HomeGardenAfter the global financial crisis in 2008, followed by a few major natural disasters in the world, people’s attitude towards life has changed. Instead of advancing ventures or progressing outside, people look more inside and focus on more basic things. Home and family have become more centric of living.

I watched a British show about Quentin Crisp. A quote from him inspired me: Don’t regret the past, Don’t fear the future. Look inside yourself to see what is still unpacked. It is true, we all have great potential. Only a small part of our brain is used for daily living. Look inside yourself to bring out your talent and make life more enjoyable.

For the home we live  in, there is also wonderful potential. In Australia most of us are spoiled by the space. I was brought up in China, and have worked in Japan for long periods. I understand how people live in Asia. Most  manage to live in much smaller homes, content and happy. In contrast to this, many in Australia live in big homes, but are not happy enough, thinking of bigger or better homes.

There are always better homes, with no end. If we put our focus on this alone,  we may not be satisfied, nor happy.

Happiness comes with contentment. We should be pleased to have a home, and be content with it. We should look inside the home to find  the potential it has. Use ancient Chinese wisdom to feng shui your home, to see what is still unused and make the best out of it.

I moved into my partner’s house many years ago to have kid and  a family. I did not choose this house at the beginning, therefore I was always thinking of buying a new home. As a feng shui professional, I did what I could for the house, we are all doing well, but that did not stop me dreaming of a different home. After looking at some houses, I realised my house has great potential, compared to the houses I had inspected. We have a big backyard which has not been used much. That is something still unpacked in our life.

Realising this, I came up with idea of rearranging the garden. The garden is facing NE, and has a lot of sun throughout the day. It has a lot of Yang energy. In order to spend more time in the garden, we need some shade. We bought a big four pillar canopy, a set of outdoor furniture, re-arranged flower pots, and activated a water feature. Instantly, the house is better, we have gained a big outdoor area. I enjoy the garden so much more now, with candle lights, the fragrance from the flowers, fresh air. We even watch films in the garden, it feels like having a holiday.

If we look into our life, our home, there are so many things still unpacked. So why not  go ahead and make the most of them?