About 6-7 years ago I discovered Feng Shui. I read several books about it and most of it made sense. Some of it was just too "superstitious" sounding for me. But one day, I met a Feng Shui consultant at a party. At the time, I was 40 years old and still single. I had been engaged 5 times. (Don't ask. that's a whole other story!)

After talking with the Feng Shui Consultant about my bad luck with relationships, he thought he could help. So I booked him to come to my home the next week. He was confident he could help me change the energy in my home and "make room" for and attract someone wonderful into my life.

I was a bit skeptical, but figured it couldn't hurt. He came to my house and after making an evaluation of every room in my apartment, he made several suggestions that were surprisingly easy to implement. The ideas were great. The changes made my home feel more inviting and spacious - so I had nothing to lose, right?

What I Did

Here are the changes I made to improve the "chi" or life force in my home.

• Clear the Clutter! First, he directed me to clear all clutter out of my bedroom. Especially the closet. Decluttering and organizing wasn't easy but it felt great!
• Get the Books out of the Relationship Corner I had all my books in my bedroom. He said it made me "think too much" in relationships. Ouch. He was right. How did he know that? That's when I really began to think this might work.
• No Dried Flowers He had me remove all the dried flower arrangements. Easily done and besides, they were pretty dated and dusty anyway. Why no dried flowers? Dead things create stagnant and dead energy. It kinda makes sense.
• Make Room for Him! He informed me that cleaning out my drawers and closets and leaving one empty drawer and a gap in my closet would make room for someone else to share them with me. Sounded weird, but once again, I needed to clear the clutter anyway so I did it. It certainly couldn't hurt.
• Visualize What You Want and Put Them in Your Relationship Corner Finally, in the little area where the books used to be, I decorated with things in two's and placed pictures from my friends' wedding who I felt had great marriages. I specifically wanted to find a man like friend Anita had married. He is kind and utterly devoted to his family. His name is Allen and he's an engineer.

Okay, so here's the thing, and you know I can't be lying because my friends and family read my articles, two months later I was dating a great guy and 6 months later we were engaged! A year from the time I "feng shui'd" I was married to the most awesome and loving man I've ever known - at the age of 41! Oddly enough, his name is Alan and he's an engineer!

Coincidence? or Feng Shui? I'll never know for sure, but just in case, I still apply feng shui principles of clutter clearing to my home and life. Nothing wrong with being clutter-free and organized!

Finding the man of dreams was worth FAR more than the $100 the Feng Shui consultant cost me. But there's more! As a result of that experience with clearing clutter and getting organized I found passion in my work too. I learned that I really enjoy organizing! I also learned that I really love helping other people clear their clutter and get organized. So, after 20+ years in the corporate world, I became a professional organizer and coach. I'm happier than I've ever been in my life.

The Power of Change - Change your Stuff, Change Your Life

After 40 years of relationships that never worked out, and many years longing for a career where I could do work I really love, I firmly believe that being willing to change and try a new way of doing things was the first step to changing my whole life for the better. The power of respecting the idea of "chi" or life force energy, and being willing to apply Feng Shui principles to help me de-clutter, transformed my life forever. And now I get to spend my life helping others experience the power of "changing their lives by changing their stuff."

If you are looking for a positive change, what could it hurt to start by clearing out the old to make room for the new. What part of your life are you going to declutter today? Even decluttering one drawer makes a difference. The important thing is to get started and keep at it!

Here's a tip. Start with 9 things. Look around your home or office and find just nine things to let go of each day for a week and you'll be 63 things lighter! Do it for a month and you'll be 252 things lighter. Imagine what you could make room for!

2006 Ariane Benefit