This week, as we move forward bright new year, I find that it’s important to honor our past as we pave the way for the future. Take some time between now and New Year’s eve to join me with some “Gratitude Homework” before 2008 begins.

Take your journal or a piece of paper, and answer the following:

1. One challenging situation from this past year that you would handle differently if it arose again
(giving gratitude for the wisdom you learned through this experience!)
2. Three challenges that gave you an opportunity to learn and grow and become wiser or more compassionate
3. Five ways in which you have changed for the better since this time last year
4. Seven people you are grateful for in your life, and why
5. Nine things that brought a smile to your face

Sit in silence for 5-20 minutes after writing this list. Sit in silence – in joy and gratitude – for the gift of this past year and all it’s joy, laughter, tears, and challenges (which often times are the greatest gifts of all!)

Now shift your energy forward into the coming year. Sit and imagine yourself 1 year from now and write down three things that you most wish to change, accomplish or create in this coming year. (Write the statements has if they’ve already happened.) Sit for as long as necessary to find the 3 things that speak most to you, that fill you with joy, and bring the most excitement at the thought of their achievement!

1.

2.

3.

Now copy these three things again onto two other pieces of paper – one to carry with you every day of this coming year (in your purse or wallet) and one to display prominently throughout the year – either on the bathroom mirror, your dressing mirror, above the kitchen sink, by the door that you exit to leave for work, or wherever you will see it on a daily basis. Even though you may have hundreds of things you would like to see change over the next year, picking just three will help keep you focused. Changing even one major aspect of our life can have powerful, ripple effects into every other area. Other things besides these three will naturally manifest throughout the year, but staying focused on your major goals, over and over and over on a daily basis, can bring about the most lasting, dynamic changes.

What you think about most, you bring about!

When you’ve written down your three 2008 resolutions, email them back to us! I’ll post them to my blog so you all can be inspired and connect with others that are working toward similar goals…

© 2007 Stephanie McWilliams LLC

Feng shui is manifesting at it’s best. It’s a way of inspiring our minds to think more about what we DO want, and less about what we don’t. When we create a bedroom that’s already built for our perfect partner, we’re more likely to bring that person into our life. Here are 10 quick feng shui tips to help add a spark to your current relationship, or help bring in the partner of your dreams.

1. REMOVE ALL LONELY, SOLITARY OR DEPRESSING ARTWORK
Objects that remind us of being alone can keep us stuck in solitary relationship patterns

2. INCORPORATE SETS OF TWO’S
By placing objects together in sets of two, it inspires thoughts of partnership and togetherness

3. ADD ROMANTIC IMAGERY
Bringing in sculptures, artwork, photos or objects that inspire thoughts of love and romance can bring a sizzling spark to an otherwise loveless space

4. CREATE A ROMANTIC ENVIRONMENT
Adding things like candles, soft fabrics, tactile surfaces, warm, sensual scents, soothing sounds and mood lighting can heat up a cold environment

5. INTRODUCE SENSUAL COLORS
Using warmer skin tones or fiery colors into your space, especially your bedroom, can add warmth and inspire sensuality and intimacy

6. REMOVE DISTRACTIONS
Keep televisions and exercise equipment out of the bedroom or keep them covered behind screens or in cabinets. These items can distract you from the business at hand: ROMANCE!

7. FRESHEN UP THE ENERGY
Try replacing your bedding each year to keep the bedroom energy fresh and alive. Another great rule of thumb: replace your mattress after every major relationship so that the energy of your past doesn’t unconsciously haunt your future relationships!

8. REMOVE ALL THE BLOCKS
Remove any blocks that you may have unconsciously placed into your home. Look for clutter behind doors, cabinets or dressers placed in tight hallways, or furniture arranged awkwardly so that it’s difficult to maneuver. All these things can unconciously sabotage relationship efforts.

9. LET GO OF THE OLD TO MAKE WAY FOR THE NEW
Holding onto old, depressing love letters or sad memorabilia and nick-knacks locks stagnant or negative energy into our home and life. By releasing these, and surrounding ourselves with only things that inspire us forward into our ideal future, we easy can manifest the partner of our dreams.

10. BUILD A ROOM FOR TWO
As they say, “If you build it, they will come”. Same goes for bedrooms. Make sure the room is built for two, with equal space on either side of the bed, two nightstands, two lamps, and a nice sturdy headboard to support a relationship.

