Justin's Story ② How he proceeded the project. (Summary of the event "Sharing Your Mind &am
Soon after Justin's 8 weeks home project started, multiple disastrous events happened to him.
Losing his job, breaking up his ex girlfriend, and breaking his toe bone...all happened at once in two weeks after the project started.
I have seen many of my clients experiencing some sort of changes in their lives after their project start, but I never seen anything like Justin's change.
I bet he must have been discouraged and distracted by all those unexpected events.
He once asked me if we could slow down our project since he could not do anything for a few weeks.
I said No.
Because I believed he had a power to complete his project as scheduled. So I told him we should stick to our schedule: Due on December 23rd, 2017.
He said OK.
We communicated closely by texting and every Saturday we had 30 minutes Skype meeting.
Justin reported me all the works he did on that week, he shared how he felt, what part was easy and difficult for him to do, and we discussed the goal for the next week.....
He kept decluttering and organizing his house and also moving his furniture as I suggested.
① First, we relocated a bookshelf between the kitchen and the living space because I wanted to divide these two spaces.
To do so, he had to reduce ao many books by donating them.
Then we relocated the music desk from the bedside to the window side where his work desk used to be located, because this place is "Fame and Reputation gua" according to Feng Shui Bagua, which is the best place for doing what he loves with his passion - Music.
After
(Our goal was replacing the desk with low table like Japanese style later.)
Before
② Next we relocated to the corner of the room, which falls in "Prosperity gua" that controls his financial matters.
After
(We also planned to replace this big desk with a low table for Japanese way of living later.)
Before
(This bookshelf is used as a room divider now between the kitchen and the living space.)
③ And then we placed a room divider between his work area and bedding area so that he can switch his mood from working mode to relaxing mode and vice varsa.
After
Before
At this point, he started feeling that the energy in this house began circulating.
Now I had a strong feeling that he was ready for the next step.
Painting walls.
Even though the energy in this house started flowing again, I still felt he needed to add more energy to it.
So I suggested him to use the power of colors.
As I previously wrote, the kitchen was located in "Love & Relationship gua" and this area is associated with pink color....so I recommended Justin to paint the kitchen wall in pink.
But before painting the kitchen, there was a big job left for him....
Decluttering stuff in the kitchen.
At first, in the first consultation, he refused to through two shelves away from the kitchen.
He kept his alcohol making equipments for many years even though he did not use them at all because he wished oneday he would make his own alcohol in the future....
I remember I told him those two needed to go but he said he couldn't because he believed things he had in the kitchen now were selected carefully already after he decluttered before.
To my eyes, of course, it was not enough job...I knew he needed to do more decluttering...
But, I secretly thought it was impossible for him to let two shelves go....
I told myself that if he could let even only one go, it's great enough.
As we kept going, Justin seemed even enjoying decluttering and organizing.
He told me once,
"Oh my god....now I see how much clutters I had been living with for many years!! Until today, I think I threw away 80% of things that I had in my house!"
And sometime later, he told me that he threw two shelves away finally.
And a few days later, he told me that he finally painted the kitchen wall in pink!
I was so surprised to see the picture he sent me.
The window and the blind were opened up widely and all the clutters were gone!!
I felt ashamed of myself having thought that he could not remove two shelves.
This was the first moment when the new fresh energy came into his Love and Relationship kitchen in past 17 years.
By the time I saw this drastic change in his space, I could see a huge change in him too.
He before the project used to be less confident in himself: Low self esteem, anxiety, and a codependent pattern in his relationship.
But now I see he's been regaining his self esteem, self love, confidence, strength and independence mentally and spiritually. This is not only because of the home project but also the therapy he's been taking consistently at the same time.
After this kitchen project, everything went more smoothly and he ended his project on time successfully.
This is how he lives now.
He updated his living style to Japanese living style!
The wall in the living area was painted in yellow....that brings brighter energy into his house.
The circle design on the Japanese noren curtain is an affirmation to him: Circle, "En" in Japanese means fate, relationship and connection. That was my wish for him to reconnect with himself.
After the project ended successfully, Justin invited his family, friends, Junko and me to his new home for a celebration.
This home party was one of the most wonderful ones that I was ever invited to.
After the project ended, he found a new job, and also a new dream - live in Japan.
He started taking Japanese language class. He cooks at home more often. He takes care of himself well.
He is taking a control of his life.
Through the project with Justin for 8 weeks, I learned the power of believing in self is one of the most powerful power that people have.
Changing you is not the goal of my and Junko's service....but remembering who you are and embracing who you are is what we are trying to help people with.
I appreciate Junko for supporting us to complete this big project.
And I truly appreciate Justin for showing us the proof that people can be stronger than they expect when they regain self love.
His voice after the 8 weeks home project.
In the end, I share Justin's writing.
Before I started the program, I felt trapped in many ways.
I would look around my home, and wonder if I would ever go anywhere else.
Whether I would ever escape that space.
I was going through several personal changes at the time, and I was hoping to affect a major shift.
I knew I needed a change but had no idea how to go about that.
I had met Ai through friends some time before, and she had offered initially a more limited program.
As I was seeking a major change, I decided to do the more involved whole-space program.
I had personally dabbled in Feng Shui before, so I had some idea of its potential impact, and I wondered what a more total dedication might result in.
Ai did not let me quit when it got tough.
She was patient, but made it clear we could complete the program on schedule.
Many changes in my personal life continued through the process, and I was discouraged and frustrated by those,
but ultimately was able to channel that energy into more aggressively decluttering and cleaning.
She said that it was common for her clients to have such large changes in the life while the process was still ongoing,
and it made me curious to see what further changes completing it might bring, so I redoubled my efforts.
I continued to be amazed at just how much useless clutter had occupied the space,
and I gradually developed a strategic sense on how to remove it, and a considerable sense of satisfaction at doing so.
The most memorable project through this program was Painting.
Going in, I had no expectation that I would be able to get so far as to even consider painting.
By the time that considerable decluttering had taken place,
it was clear I might have an opportunity to really make a break from the same dingy white walls I had been staring at for 17 years.
The difference that just a splash of color in the right place makes is astonishing.
The changes in my home are profound. It is now a place I want to go home to and live in,
instead of just a place where I slept and left my stuff.
I want to walk into my kitchen, I want to cook, and I want to work at my desk at home.
All of these things used to just be sources of anxiety for me before the process.
People have frequently commented at the change in the tone of my voice and in my demeanor, and some changes in my personal life have mirrored the general theme of decluttering, decomplicating, and a fundamental shift in energy.
I recommend Ai feng shui interior consulting to anyone who feels stuck, trapped, or a bit lost like I did.
However, I would recommend it to most anyone looking to improve the general quality of their home and by that, their lives.
I learned through this program that this is something I can do,
I learned that I have more resolve and discipline than I had ever imagined.
I learned that I like a living space that is tidy and clean, but also energetic and warm.
I learned that this is an astonishingly powerful means to personal change and betterment.
I also learned to forgive myself for having let things go to the point that they did.
I learned that I like decluttering.
Most importantly, though, I learned that I create my own freedom.
And with that, can banish those feelings of limitation and of being trapped.
Thank you Ai very very much for all of your patience and diligence in helping me see this process through.
It has changed my life for the better and I am extremely grateful for it.
