tuesday Summer of Well-Being readers! For those of you with school-age children, congrats on getting them out the door again and off to a new adventure! Our summer blog season is coming to a close. I have to say, though, that focusing on what makes us “well” and exploring new ways to make our well-being a priority brought an exciting spin to my summer. What about you? This week I’ll introduce you to a great friend, and a very funny guy! David Suarez, founder and lead facilitator of Interactive Training Solutions, will share how humor can be just the thing your well-being plan needs. Look for his blog on Thursday.
My family and I just finished up two weekends of hosting a garage sale. Gosh, it’s exhausting! You may be asking, “Why on earth would you have a garage sale during the summer?” Yeah…we kinda asked ourselves the same question, but the benefits certainly outweighed the negatives. It was one of those activities that wasn’t planned, and by a sheer push of energy, took us there.
Perhaps you’ve experienced the same feeling during your Summer of Well-Being? When opening certain drawers, walking into my kids’ rooms, or trying to pull something out of the shed, I felt a heaviness coming my way. That was it! I didn’t think I could take another day of looking at certain messes and just letting it slide…again! We underestimate how these “messes” affect our lives, and when we actually pay attention to how we feel when we experience them, we get it.
In thinking about the well-being of my family, here’s what our garage sale experience taught me.
1. Stuff is energy.
Our “stuff” truly is a reflection of our inner lives. I’ve always been a student of energy, which is why Feng Shui makes sense to me. We don’t have to think of it as some “weird science experiment” we’re conducting, we can simply think of it as clearing the way for new, fresh energy to come into our lives. Now, when I open my shed I smile; when I enter my son’s room I get excited about the new “man” room we’ll be creating for him soon, and when I put my daughter to sleep every night I know she’s resting in a space that will promote creativity and safety, not chaos. I’m breathing so much easier. Old, stuck energy out…new fresh energy in!
2. We choose what things mean.
This was a tough one! Do you hold on to things for a long time because they hold a special meaning? I definitely do. This time, however, I understood that I would keep these things forever if I could, instead of truly creating the open space I needed. At the end of the day, I want my inner world–the things we don’t always see–to truly reflect what I want to create in my physical world. This garage sale truly required all of us to examine how truly important all these “things” were to us. Perhaps they held a stronger meaning 10 years ago, but today they don’t represent who we are or want to be. Finding meaning and defining those things that truly are important to us is a big part of creating a well-led life. I did choose to not let certain things go, but only because what they represented matched one of my current strongly-held values. No negotiating here.
I love this poem about the process of finding meaning:
The past is dead. The future is imaginary. Happiness can only be in the Eternal NOW moment.
This sunset…This smile…This word you are writing…This pain you are feeling…This question you are asking…This omelet you are cooking…
The meaning of life is the tear of joy shed at the sight of the well-cooked omelet.
-Jere Pramuk
3. People need people.
Spend 8 hours outdoors and you’ll connect with more people than you probably want to. However, some of those connections will be special. As a coach I love to make people feel good, it’s in my DNA. So, when a few of our visitors just wanted to talk and share, not shop, that was ok. I got the impression that these individuals really needed some acknowledgment in their lives, no judging, just listening. I also experienced some of my neighbors in a new way. I got to spend time with them and learn more about them. I also very much appreciated their generosity in supporting our sale and offering us cold refreshments! Sometimes we may take for granted the amazing people who surround us (literally!) for most of our lives. They can be an extension of our family.
Our well-being doesn’t have to come from a check-list or rigid plan. It can be present for us in every moment and in every experience. Do you have an example like mine that provided you with some awesome well-being moments? I’d love to hear all about them. Please comment below.
It’s your life, lead it well.
Monique
Work in a lil’ Irish Luck!
March 19, 2014
Need to bring a little green luck into your work life? There’s no better time than this week to help you find that ever-evading pot of gold!
Feng Shui is one of my favorite topics and areas of study. At its essence, when you are practicing Feng Shui you are bringing your environment into balance and ensuring that the energy around you is flowing and not stagnant or “stuck.”
Feeling stuck at work? This may be a sign that putting into place some meaningful and easy “cures” is needed, helping you get back into the flow of productivity, creativity, and maybe even some new clients, or even a promotion!
Although it may sound light or “out there,” Feng Shui is a respected ancient practice, both in the east and the west. In fact, many businesses (even architects designing new buildings, work spaces or corporate parks) consult with Feng Shui practitioners to create balanced and vibrant work environments. With this practice not only do you see the difference, but you really feel it.
Here are some “green” tips to get that energy and those ideas flowing again. When I think of Ireland, I think of expansive lands, dirt and trees, mountains, four-leaf clovers, and of course, the color green! Here’s the most important tip of all: When you enhance your space, do it with intention. Without focus and meaning, it won’t do a damn thing!
*The color green represents growth and expansion — think of seedlings beginning to sprout. So, one of the best things to do is to bring live plants into your workspace. Not only will they increase the amount of oxygen in your environment (keeping you alert!), but they also represent the growth of things — money, recognition, health, relationships, etc. Place it in the area of your space you want to enhance. You can see a western Feng Shui map, or Bagua, here.
Important: With a western Bagua, you are not using actual compass directions, but you are placing the map at the entrance (door) of your office and/or workspace, with “north” facing directly across from you.
*This idea of growth and expansion can also be enhanced by items or images of things that are tree-like … like paper, bamboo, wood, tall and rectangular-shapes, or pictures of the sun rising or mountains in the spring time with lots of vibrant green grass! If you really have a new idea you want to launch, make sure to place that plant or item in the Creativity quadrant of your office space.
*Bring in that pot of gold! If it’s more money you want to attract, or the feeling of prosperity and abundance, bring in some shiny coins or dollar bills (or pictures of what wealth represents to you) and place it in your Wealth corner. And yes, definitely pictures of four-leaf clovers, or the real thing, if you can get your hands on one!
*Want to feel revitalized? Need to drive up your feeling of health and well-being? How about a comfy green pillow or pashmina? These will do the job, especially in the Health quadrant of your office!
Have fun with these tips! Feel free to share how your enhancements work for you. I’d love to hear from you.
Until then …
May your troubles be less,
And your blessings be more.
And nothing but happiness,
Come through your door.
It’s your life. Lead it well.
Namaste … Monique
Illumined Life Leadership 