Feng Shui & The New Time Management (Part I)

First of all, there is no "managing" time.  That's like trying to hold sand in your hands.  But there is a way to drastically improve your relationship with it.  At least that is how I've come to look at it.

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You who follow me know that I've been obsessing over two books this summer:  The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.  Both of these beauties speak of time in a different light and totally shake our world view on "managing" it.

"Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.” 
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

Whoa, right?

And Gay Hendricks explains that "time comes from us."  That if we look at it like that, it is malleable, and we can relax because everything gets done.

Beats trying to race the clock, right?

"I'm late!  I'm late!"  [Source is obviously Disney.]

I've been playing with these concepts a lot!  I'm the sort that wants to get everything done and won't "waste" even three minutes of time, like say, when a friend arrives late for lunch.  After all, something can "get done" in those three precious minutes, right?

But those books, (along with the work I'm doing in a Course in Miracles right now), have 100% blown my concept of time out of the water.

Please understand, this is not the first time I've dabbled with this.  After all, I wrote papers on the 4th dimension in college (which relates to time), one of my favorite gifts I've received was a copy of Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman, and for the past few years, I've used the mantra, "My timing is perfect and elegant," with almost miraculous success.  I've also prayed about it, literally.  I have asked that my relationship with time be improved, and I have gone from someone who was almost always at least ten minutes late (in my 20s) to someone who can arrive right on the nose almost every time, as if the very traffic lights were on my side.

Because think about it: how much stress do we experience simply from trying to deal with time?!  It's sheer insanity!

In fact, I chose the first image -- the hourglass on a beach -- very consciously.  The hourglass notoriously "measures" time, representing that we collectively consider time to "run out."  But there is an entire beach (world?) of sand around it, just sitting there!    This photo demonstrates the folly that we try to bottle and limit time when really, it's infinite!

Now I'm learning to be still in those unexpected three-minute (or thirty-minute) moments -- to look around, go within, and know that everything is "in perfect and Divine order." (Thanks to Doreen Virtue, for that affirmation.)

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<<<<And I'm finding this quote here, (which I originally found to be simply humorous), to be shockingly accurate.  In fact, when I start to feel anxiety creep in, I have begun to simply sit down and do my meditations (or use a mantra, or take some breaths), and I will get back on track.  All that "stuff" I needed to hurry to do falls away and does "get done."  I'm finding more ease in my days, more time for leisure and relaxation, while still taking care of clients and housework and being a mom and exercising and everything!  My finances have actually improved since practicing this technique, because relaxing into time is really the ultimate surrender and act of trust in the Universe to provide what you need, when you need it.

Have I mastered this?  Heck no!  I still occasionally cringe at my pile of to-dos, but now I know how to take it in perspective, rather than push through.  This is a discipline, to be sure, but it is SO worth it, and in fact, makes life much more fun!  There are surprises around every corner if you can surrender to the present moment!

How does this show up in feng shui?  What can you shift in your household or office to reflect this "new" meaning of time?

Stay tuned for Part II, to come soon!  In the meantime, though, learn to meditate.  Here's a video to inspire you:

P.S.
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Feng Shui is Not Perfection

My new friend, who had never been to my home, said to me, "Your feng shui stuff is kind of intimidating."

I was like, what?!  How?

"Well, I mean, isn't your home, like, perfect?"

This was a powerful moment for me.  I am so glad he asked me this because I got a peek into the psyche of a feng-shui-newbie, and I was determined to educate.

"Perfect?  Uh, no," I replied.  

The truth is, the apartment I live in is not my dream home.  It doesn't get enough light for my taste, I have to climb up a slight hill to get to it, and it's not in a walking-friendly neighborhood.  (i.e. The grocery store is out of walking distance.)   

And I'm "naturally messy."  I just am.  I'm a creative, right-brainer who tries so damn hard to be superbly organized, and even with all my feng shui training, I always fall a little short.  (Although, I've gotten a lot better, knowing the effect disorganization has on me!  Just sayin'.)

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So please -- FENG SHUI IS NOT ABOUT PERFECTION.  

What it is about, is loving where you are.  It's about putting the energy into WHAT YOU HAVE NOW, rather than pining away for what you think you want.   It's about making the best of what you've got, rather than nitpicking away, waiting for the "next thing."  It's about raising the energy in the here-and-now, rather than longing for that maybe-some-day.

It's about gratitude...and showing gratitude -- in your current space.  

After all, how many people do you know that have their "dream home," but they still aren't happy.  We choose the homes we need -- you know, the ones that are going to provide the lessons and wake-up calls that are going to take us further on our path.

So, for me, my apartment serves as a little-yin-haven -- a respite for my extroverted nature in an overly-yang(active) world.  The hill has toned my thighs, and the walking distance thing...well, that's a harder one to cure.  

Here's a story:

When I first moved to Los Angeles at age 25, a feng shui-newbie myself, I moved into a nice, comfortable apartment living with a friend-of-a-friend in the Wilshire District.

The area was great in that it was central, but being a highly sensitive person (HSP) and having moved there from Kauai where nature abounds, I quickly realized that I wouldn't last long in the high-voltage city environment unless I had easy access to nature.  

In other words, the beach was calling.  

Venice Beach by Jeffrey Stanton

But try as I might, I could not find an affordable place that fit my criteria.  I was usually so lucky with that sort of stuff!  But, in this case, I was blocked, frustrated, and feeling like my move to LA may not have been such a good idea after all.

Not willing to give in so easily (I really, really wanted to be a screenwriter), I educated my open-minded roommate on what I knew of feng shui.  If I wasn't going to live at the beach, at least I could make the apartment we shared as high energy as possible.  I suggested we paint like crazy -- the kitchen, the bathroom, the front door, and the bedrooms.  

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It took a couple of sleepless nights, but the two of us put on some music, chatted, laughed, and busted it out.  The kitchen went from bland cream to sunny yellow; the bathroom took on a fun turquoise hue; and the front door became -- you guessed it -- the famous red.  

It totally transformed the place.   

We absolutely loved it.

And wallah!  Not even a week later I received an out-of-the-blue email from a friend who said she knew some people who were looking for a roommate in Venice...a five-minute bike ride to the beach.  

I went to check it out, and it was happy-Venice-bungalow-awesome.  The girls and I hit it off, and within two weeks, I was in my new home by the beach!  

So what happened?  It's simple.  I surrendered.  And I took action.  By painting the apartment (a very real feng shui cure), I told the Universe:  Thank you!  I'm going to make the best of what I've got! ...and I'm committed to giving this LA thing a shot.   

And the Universe said Thank You right back.  

So, no, feng shui is not about perfection.  It's not even about obtaining your dream home.

Instead, feng shui is about creating a safe or inspiring or loving space with what you have right now.  It's about loving yourself and your life, as it is, right now!

And watching how the Universe responds, in kind...

So, no, my home is not my dream home, but it is feng shui'd... and it's imperfectly dreamy that way!