I'm not getting all Martha Stewart on you. But, if you want to get, and keep, your life on track, you need a home base that feels good and inspires you; body, mind and spirit. What does your home say about the life you are creating? Take a look around. Does it feel unclear, without direction and a little drab? Is it stuck in the past? Or, is it fresh, inviting and purposeful? Does everything have a place? Are there well appointed places to relax, entertain, take action and connect? Your house, given the chance, has the power to lift you up. It can also serve as a powerful anchor; a visual reminder of the life you want and are creating.

Think of your home as a big energy field. Like all things, everything in your home vibrates energy. Some of this energy will feel good to you and some of it will feel bad. For example: clutter. How does it make you feel when you see a room full of clutter? Zapped, right? Clutter drains energy for lots of reasons; it represents an unfinished job, old stuff and the past.

It reflects indecision and holding on. On the other hand, how does a clean, uncluttered room feel? Ahhh. fresh, open, alive.

An uncluttered room feels purposeful. It also represents "space". And in that space new has a place to enter. The key to creating a "feel good home" is to remove what feels bad and add what feels good.

The following tips will get you started. 1. Simplify Clear the clutter. Remove the old, broken and out of date. An easy rule of thumb to follow is to get rid of anything you haven't used in the last six months.

Attack each room and divide the things in it into three categories; keep, donate and trash. Simplify your home every six months. 2.

Refresh Nothing feels better than a fresh coat of paint on lifeless, dingy walls. Paint, clean your carpets. Heck, CLEAN! Open the windows. Shake out the rugs. Replace the furnace and air filters.

Have your vents cleaned. 3. Go Natural Let some fresh air in. Buy fresh flowers. Get a few house plants. Surround yourself with the colors of nature; green, sand, ocean blue.

If you can afford it, replace flooring with natural wood or stone. Get a water fountain for the corner of a room. 4. Go Light Open the blinds or drapes. Paint the walls in lighter shades. Cover the windows in sheers to let in diffused, yet natural light.

5. Add Inspiration Add inspiring works of art. It doesn't need to cost a lot.

Go to your local museum store and buy postcards and have them matted and framed. Check out local galleries for pieces made my local artists. Decorate an area in your house with reminders of the life you are creating.

(Remember, for every new piece you bring in, get rid of something old!) A final word: sometimes we don't give ourselves permission to have the kind of home we really want. We hold back and come up with excuses why we shouldn't spend the money or time. If that's the case, how do your feelings about your home mirror the feelings you have about other areas of your life? If you feel like you don't deserve the home of your dreams, could it be at a deep level you feel like you don't deserve the life of your dreams? Investing in your home is an investment in your dreams. If you create a home environment you love and that makes you feel good, it will inspire you to create beauty in all parts of your life. You don't have to spend a lot of money; you just have to look at your home consciously.

You get to choose what you surround yourself with. Make it all feel good! Your home, given a chance, has the power to lift you up. Let your home help you create the life you really want. "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." William Morris Copyright (c) 2007 Cari Vollmer.

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