In today's mini VLOG I share with you one thing you can do right now to make your time feel more expansive, more within reach, accessible - and one thing to avoid in order to ensure the forward momentum you're looking for. 

I also share a BONUS TIP! Something most of us do in our houses, without even thinking about it, that makes our lives more difficult... and what you can do to make life easier!

Listen in!

So excited to share with you a series of short video logs over the net few weeks, with tips and opportunities to move closer to the reality you desire. 

Today's vlog: Allowing yourself to dream big and how this is a game changer in living the life you desire. Turns out, you can't get to your end destination, without the address... but you don't have to know every step of the way of how you'll get there. 

Listen in for the brain science and for an opportunity for you to take the next steps towards your biggest dreams. 

...and inspire creative play. 

For those of you who have children... or who know people who have children... or who have ever spent time with children... you are probably aware of all the stuff that can come along with having a kid.

Ironically, most of the time, my kids are happiest with sticks and ropes and planks and bricks and any other natural material they can find of their own accord--in the summer months when that sort of stuff is accessible.

Indoors, wooden blocks have recently made a resurgence in my house--with my 3 ½ year old and 8 year old (somehow) playing harmoniously, each making their own towers within the same compound.

Turns out, where you place their toys makes a big difference.

We’ve had those blocks for years, with little time devoted to them (I’ve thought about passing them along many times). They’ve lived in the kids’ room, and out in the living room. A few weeks ago, as fall began to feel chilly, I moved them from one side of a table to the stove side--where the kids could build right in front of its warmth. That’s when the kids started playing with them ALL THE TIME.

Location matters.

Mostly kids want to be in the heart of the action--which can make it tricky to keep a presentable house or keep your sanity when you feel like their stuff is taking over.

I had that experience just this week.

This Tuesday’s Tip:

Part 1:

Go easy on yourself

No good ever came from all the self judgements and criticisms most of us have running through our minds (conscious & subconsciously) on a daily (hourly, minute by minute) loop. In fact, a lot of harm (to our relationship with self and others) comes when we have difficulty empathizing with ourselves. 

So go easy on yourself. 

Read on for more on HOW to do just that... and also Part 2 of Today's Tip to find Simple Happiness. 

Today's tip: 

Purge before you organize

Duh, we all know that. But stay with me here, let me explain the difference... 

Ever have the experience where you get the bug to organize and you’re all in?

You spend hours (they fly by) putting every little thing in it’s place (usually in a certain area: like your garage, or your cupboards, or your office, or the junk drawer). It feels AMAZING at the end of it all. You open the drawer or the cupboard or the door just to peek inside and get the THRILL of seeing everything in it’s place.

That visual organization allows something in your mind to feel more settled, at ease. You think more clearly and have more spaciousness to flow with the pace of life.

But…

Within a few days, a week, a month (not very long), the space reverts right back to its original state. Jumbled messes of cords and notes and pens in the junk drawer. A pantry with cans hidden behind jars; you don’t even know what you have, so you end up purchasing more.

I’ve been there too.

Read on to hear exactly how to keep this from happening to you. 

I am one of those women who almost never carries a purse. It wasn’t always that way, though I am thankful to find myself in that category at this point in my life, particularly after listening to the soul-scarring humiliation of being the owner of a messy handbag in “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” a book turned play I had the joy of attending this week in the small cultural oasis I call home.

This comic tale has deep bouts of sentimentalism and sadness as it weaves through a woman’s life story with pivotal moments remembered by the dresses she wore. Alongside this tale of three marriages, multiple motherhood and the death of a child are comic interludes that portray the humiliation of bra shopping, the familiar feeling of having nothing to wear, the wounding words of a mother.

Why do I share this with you today?

The evening was poignant. Not only did the play uproot and make light of the judgements and double standards we all experience as women trying to find our own sense of self, but I’ve never seen such animated discussion go on in a room of 100 women for so long following a play.

The girlfriends around me asked questions of their own relationships with their mothers, fathers, husbands and bosses--telling stories of how those cultural norms and personal critics got passed down to generations, starting early with questioning how to dress a 2 year old grandchild (“We can’t go out with her dressed like that.”)

It made me think of you all--of my journey as a mom, of my girlfriends from college, of my enduring friendships with the women in my life--of our search for the simple life.

Simplified closets with only the clothing inside that you adore.

Feeling simply fabulous in your own skin.

Simple homes.

Simple pleasures.

Simple happiness.

Today, we delve into the Health area of your home and how to create a space that allows you to thrive in good health and happiness.

Did you know that your home can affect the state of your health? If so, you're right! If not, you're not alone. Either way, read on to find out how to set up your home to support the health you want to experience in your life.

Here we are--9 months into our journey through the Bagua Map--on the 9th Gua (or life area):

Health

...smack dab in the middle of the Bagua.

Health touches every aspect of your life: not only on the Bagua Map, but in your daily existence. When you are in good health, you are able to focus on what is important to you in life (being happy, prospering, developing a career path that marries your passions and skills, thriving in your relationships).

The environment where you spend the majority of your time--your home and your workplace--will determine the quality of health you experience in your life. This is true in many regards.

This month we tune into your health.

This is the final stop on our journey of the Bagua we've explored over the past 9 months. It is also the most important, the foundation for all the other parts of your life. 

There is NOTHING more important than health. When you're unwell (of body or mind) it is difficult to experience happy relationships, success at work, wealth rolling in, recognition for your strengths. 

