Happy New Year! May this coming year to bring you the reality of your wildest dreams! Let me be more specific: Allow this coming year to bring you the reality of your wildest dreams! Choose it!

I'm choosing a newly remodeled home! Yes, my home remodel is still going on (waiting for windows has severely slowed us down!) and the place is definitely NOT in the best feng shui shape - but I didn't let that stop me from my new year de-cluttering session! It gets me one step closer to my dream home!

I got my son's toys under control, cleaned up the garage, scrubbed the refrigerator (have you taken a good look in there lately?) and dug through all the office drawers - shredding, filing and donating my way through to a clean space. It is so obvious to the whole family's chi vibe when we clean up the home - even when the stuff I cleaned is out of sight - like inside the office drawers. So don't let the closet doors fool you into thinking that since you don't look in there often, it isn't affecting you. WOW! It feels sooooo good!

Because of the construction, I'm delaying my annual re-gifting party; my yearly event where everyone brings something they were gifted but don't need, want, or like, and trade it in for something else. I hope that I can count on some of you out there to tow the line this year in my absence! It's so fun! Just invite your friends out for a quick lunch of you don't want to throw a big party and tell them to wrap something up that they need to evict from their home and voila! - instant fun. I have everyone pick a number and then we go around either choosing a wrapped gift to open, or steal one that has already been opened by someone else. And what's amazing is you usually like what you got a lot better than what you brought! Try it, and have a good laugh!!!

QUESTION: I was curious as to what a feng shui maven like you has for a new year's resolution, and how do you go about getting it crossed off your list? Also, do you have any advice for people who can't seem to stick to theirs?

ANSWER: Well, first of all, thanks for the maven description. :) It's always nice to be honored.

My constant resolution each year is to become the best person I can be - I think it will always be on the list. The specifics change each year, but the overall "better person" theme is always the same. This year, patience is on the top (it's got to be with this remodel!) followed by a wish to meditate more (I'm planning a space for that in my remodel - yea!!!!!) I used to meditate one hour each day before I moved into this yang home and look forward to the more yin spaces that are being incorporated into the remodel that will support my wish for quiet time.

I have also been thinking of doing another fast, (I did a fast last January for 7 days) but have not resolved quite yet to doing it because I want to complete the manuscript before committing. I find fasting a great way to de-clutter the body of gunk and toxins that have been ingested over the past year (and wow does my skin look fantabulous when I do!) This also is an inward journey of sorts that will combine my quest for patience and meditation (it feels like a combination of both when I do it.)

Most people use the new year to rid themselves of habits such as overeating, smoking or drinking, so I thought I'd concentrate on that type of resolution in this answer. As for advice for those who fall "off the wagon" with their resolutions, I'd say to investigate what you are saying to yourself about it. For example, if you want to quit smoking, don't fixate on how many days it has been since you've smoked. This confirms that you are a smoker that is currently not smoking. Instead, affirm that you are a non-smoker. Do what non-smokers do. Make choices that non-smokers make. See yourself as a non-smoker. Whatever negativity pops into your mind as you are reading this "( probably starting with "But,,,") look into that. It is probably the lynchpin to whether you will stick to it or not. ("But I'm addicted!," "But I can't remember not smoking it's been so long," "But I'm a weak person!" - or whatever.) As long as you let these thoughts run you - your resolution has little chance.

Don't forget to take your resolution into the feng shui world by creating living environments that support your resolution. For example, I am literally building a quiet space for meditation. If it's the smoking thing - throw out the ashtrays - non-smokers don't have them in their homes! Toss the lighters - I have never owned one and have survived all this time without one so I know it can be done. Think, think, think like a non-smoker. What do the non-smokers do while you take a break at work and go outside to smoke? Do that. Ask them if you don't know.

I know it is hard to imagine, but imagining is where it begins. I could hardly imagine how I could survive not chewing food for 7 days (I drank only warm water with lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup - the standard "lemonade fast") - so I imagined how I could do it for one day. Then the next day, I imagined how I could get through that day, or that hour, or that mealtime... What was hard for me during this time was preparing meals for my hubby and child. My environment was not supporting my fast as all! Food being cooked was "in the air!"

But, with my health practitioner's support, I got through it anyway. (And I'm not kidding, my complexion looked like a china doll.) It takes a commitment bigger than the negative thoughts, and it helps to have an environment that supports you. If you are a smoker who is currently saying to yourself "Fasting for seven days is different than not smoking forever," try looking at your smoking in seven day increments. Can you stop for seven days? Then, look at the next seven after that. Do the one day at a time method, but don't forget to incorporate the mental shift of "I am not a smoker" into the mix for added measure.

