(via occasions online: an incredible site!)

We all want the sprinkles, the frosting and the party.

To get there, you still have to buy the cake pan, all the ingredients, find the right recipie, bake the cake, cool it down, and then whip up the frosting.  You have to apply the frosting right or it will melt off of the cake. And then, of course, you have to get the sprinkles to stick.

The whole entire time- shopping, baking and even finishing this cake you will likely be focused on the frosting.  But the frosting comes last!  If the cake is not that great, you might need to make several cakes in order to perfect your technique. If you are not careful in unmolding it onto the stand, you may need to do some deft repairs to the cake fore the next step.

You might even quit while you are shopping and just try to get yourself a finished cake. But it won’t look like this!

Just about everything worth doing seems to be like this: we all crave the flourish but get turned off the path to creating something because the steps to get there seem laborious and it may seem like you are miles away from where you want to be.  But all things- from cakes to homes to creative endeavors and even relationships- need to be built from the ground up in a solid stages.

If you can find joy and pride in the building process, the icing will be so much more rewarding!

 

Welcome to the Maslow Pyramid, the pyramid famous in psychology, designed after studying thousands of brilliantly successful people who “had it all.”   Every single one of these people built from the ground up: first basic health and safety, including a job with income to support this safe home, and then up to expanding one’s community and relationships, and then all the way up to the top where art (and all the icing and pretty things in the world) resides!

If you want to build anything that is stable and sound, the pyramid suggests that you dig into the basics first.

Let’s use my new home as an example.  All I want to do right now is buy rugs and hang art and throw dinner parties. That is all at the top of the pyramid, though, and we have to start at the bottom.

Biological & Physiological needs are all about the health of the home: all the boxes need to be unpacked, first and foremost.  The washing machine needs a tune up. All the wiring and carefully and safely hiding of wires has to be done.  Felt put underneath furniture. The refrigerator needs to be stocked. Water filters installed.  Batteries changed in all the smoke alarms. The house needs a deep cleaning after all of this.

None of this is particularly inspiring— but if it is all done well, it sets the stage for really dynamic stuff

Safety: this includes finances, so the decor needs a budget and the financially-prominent areas of the home (the office, the files, the mail) need to be taken care of…

Belongingness & Love : and now it is time to learn the new neighborhood!  And know the neighbors. And start styling the house.

Esteem Needs: where the big feng shui cures (like painting my deck and hanging a massive mirror!) come in, along with home styling galore!

And up and up until its all a dream space.

You can learn much more about applying this Pyramid to your whole life HERE. 

Embrace the process of building something solid by nailing every step and rising to your own transcendence!

xoxo Dana

P.S.: To immerse yourself in the light of joy so much more, my favorite feng shui and cutting-edge energy-shifting tools that I use almost every day are HERE for you in the Joy Immersion: 30 Day Negativity Detox! 

xoxo!!!

 

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And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…   And, as always, please let me know what happens!