Use Feng Shui to Help You Live Without Fear
by Ken Lauher
This is the time of year when children pull on costumes and knock on doors for “trick or treat.” People in scary masks walk the streets, and there’s an emphasis on creating a fright, whether with a scary movie, house decorations, or jumping out from behind a bush with a can of shaving cream and a big “boo” to your friends.
These kind of scares aren’t healthy to us, as they increase our adrenaline and put us into “fight or flight” mode. When prolonged, this kind of stress can be deadly, but even taken in small doses it’s not good for our bodies. I talk about the negative effects of “fright” — short but intense fear — in this blog post written a few Halloweens ago. But an occasional scream from a scary movie is nothing compared to what lingering fear can do to people, preventing them from living their best life, achieving their goals and finding health, wealth, success, true love and happiness.
When we remember that the opposite of fear is courage, this quote from Maya Angelou makes perfect sense: “One isn’t necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous or honest.” We also can’t live as the person we are meant to be if we are constantly living in fear.
What People Fear
What are some things people fear?
– Flying
– Bugs
– Snakes
– Being laughed at
– Not being accepted
– Being poor
– Being rich
– Dying
– Being alone
– Public speaking (this one actually ranks ahead of dying in many polls!)
– Tests
– Doctors/Hospitals – Cemeteries
– Failure
– Success
– Change The list could go on. After all, the things people fear are as varied as individual’s personalities. But let’s look at the last three on this list, since they can have a huge impact on your life on a day-to-day basis. After all, it’s fairly easy to avoid snakes or flying with a few lifestyle choices. But when we fear failure, it can hold us back from taking steps to achieve our goals. If what we really fear is not failure, but success, we’re likely to sabotage ourselves before we achieve our goals.
This brings us back to Maya Angelou’s quote, because kindness, truth, mercy, generosity and honesty are all traits that lead us to success. But we must be brave enough to accept others as they are, be kind without thinking it is a sign of weakness, and be honest and truthful even when it’s hard to do so. We must be generous without fearing that, if we give something away, we will be without. When we give our money, time, or love away, it seems to multiply and come back to us. We open the door to the opportunity for even more to come into our lives.
Fearing Change Now let’s look at the last item on that list. Change can be scary, especially when we’re not sure what’s coming next.
Even when we initiate what we think is a positive change in our life, we may wonder if it was the right choice. But it’s important to embrace any change that comes our way and maintain positive expectations about it. This is one of the keys to achieving all we desire.
Too many people fear a change and then push it away with that fear. They get stuck in their present situation, afraid to move forward. Or worse, something negative happens and they rationalize it by saying, “See? Every time I try to make a change, things get worse.”
They don’t realize that it’s their fear and expectations that created the bad situation. I know. That’s a powerful statement and it may be hard to accept, because it means taking responsibility for a lot of things in our lives. But once we accept that thoughts become reality, we can manifest positive outcomes when we’re facing a change. We can look at every situation as an opportunity, rather than as a challenge, and expect the best to come from it, ultimately.
How does Feng Shui fit into all of this?
Using Feng Shui to Help Us Embrace Change
When we use Feng Shui to make positive changes in alignment with our goals, it can help us feel more secure about the results that come from the change, which, in turn, creates more positive results. But where do we begin?
Follow these steps to start living without fear today.
1. Make the decision – Maya Angelou had it right. Do not focus on fear because you’ll begin attracting more of that to you. Instead, focus on being courageous. Every morning, repeat affirmations to remind you that you are brave, strong and focused. Fear is just a perception. It doesn’t exist. If you perceive yourself as courageous, you’ll feel and act that way.
2. Get rid of items from the past that remind you of times you felt weak. – Maybe it’s a gift you never liked but kept out of guilt, or a piece of furniture you don’t like but, at the time you purchased it, you couldn’t afford anything better. Find a way to get rid of, give away or sell items from your past that reflect a time when you didn’t feel as if you were living your life with courage.
3. Make your home comfortable – There are small aspects of our homes that may upset us on a subconscious level every day. A dark foyer, especially one that is not lighted when you get home from work now as the days grow shorter, can lead to a sense of unease when you enter your home. Your house or apartment should be your refuge, the place where you relax. Consider putting lights on timers to go on when it starts to get dark outside.
Clutter on the floors, or furniture placed in such a way that you are constantly banging into it, creates frustration as well as negative chi. These things sap your energy and prevent you from focusing on what really matters in your life. You live in constant, low-level anxiety, with a deep fear of when you’ll hurt or injure yourself next.
4. Ask the right questions of yourself and of every situation – Instead of asking “Why?” ask “Why not?” “Why can’t this be done?” “Why shouldn’t I be the one to do it?”
Then take that thinking to the next level and begin to think, “How can I do this? What’s the best way to achieve this goal or overcome this obstacle?” When we start viewing obstacles as opportunities to make a positive change in our lives, every day becomes an exciting new adventure rather than something to fear.
5. Empower your space, and your life, with items that make you feel good. – After you’ve cleared out anything in your home or apartment that doesn’t fit with the person you want to be or causes you undue stress and anxiety, it’s time to fill your home with empowering objects. In Feng Shui, we sometimes call these anchoring objects. They are items that remind you of your goals or your victories. You can also empower specific trigrams of the Feng Shui bagua with live plants, fresh-cut flowers or simply with light.
What areas of your life would you like to face with increased courage? Do you need encouragement to go back to school and know that you’ll ace every test and learn the skills you need for a new career? Perhaps you want the courage to approach prospective romantic partners. Maybe you want to be more outgoing in every social situation. You can focus on this area of the Feng Shui bagua map, paying special attention to the items and decor in that segment of your home.
Feng Shui can offer powerful results very quickly. All of a sudden, rather than feeling uneasy, you might feel better about your situation, which will give you the energy and encouragement you need to take action. Victories build on victories and soon, you are achieving everything you want in life and living without fear.
Click HERE to Connect with your Daily Horoscope!
About Ken – One of America’s premier Feng Shui consultants, Ken Lauher helps thousands of people achieve their goals through Feng Shui. He can help you become a money magnet, attract passionate love, jump-start your career and get unstuck. Visit www.kenlauher.com to get your FREE Feng Shui guide and discover the ancient secrets that can help you unlock your true potential.
