I love the thought of new beginnings, especially when something unpleasant is put aside and replaced with something better. We should always be striving for something better — not necessarily more expensive, but more pleasing, more suitable, more enjoyable. I find that the best way to improve my outlook is to make small changes around me. In fact, I move my furniture so often it should be on wheels. I seek ways to improve the comfort of my home and to increase the flow of energy. I want things to be comfortable, convenient, and pleasing to the eye. When I change things around, I feel good. I’m ready for a fresh start.

Take a look around you. Are you happy with your surroundings? What would make you feel more relaxed, comfortable and at ease in your home? Here are some signs that you may need a change:

	Some items in your home have a more prominent place than others. Do you have a “junk” room?
	Not all the elements and senses are represented. Is there too much metal or too much of one color?
	There are areas where flow is blocked. Is something preventing a door from opening completely or is there a coffee table that consistently bruises your shin?
	Your unique interests are not represented. Does your home say who you are?
	Your needs are not being met. Is there enough room for your stuff or is there no space you can call your own?
	Some of your possessions elicit negative responses and thoughts. Does something in your home conjure up memories of unpleasant relationships or events?
	There is chaos and clutter. Ch’i (energy) cannot circulate in clutter.
	The atmosphere of your home is confusing, irritating and/or overwhelming. Do guests head to the closet when they seek the bathroom? Do they know which door to knock on when visiting?
	There is no quiet place in your home, no place where you can think, meditate, or relax.

If only one of these indicators sounds familiar, you could still benefit from small changes. The one constant in life is change and when you adapt, your situation improves.

When I think back on my childhood home, I realize it kept me in a state of irritation. Every room was an obstacle course with rocking chairs, coffee tables, or other furniture lying in wait to bruise me if I dared to navigate past. My mother was an organized packrat. The volume of things she could fold and store in a drawer, closet or room was mind-boggling. The thing she could not do was let anything go. I have since realized that hanging onto possessions because one day you might need them is a feng shui no-no. Being prepared is reasonable, but pack-ratting is detrimental. Also, when a family’s home does not suit the needs of all its inhabitants, there will always be negative energy produced. Negative energy cannot generate good results.

As you evaluate your environment, be conscious of what your possessions are saying to you. Are you keeping that portrait of Aunt Edna because it’s a family heirloom? Does anyone else want it? If so, you might be better off giving it away. If no one wants it, and you find the way her eyes follow you around the room is creepy, you would be wise to dispose of the portrait. I’m reminded of the divorced woman who kept her marriage bed for years and could not figure out why she could never meet anyone new. Her bed was keeping her tied to her defunct marriage. Once she released it, she found new love.

Sometimes it is not necessary to get rid of things; you just need to move them. Take the man who always sold himself short. Low self-esteem had begun to manifest shortly after he moved into a new home. It turned out his bathroom mirror was installed too low for him. When he looked into the mirror to shave, the top part of his head was cut from view. This was something that, over time, gave him a stooped posture and subsequently a poor self-image. Raising the mirror just a few inches gave him a full view of himself and his potential. Problem solved.

Consider any health problems you are experiencing. Then look to see which direction your toilets face. I had a client who suffered from migraine headaches after he moved into a house where the toilet was pointed directly at his head as he slept. And still another suffered knee problems when the toilet was pointing directly at his knees.

If a toilet is facing your bed (regardless of how many walls separate it), the result is not good. Anyone who knows of feng shui has probably heard it is critical that you close the toilet cover when not in use. However, no lid or walls can protect you from the bad energy of a toilet when it points at your bed; you will eventually experience health issues. One of my clients lived in three different houses where the toilet faced her bed. She experienced increasing degrees of female problems and eventually a hysterectomy. I showed her how the toilet faced her bed and was pointed directly at the bottom of her feet and ultimately her reproductive organs. We faced a bagua (octagonal) mirror back toward the toilet to return the negative energy to its source. It was a simple but effective cure.

There is always room for improvement or change in your environment. Shift things around when you experience disappointment, lack of ambition, a lackluster love life or health problems. Trust your instincts. Little changes yield big results, particularly when done with the intention of improving a situation. Every day can be a new beginning and an end to something negative.

Sue Todd is an Essential Feng Shui practitioner in Anchorage. Go to www.suetoddessentialfengshui.com to learn more about Essential Feng Shui or to book a speaking engagement or private consultation.