© 2007 Stephanie McWilliams LLC

Sticking to our goals can be challenging, especially with all the distractions in our fast-paced, modern lives. By using feng shui to create an inspiring environment, especially designed with your specific dreams in mind, it can become a non-stop manifesting machine, guaranteed to keep you focused, inspired and on-track with your 2008 goals.

1. REMOVE ALL THE BLOCKS
When we have unconscious blocks in our space — small, cramped and cluttered entryways; narrow halls filled with cabinets, bookshelves or shoes; awkward furniture arrangements; doors that run smack into walls — that often will show up symbolically as road-blocks in our lives. By removing the clutter, rearranging the furniture, and adding mirrors to tight spaces, it inspires movement, openness and abundance into our lives.

2. CLEAR OUT ALL THE CLUTTER
Everything in our space is talking to us on an unconscious level. Let’s just pray that it’s all saying something nice! By clearing clutter, fixing broken objects, and removing those items that tend to hold us back or evoke negative emotions, we lighten our emotional load to make way for something new and magical.

3. SIT IN THE POWER SPOT
When we sit in the “Power Spot” (which simply means the area farthest from the entrance to where we can see the expanse of the room), we naturally and instinctively feel more empowered. When our major furniture, such as our couch, desk and bed, all sit in this strong position, we naturally feel strengthened to face life’s challenges head-on. This instant ego-boost can be just the trick as we begin taking risks and living big.

4. MAKE A SPACE FOR WHAT YOU WANT
As they say, “if you build it, they will come”. Same goes with our dreams and aspirations. Make sure that your home or office accommodates your deepest desires. If you want to lose weight, make room for the exercise equipment. If you want to paint, clear a spot for an easel or drafting table. If you want love, build a romantic hideaway.

5. INCORPORATE VISUAL AFFIRMATIONS
We all know that to manifest, we need to think about what we desire. So what better way to do this than by filling our homes or offices with imagery, artwork, sculptures, vision boards, photos of personal heros or objects that trigger thoughts of our desired goals? These subtle visual cues can help us keep on track with our manifesting wish-lists.

6. CLEAN WITH INTENTION
Cleaning is a fantastic way to freshen up our home and remove any stressful, depressing or stagnant energy from the past. But while you’re doing so, keep in mind that our home is a direct reflection of our thinking. The intention we put into our environment radiates right back at us. So when you clean in a stressed-out mindset, you create more stress. When you clean from a peaceful state, you create a home that feeds you more positive energy.

7. USE “UNCOMFORTABLE” COLORS
Often times we are our own worst enemies, and we will design our homes to keep us stuck and stagnant. We tend to lean toward objects, arrangements and colors that play it safe and prevent change and movement. By stretching ourselves our of our comfort zones, and trying on new colors that inspire new, dynamic emotions, we can help nudge ourselves from our ruts and get things flowing in the right direction.

8. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH WHAT YOU LOVE
When you live with only what you love, arranged with intention and purpose, you set up a supportive, nurturing, inspiring environment. This becomes like a living incubator for your dreams to grow and blossom.

9. DESIGN YOUR HOME FOR THE FUTURE
By using feng shui principles to design a space that’s built for the “future you” — who you will become 2 to 5 years down the road — you surround yourself with the constant reminder that your dreams are already a reality and that you deserve abundance, which will magnetize you to the people, situations and objects you desire.

© 2007 Stephanie McWilliams LLC

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Please join me in creating a healing prayer circle for my new dear friends, Diana and Josh, in Las Vegas, NV. As you read the amazing email I received from Diana on the blog posting below, you will hear of their current situation regarding her husband’s health.

Please join me daily in the next many days, weeks, and months as we all focus and picture Josh surrounded in white light, in perfect health, with a perfect, clear, pink, happy brain! See him spending a long and lucious life with his adorable wife, Diana. See him as healed. See him as strong. See him as happy and healthy and energetic. See it so real and tangible that it gives you chills and you’re smiling with delight.

I ask that you join this prayer circle simply because when our minds, as a collective, hold a similar image or intention, true magic and miracles can occur. This is the powerful of prayer…and of love.

Thank you, from myself, Diana and Josh.

