With all the recent life and death happenings, I thought it important to discuss how we can use the remainder of our lives as wisely as possible. We may never know how long we’ll be here, but the quality of our time on earth is completely within our control…

In a nutshell, my feng shui motto is: Design with your death bed in mind.

“Wow,” you may be thinking to yourself, “that sounds rather depressing!” But it’s actually meant to be quite the opposite. As I suggest to many of my clients, taking time out on a regular basis to mentally fast-forward to the end of your life can be a powerful practice. Doing this allows you to take note of what’s truly important. From that perspective it’s much easier to see what things you place great importance on, and what things are simply trivial time-wasters. Living with your own death in mind is actually a very positive way to live.

Take a few minutes to close your eyes and do a little exercise. Sit in a comfortable position, and slowly move through each of the years of your life leading to today. Then continue to fast-forward through the next month, year, decade… and settle on the spot where you have a perspective of your entire life stretched out behind you - that beautiful moment before you take your last breath.

What do you most want to have accomplished, experienced, created or attained? What do you cherish most on your own unique journey? What things will allow you to feel as though you’ve lied a fulfilled and satisfied life? What is really, REALLY important to you?

List whatever comes to mind in your journal or on a piece of paper now. Write it on a note card, your forehead or your bathroom mirror. Look at it daily — the more often, the better!

Then review the following list of typical daily activities. If today were your last, would you choose to…

· Watch TV
· Surf the net
· Drink alcohol in excess
· Complain about your job
· Stay up late and wake up tired
· Gossip about the latest office politics
· Worry about finances and money
· Argue over a petty disagreement
· Live a sluggish, sedentary lifestyle
· Live in a cluttered, disorganized space
· Stay late at work each night
· Eat more than your body needs
· Read the latest gossip magazine
· Spend hours sorting emails
· Fixate on work and/or money
· Spend hours at the gym
· Play video games

Or would you rather…

· Call a dear friend
· Get plenty of sleep
· Laugh until you cry
· Express your creativity
· Compliment a coworker
· Reach out to help a stranger
· Play outside with your children
· Take a walk and connect with nature
· Spend time in introspection and stillness
· Be intimate time with your partner or family
· Maintain your home so it is beautiful and inspiring
· Stay organized so everything is efficient and streamlined
· Push yourself out of your comfort zone, and experience your ultimate potential
· Make a difference on the planet

Make sure that those things most important to you become a regular part of your routine. Doing this can ripple out and transform all areas of your life.

Then, with these things in mind, design your home to support these activities. If you long to do something, but simply haven’t gotten around to it, create a space for it in your home, budget or schedule. If there are activities that you wish to curb, design your home to help you avoid them. You can use your home (or office) to encourage, or discourage, any behavior you wish.

Watching too much TV? Can’t seem to break yourself away from the boob-tube? How bout rearranging the living room, hiding the television, or canceling your cable subscription all together?  (I’ve done this myself recently so I’m living proof that you can exist without TV). Be radical. Take risks. Live full-out. Design with INTENTION!

Our journey here on earth is a relatively short jaunt, and will be over before you know it. Give yourself the greatest gift and make sure that each and every day is spent like it’s your last…

It’s summer, and for many of you, thing are heating up — not only in temperature, but in energy, excitement and movement. Summer is a very active season. It’s a time when things grow, culminate, blossom and come alive. It’s a very external time, far different from winter when we come indoors, tuck ourselves away, and conserve energy for the coming spring. It’s a time when we enjoy life, celebrate, go on vacation, and suck up all that life has to offer. Summer is a time when we shed lots of clothes, as well as a few pounds. And just like our bodies, our homes also enjoy lightening up right along with us!

With all this hustle and bustle, sometimes it’s hard to focus on our home environment though…simply because we’re spending less time indoors. But our homes still need our love and attention, no matter what time of the year. So let’s take a look at some quick ways you can help your home lighten up and support you this month:

1. FABRICS
Consider switching out heavy drapes for lighter sheers or billowy cottons. Change your bedding from the heavy down comforters, to soft and airy sheets and blankets. And for those of you with wood floors, perhaps consider removing some of your larger, heavy rugs to allow your feet to glide along cool, smooth natural surfaces for a month or two. This can bring a lighter, fresher feel to your home.

2.  COLORS
Consider changing dark or saturated colors on your tablecloths, bed linens, pillows and throws for lighter pastels or fresh, trendy colors. These brighter colors can definitely add a zip to your step, and be the cheapest way to give your home a design-face-lift! Try out a pop of chartreuse, a punch of pink, or adjust with aqua — the brighter, the better! These fun accent tones can help bring all of summer’s energy indoors so that your time spent inside still feels like a day at the beach. Simply store away your winter-wears and pull them out again in the cooler months!

