I never imagined using the words Feng Shui in a sentence, much less in a sentence concerning work. We sometimes get into a pattern that is not terribly uncomfortable, but nothing extraordinary either. I know because I’ve been there more than once…sometimes it’s a home rut and sometimes it’s an office rut, and sometimes it’s a combination of both. It’s nothing tragic and it didn’t happen overnight, it’s just a gradual shift from the road to the rut.
I thought I was motoring pretty well until I woke up one morning and just instinctively felt less than or lacking, if that makes sense. I decided I needed a little “Feng Shui” in my life. Not knowing exactly what that meant, I Googled it to learn how to increase the positive energy in my office. Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy that translates into “Wind, Water.” It is a systematic approach for increasing positive energy, or chi, and decreasing negative energy (sha) in your life. Chi is all around us. You don’t have to believe in ancient Chinese anything to know when you’re in a rut. Feng shui is related to the very sensible notion that living with rather than against nature benefits both humans and our environment. Why didn’t I think of that? Here are some of the basic “rules” I had to ponder:
- add color
- de-clutter space
- get live plants
- use rich fabrics
- add water (fountain, fish bowl, etc.)
I like that, just add water! Well, it rained all day in Tennessee so for now, that will be my water. And since I attended the Earth Day celebration yesterday, I think I’ll start with green.
Lime green, muted green, bright oranges…in! Uber cute organizing bins, matching paper clips…in! Super fluffy bench cushion with matching ottoman…so totally in! It didn’t cost me very much and I even robbed colorful items from around my house, but my Feng…or is it my Shui is flowing rather nicely tonight.
Yep, sometimes getting rid of stale photos, stiff décor and boring office accessories then adding a splash of color is good for your soul. I put multi-colored canisters filled with binder clips on my shelves, hung a cool peg board with bright, over-sized push pins for brainstorming ideas. I even bought a bright green mouse for my laptop. I was energized.
At least until I got to the “cabinet” which was just a dungeon behind a door that hid everything I was avoiding…it wasn’t pretty. I pulled it all out and put it in the center of the room. I began shredding paperwork and discarding stuff, that’s all it was…stuff and it was time to purge. The cabinet ended up not being so bad and I’m not completely finished, but I am inspired to take a look around and see what else might not be “flowing” as it should.
There’s something to be said about spring cleaning—and Feng Shuing for that matter because if you’re stuck, there is no time like the present to dig out. It doesn’t always have to be about paper towels and windex (thankfully), it can be about cleaning out old mental and emotional clutter as well. I discarded old sympathy cards, receipts for lawn work, deposit slips for an account that’s closed, HR guidelines from 2003 (for a job I haven’t had since 2006), a volunteer roster from a charity event, crazy stuff I have no reason to keep…the cleaning went on and the poor shredder purged…but so did my soul.
Sometimes you just gotta lighten up your physical and emotional filing cabinet, brighten your space and be willing to take a look at how you’re life is flowing. I am excited to get to work tomorrow! And for those of you who read, “Laughter is Serious Business,” maybe it’s because I instituted the daily laugh that I found the energy to change my energy…I’m just saying.