With deepest gratitude,

Stephanie

“Lets go on a Phish Tour for our honeymoon” was what Josh proposed to me a few months after we got married in April 2003. I was already head-over-heals in love with him so I said “sure.” Boy was I in for a Phish culture shock! We had a great time but during the trip, I noticed Josh was not as talkative or social. Josh wasn’t sure what was going on but agreed something was wrong since he didn’t feel “right.” After flying home, we met with the doctors and they dismissed his complaints and said Josh was just recovering from the honeymoon and was having jet lag. Not convinced with the doctors’ diagnosis, Josh pushed for an MRI. MRI showed a tumor and what happened afterwards was all a blur. I remember rushing to the ER, meeting with the neurosurgeon, Josh under the knife, surgeon telling us the initial pathology report shows tumor was benign, and then the official pathology report a day later saying Josh has the worst and most aggressive brain cancer (Glioblastoma multiform). This was the beginning of our emotional roller coaster. Those affected with cancer knows what I’m talking about- one moment things are going well and the next, you’re in the ER for either seizures, blood clots, head pressure, tumor regrowth, weakness, etc. Our lives are lived from one MRI to the next. I truly now know what “living in the moment” and “living life to the fullest” means. When Josh was first diagnosed, the oncologist told us the typical lifespan of patients affected by this GBM is 6 months to 2 years. Let me tell you, the ride home was very quiet.

I believe it was fate that Stephanie’s and my path crossed. I had been watching her show on HGTV and was interested in what she had to teach. I was curious to learn what we could do to make our living environment more comfortable, uplifting, and inspiring. Hummm……. Well, Josh spends most of his day at home; his full time job is no longer a database developer but a brain tumor warrior! How can I transform our home to be the “healing hub” for Josh? We already have:

1) Prayers from friends and family and strangers from almost every religious background.
2) Doctors and medication/treatment working for Josh.
3) We have Duwayne & Mui (very close friends of ours and one of Stephanie’s biggest fans) religiously visiting every weekend for energy work. (Shockras and realignment of meridians)
4) Feng Shui (why not!)

Stephanie has taught us a lot through her show. Her show is the only HGTV show that has gotten me off my fat behind and actually rearranging furniture, clearing clutter, CLEANING! The most amazing feng shui exercise for me was going through our medicine cabinet (our personal pharmacy because Josh requires a lot of meds) and throwing away expired drugs, questionable bottles, etc. Second exercise was going through mountains of medical bills, health insurance claims, medical files, etc. This chore has been on the back of my mind for so many years and it felt so good to just mentally cross it off my to-do list. We’ve learned the kitchen (which is the center of our house) is the health zone and we are trying very hard to keep that area clean and de-cluttered.

I decided to go to Stephanie’s website and contact her personally. I told her what we were going through, and she wrote back. Then she called us personally to see how she could help. We spoke for about an hour. Stephanie told us that her father had gone through a very similar cancer struggle and was given a 3-month life expectancy, yet was still around 15 years later to tell the tale. So she gave us her parents’ number in Indiana, hoping that their story would inspire Josh and myself.

I was such a privilege to speak with Stephanie’s parents (Judy and Steve) and boy was my heart filled with warmth and peace. These people are out of this world! Like Stephanie, they were very compassionate, kind, and funny! Steve had the same type of cancer Josh is fighting and they’ve gone through the emotional roller coaster we’re going through. I had a huge sense of connection when speaking with them. Judy and Steve gave us advice on nutrition, meditation, and provided a lot of support.

This whole Feng Shui “thing” has gotten me to think about a person’s emotional state as well. Josh, my hero, is always upbeat and smiling. He’s always smiling because he’s surrounded by people who loves him, he’s in an environment that he’s comfortable and happy, and he doesn’t get himself into stressful situations. His attitude has contributed to his well being since this past July was his 4th year anniversary fighting this cancer.

Our friend Duwayne states, your home is where your friends/family visits, foods are consumed (to nurish your body), and if you’re lucky, a place you spend to relax and renew yourself from the outside world. It only makes sense to me to make our home as comfortable as possible and Feng Shui accomplishes this goal…its designing your home with a purpose! Cheers to Stephanie and her show for helping improve people’s lives and homes. She has definitely touched our hearts and we are so grateful for her inspiring chi.

—Diana (Vegas, NV)