Let go of what no longer serves you

Question of the week: Alice, I’m just looking for some general advice. It’s the new year, and I need an uplift in my home. Do you have any suggestions?

Yes I do! How about this? Take a good look around your home. Do you see things you love and cherish, or things that are just there because? I often see items on display in homes that I’m curious about, and when I ask the occupant to tell me about them, a common response is, “Oh, my mother-in-law (who the occupant says she can’t stand) gave us that, and I really don’t like it.” Or, “I don’t know. The landlord had it there when I moved in, so I kept it.”

Remove What Doesn’t Support You

To “up” the energy in your environment, make a commitment to take away anything you do not absolutely love so that what you have left will support you energetically. Note that if there are things that you acquired during a time of sadness, that energy of sadness is still being “beamed” into your environment. Everything holds the energy of the time and space it was brought into your life. Keep this in mind when you are deciding whether or not to keep something.

How an item holds energy

Some items in your environment can be considered neutral — such as a CD player. You may like its style, but basically, it is there to play music. Imagine that one day you and your spouse get into a heated argument about an issue you just can’t agree upon. You become emotional and, in turning your body, you bump a lamp that falls onto the CD player, leaving a gash on it. It still functions, but now holds the emotional energy of that negative interaction.

Each time you put a CD in that player from this day forward, you are reminded (consciously or subconsciously) of that issue and the argument that ensued. That CD player is now no longer a neutral item. It is not supporting you in your environment, and can energetically drain you instead.

Gifts you do not like

One more thing, if you’ve received something in the past that you don’t like, don’t display it! We are always afraid that the gift giver is going to come back and say, “Hey! Where’s that wooly mammoth statue I gave you?” However, you disempower yourself by putting it in your environment if you know it doesn’t support you.

I always say to honor the intent of such a gift, feel the love behind the gift, be thankful, and then give it away or donate it. It is OK to do this. By not doing this, you neglect to honor yourself, the most important person in your life.

Do you have a question for Alice? If so, send it to alice@yourhappinessu.com. Alice Inoue owns Happiness U, a lifestyle studio located at SALT Kaka‘ako where anyone can find positive inspiration and high-level guidance to minimize stress and optimize modern day life! YourHappinessU.com