3 Ways To Make Your Own Luck & Clear A Path Toward Abundance
Luck is a popular topic in feng shui. I've personally never connected to the idea that we can create good or bad fortune simply by putting a crystal on a string in a particular place, facing a certain compass direction, waiting until a special day to take action, or much of anything else that involves following a set of rules strictly to get lucky.
Over the years, I've had hundreds of people reach out to me concerned that they won't have a love life because of the position of their bed in their bedroom or that they will have bad health because of where a bathroom is in their house.
They're worried that they're doomed to bad luck because their house breaks some sort of feng shui rule. This concerns me deeply. Not only is it disempowering, but it also stokes fear and opens the door to self-fulfilling prophecies.
And it's not true.
In my experience of 17 years working as a feng shui master with thousands of people, I've seen that your bathroom doesn't need to affect your health simply because of where it is on your floor plan, the number of your house doesn't need to have anything to do with the amount of money you'll make, etc. Your house can't automatically limit your life. It can't make you "unlucky."
However, it is possible to make yourself luckier in so many ways that don't have to include filling your home with good luck charms that you have no connection to you whatsoever. (That's not to say you shouldn't display personally meaningful objects, like gifts from loved ones, family heirlooms, items of spiritual and cultural significance that empower you, etc.)
I believe that the best way you can get more luck for yourself is by consistently doing activities that put you in a more positive and abundant state of mind. Feeling empowered and creative can kick off waves of positive momentum and all those brilliant "synchronicities" where things seem to fall into place with ease.
I'm not implying that we can control everything that happens in our lives or that bad things can't happen to happy people. But I am suggesting that there are empowering, fun things we can do to help usher in more positive, prosperous energy—and today I'm going to share a few:
1. Journal to get into a luckier state of mind.
In his book, The Luck Factor, Richard Wiseman presents his ideas for how to invite luck into one's life. Anecdotally, one that my friend found effective was keeping a "luck journal" in which she wrote down all the positive things that happened to her, big and small, every day.
Positive psychologist Martin Seligman, Ph.D.'s Three Good Things exercise is somewhat similar: Every night before bed, it calls on you to write down three good things that happened to you that day, in as much detail as possible. These don't have to be big things—just good things you came across or experienced.
There have been some scientific studies demonstrating that tuning into the positivity in your life can help you become more aware when positive things happen to you (though research on positive psychology1 is still ongoing).
2. Clear clutter to clear stress and old habits that don't serve you.
When you start clearing clutter, you're not just clearing "stuff" you no longer need and want. You may also be removing objects full of memories and energies that are not part of the life you want to create.
I often hear people describe themselves as "a mess" because their home is really cluttered. As they start to slowly and consistently clear that clutter, this narrative begins to fade. Messages from their environment (like piles of unfinished projects, cluttered closets, and more) that can trigger stress and negativity start to soften as the clutter clears. Their environment gets refreshed, and they feel a refreshed perspective in turn.
For this reason, I believe that clearing clutter—and doing all kinds of housecleaning—can help people stand in more of their creative power.
3. Set aside space for creativity.
Whenever clients want to reverse the tides of momentum in their lives toward more positivity after a period of stress, I always suggest starting with more rest, relaxation, and lots of self-care.
Extra sleep, for example, can be amazing at creating more focus and mental clarity, as can imbuing everyday personal care with more meaning. Something as simple as taking your morning shower with a bit more intention, visualizing the water helping to recharge your energy as you start the day, can make a daily habit a little more dazzling and fun.
Then, we get into creative exploration: I encourage them to make space (no matter how small) in their house to sketch, paint, cook new recipes, or tackle any other creative endeavor that they're passionate about.
Simply by creating that physical space for creative energy, I've seen people start to feel more equipped to make more of their own opportunities, forge new paths forward, and go into every day expecting more amazing things to happen.
This can look like:
- Reorganizing your pantry or kitchen cabinets and finding that it's suddenly far more fun and easy to cook.
- Designating a space to meditate and finding you're finally able to dedicate time to a mindful practice.
- Clearing a spot on the balcony for your alfresco art studio and finding that you start painting much more often.
Yes, you can feng shui your whole home to surround yourself with intention. But you don't necessarily need to in order to feel more in the flow of great fortune and start creating your own luck, right now.
Dana Claudat is a modern Feng Shui Master and founder of The School Of Intention Feng Shui Certification Program. In the last 15 years Claudat has pioneered her own approach to Feng Shui that is rooted in infinite possibility, creativity and empowerment. Rather than hope for lucky results and outcomes, she helps her clients to create them every day.
She’s a Stanford-educated art historian with more than a decade of experience in design yet her approach to space is simple. Claudat is a longtime mindbodygreen contributor and instructor (she may have had a hand in the hundreds of plants in mindbodygreen headquarters!), and her work has been featured in design and lifestyle publications around the world.
You can work with her from wherever you are in the world in her online Feng Shui Camps and through her Online Feng Shui Consultations.
You can sign up for her weekly Feng Shui Rituals, including rituals for every New and Full Moon, right here!