Choose to Live in Love

One of the most effective things you can do to create a home that nourishes and inspires you is to live with things you love. This may sound obvious, but when you take a close look around your home, you might be surprised to find that you’re living with things that bring your energy down, rather than inspire and lift you up. It’s amazing how easy it is to tune out our surroundings and stop really seeing the ‘stuff’ in our homes. Stuff that gets in our way, drains our energy, or in some way makes us feel badly. Sometimes it’s little things, such as a half-broken toaster that frustrates and slows us down each morning, or the sharp edge of a table that we regularly bump against. Or it could be something more significant like sleeping in a bed we bought with a former partner that continually brings up memories and keeps us stuck in the past. These things can nag at us, deplete our energy, and wear on our self-esteem. 

Yet, the one place we should always feel loved, inspired, peaceful, and ‘at home’ – is at home!

Below are three steps to living with what you love:

1. Go through your home room by room and look at each object one at a time. How do you feel? What thoughts come up? Did you notice any sensations in your body? Does the object trigger any memories? If so, are they positive, negative or neutral? Does the object make you think of anyone? Your answers to these questions will give you a pretty good idea of how these things are affecting your energy.

2. If something is not serving you, let it go. Give it away, throw it away, or sell it. Generally it is better to live with empty space knowing that something better will be coming your way than it is to live with something that brings you down. An exception to this principle would be if the object is functional and necessary—for example, your only computer or your only sofa, which you can’t afford to replace at the moment. In these cases, set an intention that you will easily find a replacement in a timely manner and keep your eyes open for an opportunity to replace that item. Also, try to reframe your relationship with that object. (I.e. perhaps you don’t like the look of your sofa, but you can be grateful for how comfortable it is.)

3. If you discover that you’re surrounded by many things you don’t love, but at the moment can’t afford to replace them, make sure you move things around so the things you do love are front and center. The objects you love will inspire you as you’re waiting to attract other things that will serve you. Also, try to reframe your relationship with the objects you don’t love… find something that you can appreciate. For example, maybe your couch isn’t your style, but it’s comfortable. Keep your thoughts focused on gratitude and love, and you will attract more love.