how to bring a little magic into your home!
at the close of every year, i share a little shui prep for welcoming the new year.
and every year, i am regaled with stories of clean homes, photos of fresh bloomies and bright oranges, and notes like this:
“i cleaned, organised and restocked the whole house and have taken a nice bath. never have started my New Year’s Eve this relaxed.
wishing you a wonderful 2021 with lots of love, health, inspiration and shui.
and inspired by New York celebrations after the elections, i will start the year with the sound of pots and pans for good energy.”
this collective effort and energy keep me beaming for days, which is a perfect note for starting off any new year.
there is one suggestion, though, that gets overlooked by the busy work.
“splurge on a meal. treat yourself to a fabulous evening out. or buy something marvelous for your space. think of this act like an “as if” statement. behave as if your intentions and ambitions have already manifested, and let that vibe be the 4th course of every day for the next 365!”
turns out, this one possesses life-changing magic.
Lillian Too, a grand dame of Feng Shui, encourages her clients to start the new year with a new, lucky object. she believes it must be noticeable and affect the chi in the room – and should be accompanied by releasing something else. not only does this infuse your home with dynamic energy, it is a ritual for rejuvenating your space annually.
interestingly enough, i also recently read about this same concept in DEEP WORK by Cal Newport. he calls it the power of a “grand gesture.”
“the grand gesture concept is simple: by leveraging a radical change to your normal environment, coupled perhaps with significant investment of effort or money, all dedicated toward supporting a deep work task, you increase the perceived importance of the task. this boost in importance reduces your mind’s instinct to procrastinate and delivers an injection of motivation and energy. sometimes to go deep, you must first go BIG!”
in years past, my AS IF / lucky object / grand gesture has included buying a new fabulous chandelier for our entryway (a nod to letting my light shine!); creating a vision board for my book and then hiring the book designer before i’d even started; and having a custom wood desk built that was BIG enough to match my goals!
so, here’s my Q: what’s your AS IF?
there’s still plenty of time to declare your AS IF. the Feng Shui New Year is February 4th and the Lunar New Year is February 12th (if you prefer a tidy deadline). the truth is, though, you can make a grand gesture anytime you need to bring a little magic into your home! so, don’t let 2021 slink by without this one – it could be the loving shove you need to manifest / achieve / create the thing that matters most to you! xo
