Hi Anjie! I have been loving your podcast, especially the episode about how you got into feng shui. My question is about starting something new. I have been wanting to make some big changes in my life but I keep getting scared, and then I feel like I stay stuck. Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you so much for your question, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying the podcast!

When it comes to taking leaps in your life, whether it’s moving across the country, leaving a stable job, or any other big change, there’s a connection to letting go. Taking a leap is scary. It requires you to be courageous, to give yourself permission to do what you’re scared of doing, and to let go of anything that may be holding you back.

One way that this fear translates to how we live in our homes is being scared to get rid of things. People become terrified of letting go of even simple things like a cup or a sweater, because they worry that they might need it one day. Just by starting to practice letting go of things in our home, we are starting to soften our hearts. This helps us take leaps and let go in other parts of our life.

Decluttering can be challenging for many people, because we can get very attached to our things. There’s a traditional Buddhist practice of generosity that is very simple, and I would suggest giving it a try if you are having a hard time letting go of items in your home: Take an object, and practice moving it from one hand to the other. Begin to notice how it feels to let go of something in one hand, and how it feels to offer it to the other hand.

Once you’ve practiced this exercise, begin to practice letting go of things in your home that no longer serve you. You can start with the low-hanging fruit, like items that are broken. Notice how this begins to open your heart, and helps you become more courageous in letting go of things that no longer serve you in your life. This can apply to people and situations as well.

I think the reason feng shui is so attractive to people is that it can be easier to make changes in your external environment rather than your internal environment. In a way feng shui is sort of a gateway drug, because once you really unpack things and connect to your environment more deeply, you begin to see that you’re really interconnected to everything outside of you. You begin to soften and open up, and you can start to really dig deep within yourself, too.

I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best in the changes that lie ahead! If you’d like more feng shui support in making changes in your life, I encourage you to work with a consultant or join us for an upcoming session of Practical Feng Shui to dive deeper.

by Anjie Cho