Back to the food example, if you say to yourself, "Hey, for as little as I exercise and as much as I eat, I'd say I'm doing pretty well for my age" it will probably be hard, if not impossible to achieve a permanent weight-loss resolution. This sentence approves of your current weight. If you've got these little beliefs running around inside your head, it's best you know about them if you want to be a resolution-winner.

From a feng shui perspective, imagine what a healthy-eater has in their refrigerator and cabinets, and imagine what a fit person does to stay fit. Now, investigate the thoughts that just popped into your head about why you can't do that or be that. Train your mind to notice these thoughts. Stop and notice what rolls through your brain! You can start to dismantle and un-empower these thoughts by just noticing them. This is the beginning, and a huge step in the right direction. And it doesn't involve deprivation at all! Notice. Notice. Notice. Some thoughts that I have noticed run through my mind are actually so outrageous, they're comical!

Then, I'd suggest writing these little nasties down. That un-empowers them even more. It's like you caught them and shined the light on them - which withers them. Now that you caught them, take them apart by noticing that they are merely an opinion. Perhaps it is the opinion of your doctor, your mother, your spouse, your mind. But it is an opinion. For every one of the nasties, write an empowering line that counters it. For example, "But I have a thyroid condition that keeps me heavy!" is changed to "My thyroid is not connected to my weight." and "I can choose to be a healthier weight whether I have a thyroid condition or not." Write different lines until you can find one that sounds possible to you. Now you've got something to work with. Perhaps it starts at "I believe that miracles can happen, so I believe a thyroid can somehow become healthier even though I have no idea how." Start somewhere.

Again, from a feng shui perspective, do a walkabout in your home and imagine that everything in your home is a symbol of your state of well being and current conditions in life. Be a detective. Ask yourself, "What is this person who lives here weighting for?" "Why does this person feel they are out of control?" "What makes this person tick?" What makes this person smoke?" "Why does this person choose drugs, food, alcohol etc. to self medicate?" Sniff around and see what the environment tells you about your habits, and why you think you are not in control of them.

I find items that in the feng shui world equal low self esteem in many homes where these habits exist. They look like:

∙ clutter - especially stuff piled up that has not moved in a while (over a month)

∙ clothes that aren't put away

∙ filth and grime (feces of animals and smell of urine)

∙ low lighting levels

∙ ill-maintained furniture

∙ dirty sheets on the bed

∙ the bedroom is not "honored," as if the person who sleeps there thinks they don't deserve a nice place to sleep or a beautiful bedroom

∙ art that depicts the actual habits and items used (like alcohol bottles in the art or people smoking)

∙ a sense of hiding (like tall shrubs in front of the windows or solid walls or fences)

∙ cracked driveways and sidewalks

∙ old food in the refrigerator and cabinets

∙ crumbs on surfaces

∙ packed closets, garages, sheds, basements, attics, drawers

Make environmental changes to support your resolution for a life change and see how much easier it is to achieve it!

Using your imagination to picture yourself as lighter, a non-smoker, a non-drinker or whatever is essential to keeping on track with your goal. If you can only see yourself as overweight, you will be. Stop and take the time to picture yourself as slim. How does your slim body move? How does it fit into slim clothes? The mental energy thrusts the physical - so turn on the mental engine and go!

Health Journeys is a web site that offers a wide selection of CDs/tapes that help with the imagination process, so if you have a story rolling around in your head that says, "I don't know how to use my imagination" or whatever, try starting here. Click on the "shop" button on the top of the page when you get there! The Healing Mind and Academy For Guided Imagery are two additional sites that are worth checking out!

The last idea that crosses my mind about keeping resolutions is dealing with the fear of actually becoming what you are wishing for. Fear is a very strange force to be reckoned with and sometimes it alone can foil the greatest of intentions. Work on enhancing the fame and reputation gua (fire element) for courage, and perhaps employ the helpful people gua (heaven trigram and metal element) for faith and help in "letting go" of the past. You have to let go of one thing to grab something else!

If you are tackling clutter this time of year, don't just toss it out - recycle it! Here are some links that accept used items to help you send your clutter to a good cause. A little hassle on your end getting your stuff to the right place saves landfills and helps the needy. Do everyone and the planet a favor and recycle your stuff!