3. CLEANING
This might be your least favorite tip to hear…but cleaning is important, no matter what the season. And when we’re at a loss for what to do in our homes, or don’t have the finances to redecorate, this is always an invigorating and inexpensive option. Are your windows washed? Is your toilet twinkling? Is your freezer feeling fresh? Are your cabinets captivating? Is there magic under your microwave? Is your patio lookin’ pretty? Are your floors looking fierce? Just like your clutter-clearing, pick one spot per week that rarely gets the TLC that it deserves. Then turn on some great dance music, pull out the sponge, and go cleaning-crazy! The love you put into your home comes back to you ten-fold, so let’s get cleaning!

Stephanie’s cleaning tip: I love the “Young Living” products, and think they are some of the highest quality items I’ve ever used. Their specially formulated “Thieves” line of cleaning products is the only thing I use in my own home — whether it’s household cleansers, tooth paste, hand soap or disinfectant, I can’t recommend this line enough. Full of the purest and highest-quality essential oils and no toxic substances, you get that clean smell and feeling, while doing something great for the environment. To learn more, click here.

4. KITCHENS
Clear out all the old, outdated food, crusty condiments and dusty dishes, and replace them with fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables. Our bodies are naturally drawn to lighter, fresher foods in the warmer months. Even though we live in artificially-adjusted environments like indoor heating and air conditioning, we still want to honor the cycles and rhythm of nature. But that can be challenging to do if our cabinets are overflowing with artificial, processed, colorized and pulverized packaged foods. Clearing out the fake-food clutter and replacing them with colorful bowls of apples, cherries, blueberries and watermelon can not only boost your body, but also your spirit. Bring in bundles of broccoli, asparagus, kale, collards and chard will also add energy and zip to your step…literally. Full of necessary vitamins, minerals and antioxida nts, these foods can keep our moods up, our minds focused and our blood sugars balanced. As I often say, you can’t hide in feng shui — what’s on the outside is as important as what’s hiding on the inside. The same goes for your body!

5. LIVE WITH LESS
Most everyone I meet is living with far, far too much stuff! The more things we acquire, the more these things tend to own us…simply in terms of the time it takes to care for, mend, clean, organize and track all of them. When we take a hard, cold look at where our precious time goes, it often times can be quite shocking. Unlike money (which we can make more of in the future if we’re so inclined & clever), we can NEVER, EVER get back our time. Once it’s spent, it’s over. So it’s important to get clear on where your time and attention in life is going.

We’re also becoming more and more emotionally attached to our stuff. So many people believe that their status or happiness lies in owning the latest gadget, shoe, accessory or furnishing. While nothing could be farther from the truth, clearing clutter can be one of the most emotionally challenging experiences for so many of my clients. But it’s a vital and important step in taking charge of your environment, and designing your home to reflect your deepest priorities.

So, to get started on what can often times be an overwhelming task, try clearing out just one cupboard, drawer, closet or shelf  per week. Make a chart if you need to, breaking down all the small areas of your home that need your time and attention. Then sit with each object, one at a time, and ask yourself from a deep, quiet place: “Do I NEED this? Do I LOVE this? Does this reflect who I WILL become?”, and then determine if it should stay or go. But remember to make the process fun! The more enjoyable the experience, the more likely you are to do it. Have a girlfriend come over who will make you giggle (while setting you straight!). Perhaps get the kids involved so that you have more family time, as well as the opportunity to instill important values. Or if your marriage is needing a zip, sorting your stuff in the buf f can make for a passionate and playful day! Do whatever you must to lighten your load and have fun in the process. You’ll be amazed at how you and your home feel in just a few short weeks!

For those of you who missed it, I was invited to do a seven-minute segment on Good Morning America Now this past week. It was such an amazing experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful to Joan Gugliotta and Susan Johnston for joining me and sharing their feng shui successes with all of you. I only wish I could have brought hundreds more success stories with me!

For those of you who missed it, I’ve placed a link on my home page, or feel free to click here, and enjoy the clip!

Try an hour session of this process in your own life to experience it’s power for yourself. Click here to learn more!

Click here to experience “The Work” of Byron Katie in your own life!

Click here to experience “The Work” in your own life.

“The Work” of Byron Katie is the process I use with all my coaching clients. To learn more, or to experience it in your own life, click here.