Summary of Happy Starts at Home Change your space, transform your life by Rebecca West

This book is about feng shui without feng shui in it.
The TOC (table of contents) clearly illustrates what you can expect from it. Happy starts with you and how you define your perfect place. Are you financially fit – establish an abundant life in your home. Do you want to be healthy and well-rested – discover the geographic cure (move things out of sight that might trigger temptations). Do you want to have more friends? Create an inviting place for social gatherings. The big one: love. How to create romance, companionship or starting a new relationship. Interested in creating a family identity? More people work from home now so how do you make sure that your workspace work for you and how to set the scene for success. On spirituality: how to create care for your soul connection in your home? And finally, how do you build your self-worth and represent it your home? Say yes to your happy home.

Use your home as a tool to make better changes happen in your life. Through aligning your heart, home, and health, experience first-hand how small changes make a big difference.

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Alex Depledge, CEO & Founder of RESI commissioned a project called The Science of a Happy Home. They’ve identified six qualities of a Happy Home after they’ve surveyed 4000 UK residents, taking their answers and combining them with the best existing research, to develop The Science of a Happy Home Report (download the full report at the end of this blog).

RESI findings confirm feng shui insights and environmental psychology research about happy homes. You can take part in RESI The Science of a Happy Home survey – go to the end of the blog.

The Science of a Happy Home checklist

1. Adaptable – Can meet changing needs
Adaptable homes are able to meet our changing needs and respond to our daily rhythms, as well as the long term changes in our lives.

2. Connected – Provides space to interact
A home is a place to connect, giving us the space to interact with family and friends while also maintaining our relationship to the outside world.

3. Mirrors – Reflects who we are
Who we are should shape where we live. A home should be a mirror which reflects our values and personalities – uniquely tailored to who we are.

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These comedy classics that have stood the test time provide a useful reminder on the perils of building or owning a home. Ultimate feng shui goes wrong.

One Week (1920) staring Buster Keaton and his new bride trying to build their marital home from flat-pack form (IKEA-like precursor) with predictably hilarious results and timely feng shui warnings. The key lesson is about placement non-attachment.

One AM (1916) Charlie Chaplin after a night out, finds his home transformed into an obstacle course, with stuffed animals becoming alive, an animated table having a mind of its own, an unmountable staircase and a foldaway bed providing the biggest challenge. Feng shui nightmare.

Big Business (1929) with Laurel and Hardy starts with them trying to sell a Christmas tree which evolves into a row with a suburban homeowner, leading to the gleeful trashing of valuable furniture, priceless objects, even the fabric of the house itself. The home theme as a site of destruction to warn us about holding a grudge, not letting go and ultimately not sweating the small stuff. Lesson: small things can lead to big things – the yin and yang of things.

One Week (1920) staring Buster Keaton

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Feng shui-ing your home is easy and fun. You already have done some intuitive and instinctual feng shui on your home. Every one does. You’ve organised it so it works for you. Now it’s time to fine-tune it and optimise it so it works even better for you. Here are top feng shui tips for all homes that will make you healthier, more relaxed, focused and ultimately happier.

Feng shui tips for homes

Declutter
Obviously. Feng shui is about clarity and flow of energy and reducing stress. Cluttered homes can be stressful. Every time you look at clutter it is a potential stressor – you know deep down that you need to declutter. Also, another common-sense feng shui principle is that when things are not working or not flowing, we feel that life stagnates. So, clear clutter – you’ll feel better, have more space and clarity and positivity fill flow in your life. Don’t obsess about decluttering though. It’s natural to have some clutter, and mess here and there.

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