If you are interested, for a $3.00 fee, Excess Access will e-mail charities in your area to help you locate one that needs what you want to donate. Go to Excess Access

Passages Northwest - girls and women's hiking boots (particularly sizes 4,5 and 6)helps inspire young women to be leaders.

Career Closet, Career Gear, Dress For Success, Jobs For Youth-Chicago all accept women's business, interview attire.

Safe In Sacramento, Fairy Godmothers Inc., , Princess Project accept formalwear, cocktail dresses, handbags, shoes, etc for underprivileged youth.

I Do Foundation, Making Memories accepts wedding dresses, bridesmaid and flower girl dresses, and accessories for charity.

NY Cares, One Warm Coat accepts coats.

Lions Club, New Eyes For The Needy, accepts eyeglasses and sunglasses and frames.

NWRA Wildlife is a site that can locate a wildlife rehabilitator who may be able to use fur for bedding for newborn animals or contact the humane society at Humane Society

Hats Off To Chemo accepts hats, scarves and caps for people undergoing chemotherapy.

Indigo Rescue accepts costume, vintage, and ethnic jewelry to sell to benefit animal rescue programs in Oregon.

Suitcases For Kids donates suitcases and large duffel bags to foster children who move from home to home and usually carry their belongings in plastic garbage bags.

Real Change News accepts rain ponchos and umbrellas for its more than 200 homeless vendors who publish and sell a newspaper to support poor and homeless programs.

Triple Threat On-Line, Bolder Boulder - Shoes For Africa accepts athletic shoes and Sat Global accepts athletic shoes and old soccer boots, cleats, jerseys, training clothes, sports bags for Honduran homeless kids.

Take your wire hangers to any dry cleaner and wooden ones to any shelter. If clothing is too worn, tear them up and use for cleaning rags.

Churches and shelters of domestic violence may need coats or jackets.

Goodwill and Salvation Army USA take just about anything else!

To help launch our Alaskan cruise, we're slashing the price of the Feng Shui Essentials for Real Estate kit by 66%!!!!!!! That's $99.00 instead of $297.00! But the offer is only good for the month of January so catch it while you can!

Feng Shui Palace Product Specials is the link.

1. I am capable of achieving my new year resolutions now!

2. I am already the new me I picture in my imagination!

July 29 - August 5, 2006

We finally have the link ready for registration!!! Here it is: Feng Shui Palace Alaska Cruise

Put your Real Estate Career on "Cruise" and join us for an exceptional 7 days as we explore the beauty that can only be found in Alaska! From Whales leaping out of the waters to baby sea otters basking in the sunshine, July is the time to see the wonders of blue glaciers and the mysteries only found in this region of our planet!

Come take a fun-filled feng shui and real estate cruise with me and Holly Ziegler, author of Sell Your Home Faster With Feng Shui And Buy Your Home Smarter With Feng Shui. We'll set sail out of Vancouver, B.C. and work our way to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan through Glacier Bay and the Tracy Arm fjords.

Be inspired by your surroundings as we explore ways to:

Have what it takes to talk confidently about feng shui to clients.

Be able to easily attract more clients toward you.

Be able to showcase rooms that sell.

Know what makes good "curb appeal" and what doesn't.

Know how to unblock the 7 secret stumbling blocks that usually foil your ultimate success.

Know what cures are necessary to help bring a transaction to a smooth completion.

Plus, so much more!!

(And if you are a California Realtor, the classes will count for 6 CEU credits.)

The seminar series will take place during the days at sea when there are not glaciers to photograph! We've negotiated a great selection of room rates. Prices start as low as $1294.00US per person, double occupancy. If you need to find a shipmate to share a room, we can help you with that too. The workshops will be interactive and flexible, and we encourage you to bring floor plans and photos of your listings (or your house!) so we can use them as examples!

This seminar series is not only geared towards the real estate industry but ALSO to non-real estate individuals looking to increase their knowledge of feng shui for their own use or to become a feng shui consultant will also benefit from our "dynamic duo" presentation!

Are you ready for a tax write-off educational/fun cruise combo? Are you ready to learn how to make more money and complete more transactions using feng shui in your real estate career? Are you ready for a chocoholic midnight buffet? Don't wait! Reserve your spot before March 1, 2006, you'll receive a $100.00 discount! The rates you are quoted includes the seminar! Join us in the biggest event of the summer as we put your real estate career on CRUISE!

With intentions of being of service,

Karen

If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, please go to the newsletter that is printed online at Feng Shui Palace News