(love this shop on Etsy…) 

I tend to call what I do “expansive design” these days.

Why?

Everyone who craves change wants to expand.

Do you want to expand?

People interested in living rich, wide, fulfilled lives usually have a sense that there’s more to experience, more to learn, to adventure, to roll around and play in…more than there is right now…. there’s always a next level… always something to do…

Is that you?

The trick to expansion, though, is to figure out how to fit more stuff into an already-stuffed life!

If your days are already full to the brim with “stuff” that leaves you “so busy” and yet you still feel like you are not really even scratching the surface of your creative potential or your life’s mission, there are ideas that I have worked with for nearly a decade that can help you to find your own recipe for life expansion!

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10 Ideas For Life-Expansion!!! 

1. There’s a lot of stuff you do now that you don’t need to do. If it’s not making you happy or adding to your life in a valuable way, its not necessary.

2. Clutter is multi-faced and it affects your whole life…&  it’s not just trash.  Clutter is anything and everything taking up space that you just don’t need.  I think that even my prized old journals have lapsed into the arena of clutter at this point.

3. Art is not a waste of time.  Period.

4. Friends are extremely important.  Your solid relationships expand your life and make it meaningful. The chaos relationships, however, may fall into point #1.

5. Your clear vision of what you want may not make it happen faster (who would you ever know?!) but it will help guide you through your days with far less stress.   Being more clear on what you want can help you out of the confusion of options.  Its way easier to make decisions when you know the direction you want to head in, way easier to focus and build.

I once had no sense of what I wanted.  I had a very general sense that it had to do with art.  Hm…that’s pretty broad!  As a consequence, I would say YES to all kinds of random things from designing necklaces to acting in art videos, 10 freelance jobs at a time… It was a cool time to explore life but it was magnificently stressful to live that way for a long time without a vision.

6. No matter what you want for the future, you first have to make the best of right now.  Living in shame, regreat and all kinds of ungrateful ideas will not expand your life.  I spent a large part of my teenage years wishing I was from somewhere else… but where I’m from (a small middle class suburb of NJ) was key to what made me excellent at so many things.  I wasted so much time in wishing against reason when I could have enjoyed where I was and took pride in what I had a whole lot more.

If you are spending a lot of time wishing for change and not enough time appreciating right now, here’s a monumental switch for you to try: practice hyper-gratitude! Be a fanatical about gratitude until you no longer wish that you were anywhere else but right nere right now with all that you have.

7. Competition can sabotage your growth.  The nature of competition is to keep your eye on what other people are doing.  In a sense, you take energy away from your own creativity and your own talent and start wrapping your attention around other people around you and what they are making.  While you are busy sussing out the competition, someone is likely bringing lots of your ideas to life.  Make.  Make.  And make more.  If you exceed your own standards you will be unstoppable!

8. Most things are not that important.  The things that I tortured myself over even 5 years ago seem so silly to me know.  If you look back you’ll likely find you assigned enormous importance to things that really didn’t matter that much.  Take the pressure off.

A year ago my Tumblr was accidentally deleted.  While I certainly don’t want that to happen ever again (!) since its where I began this whole journey of The Tao of Dana, I realized a few days after it happened that I would be fine. It was restored that day.

9.  Facing problems can somewhat magically expand your life.  Really. The “some day” you are going to try meditation or exercise or organization or fixing any chronic problem may as well be right now.

10. There’s no magic pill, so don’t waste time looking for one!  For a decade I went on a quest for the magic pill to reach my full potential.  I landed in the hospital, rock-bottomed-out.  When I committed to my Buddhist practice with a sense of gratitude and an attitide that I was willing to do the work to make my life feel and look right, things “magically” happened.  Still, it’s work.  No one chants for hours a day for me… I have to show up every morning and night.

Whatever you are trying to solve or expand, someone is out there hawking magic pills.  

My kindest advice:  just say no.  

Doing the work and going through the process of solving things is what seems to shape greatness throughout the ages.  Every world leader looks to their struggles as their defining moments.  Maybe there’s something enchanted about old-fashioned hard work?

Lots of ideas today… and I hope some can help you stretch to the next level in your own life.  What that looks like is personal.  Your version of success looks different than mine.  What that feels like is unique… but it should be fun!   And when you allow yourself to do this… it’s monumental.

Ready to expand?!   I am!!!

xoxo Dana

P.S.: The Catalyst Camp Feng Shui Home & Life De-Cluttering is on the way to open up your life to the new like never before!

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A de-cluttered home is just the beginning.

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You can sign up HERE to start the FREE video series & revolutionize your clutter clearing.

Join us to start making space for big life changes now and into the New Year!!!

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!