Your health is at the center of your happiness, your well-being, your ability to shine forth your strengths. 

The interesting part is that each and every one of our homes is generally full of things that deplete our health (mental and physical), drain our energy and suck our precious time. If you've been following me for long, you can probably guess what I'm talking about... 

Listen in to my latest VLOG to hear the two specific ways you can intentionally bring more flow and energy to your health, your vitality, your ability to THRIVE. 

Ever hear the adage, "If you want something done right, do it yourself.”?  My guess is you have. Here in the states--in this very individualistic society--self-sufficiency is seen as a virtue.

In my own journey, this cultural norm has not served me well. I spent a large part of my 20’s (and my 30’s) feeling exactly that way: if I wanted something done to my own standards, I would have to complete the task myself.

And the truth is, it left me feeling alone, with a lack of support around me. That lack of support came from my own limiting belief that no one had my back, that I couldn’t depend on anyone.

I spent frustrated days picking up after everyone, fuming at the fact that no one else seemed to care about the state of our space. Now I can look back and chuckle at how difficult I made things for myself.

Now that we have some semblance of a family routine around our things, now that we are surrounded by only the things that bring us joy (which means significantly less junk clogging the pipes, making life more difficult), now that I accept help more readily, life is easier and more enjoyable.

Now, every day when I sit down to meditate, I can feel the endless and bountiful support that is around me always. I know that help comes to me when I need it, when I accept it and allow it into my life. That feels good.

You always know if a thought is true based on how it feels.

In the ancient tradition of Feng Shui, one of the life areas defined on the Bagua Map is:

Helpful People, Community & Travel

This area has everything to do with the helpful benefactors in your life. It complements (& is related to) the Wealth & Abundance area because in the end, it is that network of people, the relationships you develop that allow abundance to come into your life (abundance of job opportunities, of gifts (monetary and otherwise), of experiences and invitations).

If you are interested in learning more about attracting helpful benefactors into your life, deepening your community and uncovering opportunities for travel, read on as I dive into the Helpful People, Community & Travel area of your life and home and how to set it up in a way that attracts what you want into your life!

We’ve come nearly full circle around the Bagua Map, beginning with your Journey or Career in life, moving clockwise around to the Helpful People, Community and Travel--our focus this month.

We often give less attention to the Helpful People, Community & Travel area of life than the all important Wealth, Work, Relationships & Health, but it’s influence is vast and important.

Read on to learn more!

How many tasks do you do, each and every day, simply because you’re supposed to, or you need to, even though those tasks bring up a good deal of resistance?

Be honest.

We all do. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m the kind of person who likes to get things done, to check things off my list, to feel like I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. As a human, that feels good.

However, in running my own business, I’ve learned that...

When I do things from a place of resistance, of not wanting to, but feeling like I have to, I NEVER accomplish great things.

It takes ages to make a small amount of progress.

On the other hand, when I align my productivity with my purpose, my passion, my true desires, and work from a place of inspiration, I can perform tasks so much more efficiently while enjoying the process, and... the result has more energy, more inspiration than anything that comes from a place of resistance.

So how do you come to work from an energized and aligned place of inspiration? I’ll tell you how I do it, but first I’ll give you an example from my life, of how sometimes you just have to let go of what you’d imagined, to allow what is happening right in front of you, to happen.

Today, I share with you specific ways to boost the joy, productivity and creativity you experience in your life. 

You may not fully realize it, but all of those things: Joy... Productivity... Creativity, are intimately intertwined with how you feel about the spaces where you spend your time. 

Does your home inspire joy? Does your office create productivity? Is your organization conducive to greater creativity? 

The joy, creativity, productivity and children area of life is so very important.

Without joy, without creativity, without productivity, you cannot hope to accomplish your dreams. In fact, without these things, you can't even access your dreams, what you desire, what you want most in life. 

Read on as I outline the qualities of this Gua--or life area--and what colors, materials, shapes, images, objects and artwork you can use in that particular space in order to experience greater creativity, productivity and joy in your life. 

This month, we focus on the Creativity, Joy, Productivity & Children area of your home and life.

I love this area of life. I probably say that about all 9 of the Guas (they all have so much power in their own rite), but this area, at it’s most aligned feels playful, joy-filled, focused, productive. It doesn’t get any better than that.

At it’s least aligned, this area of life can feel stuck, blocked, resistant, slow, frustrating. But that is true of any area of life that is not functioning at its full capacity.

A client (and mother of 2) once asked me, “I wonder why productivity is grouped in with children?” It’s a good question. Having children in your life can certainly make you feel a lot less productive at work!

Here’s my take:

Sometimes things don't exactly go as planned. Let's be honest... often, things don't happen according to plan. When you allow the flow of flexibility, what does happen tends to be even better than what you originally expected. 

See how this plays out in my space (and how it may play out in your space as well) in my latest PHOTO BLOG, all about the sweet synchronicity of the unexpected. 

Enjoy!

Today I share with you a VLOG about shifting your space and the HUGE openings this creates in your life as well as the incredible inspiration and energy you'll find in the process. 

This is a peek into what the process looks like in my space, the resistance that comes up and how ultimate trust leads you to amazing places you never dreamed possible. 

Also, why is it that couches are a magnet for energy that may no longer serve you?!

Looking for a quick shift in your life? Listen in!