Welcome a Fresh New Year with Good Feng Shui

It all starts with a resolution revolution! I know, I know, we're all going to lose weight and exercise more regularly. We're going to eat healthier and improve our relationships, our diets, our kid's study habits and our own drinking ones. We're going to finally find that better job and be more philanthropic or forgiving and, as usual, this will be the year when we get back in touch with all our loved ones, especially the ones whose text we still haven't returned from three weeks ago. That's right, we rush here and whoosh there and then believe that because what we resolve on this one single day can change our life for the better, forever. Yeah, um, not so much.

Now, I'm not all bah-humbug or about being a sour dumpling raining on your New Year parade. Hey, we know I believe in intention followed by action step as much as the next empowered guy. The difference, though, is that if you are still in the same-size jeans or still doing that same old job while still reaching for the Pinot after you've created a platform to change those very behaviors, well, then, sometimes there needs to more of an internal assessment and less hanging of wind chimes in the center of the kitchen when eating on black plates while wearing a white shirt because Feng Shui says that will help you shed those last 10 pounds (hint, hint).

Now, let's go ahead and explore some "secret" Shui to make 2011 your luckiest year yet!

One of the most powerful cures to ensure a power-packed New Year is pretty practical, as well. It suggests that your entire house, as much as possible, should be completely cleaned before the New Year comes calling. This will clear the way for new and exciting energies to enter your life, immediately tagging alongside inspiration and opportunity, too. That said, you should never (and I mean never) clean your house on New Year's day itself, as in many cultures and traditions this act is believed to "sweep" your luck and blessings away. If you find that you can't tackle cleaning the whole house before the big day, then at least concentrate on cleaning up the kitchen, as this is the one space in your house that represents Health, Happiness and Prosperity, the Three Great Blessings that will lead to one spectacular year!

According to Feng Shui, the New Year "gold standard" is to move 27 things around your home on New Year's Day and then sit back and wait for Fortune and Luck to invade your life from every conceivable direction. Moving 27 things might be harder to do than you think, but remember, it will also count if you simply move the salt shaker to the other side of the pepper. The object here is only to shake it up in order to change it up. Then you'll find that the "same old, same old" will head the way of 2010.

Anytime immediately prior to the clock striking 2011, go to the ATM and pull some cold cash out of your soon-to-be-heating-up bank account. Get a good, hearty smattering of small bills and put them inside your wallet, making it appear stuffed good and full and really fat. This simple tip will bring untold and unexpected fortunes for the year ahead. If you want to get muchly magical, put 27 one-dollar bills in your wallet and 49 coins in your change purse or pockets. Then sprinkle dried ginger inside and outside those same spaces. You might want to amble over and give a little shake on the checkbook, too. This can really spice your financial life right up!

If you are home as the year turns, then open up all the doors and windows, if only for a moment, no matter how frosty-freezing it is outside, and allow the energies from 2010 to move out so some new, interesting and inspirational ones can come calling in 2011. Along this same line of thinking -- you know, burning off the old in order to make way and welcome the new -- you can light firecrackers or bang pots and pans together to make some big noise. This is believed to scare away any malign influences that could have bought the crap in the new year. Buh-bye, negativity! Hello, abundance!

On New Year's Day itself, never refer to anything in the past. Instead, talk only of dreams and hopes and wishes for the future. Then, place nine mandarin oranges in a bowl in your kitchen or on your dining room table. In Chinese, the word for "orange" sounds exactly like the word for "gold," so to put these fruitful symbols in those two rooms associated only with abundance -- it can only mean the happiest new year yet!

This is my favorite secret Shui tip for the new year: It's considered totally auspicious if the first thing you see on New Year's Day is a red bird. If you don't think a red bird will just happen by your window on its way home from the Swallow Jagermeister Party, then get proactive and paste a picture of one somewhere where you will see it easily and first thing on New Year's Day. (P.S. Magpies, especially red ones, are known to bring special boons and benefits when hanging around your house -- just sayin'!)

Now, lastly, remember that the first thing you hear as the new year slides in will have a tremendous impact and influence on the whole rest of the year. Why not then tell someone exactly what sweet nothings will produce positive somethings in 2011. Stick to this script for those most delightful results.