This month I have been reminded of the lesson - what you see is what you get. What am I talking about? Stop for a moment and have a look at the room around you. Is it neat, comfortable and full of things that you love or does it have piles of rubbish to be sorted out one day?

Is it a hodgepodge of furniture and equipment inherited over the years that you have never got around to changing, even if you can afford it? Have you put some things down thinking you would fix them soon and they are still there broken a year later? Do you have thousands of files and emails on your computer, all filed under “urgent”, “must read” or even just “Sue”?

Do you have gifts on display from people you don’t like, just because they may come in and see them one day?

Feng Shui is the art of physical energy flow. I find it has a lot of parallels with coaching and reiki as the physical environment of clients often reflects their internal state. For example, I walked into one business this month and observed some interesting things.

Firstly I couldn’t work out which door to enter (there were two main doors very near each other), the main reception was extremely untidy with boxes of old files and ancient paper everywhere, the mission statement was on the wall complete with approximately 15 spelling errors, the interior signs for the business were made up on ripped bits of paper with no straight edges, the main couches for the waiting area looked like they had come second-hand from someone’s house who no longer wanted them and they did not match the rest of the office décor. The magazines were dated.

What type of impression did this business give off? Would you have done business with them? Would you invest in them? Have a look around your office and see what impression you are giving to potential clients.

Your environment reflects the state of your mind. Is your mind clear and your life flowing or is it full of clutter, disjointed and heavy? If you are feeling that your life is out of control at present, how is this reflected in your home environment? Are you in control of your life or is your life full of ghosts from the past and “shoulds” from your childhood?

So how can you fix it? You can call in a Feng Shui expert if you really want to help your physical environment to flow or you can call in a professional organiser if you just want to get your present environment “sorted out”. A coach can help you sort out your internal thinking.

If these are too expensive, then do it yourself. Start with one shelf or one drawer a day. Your motto needs to be – don’t just sit there, clear something! Pick up a laundry basket and in 2 minutes see how much you can pick up from one room. In another 5 minutes see what you can put away in its correct place.

Finally ask – is this really what I want my life to be like. If it isn’t, then change it!

Ingrid Cliff is a Brisbane based Business Development and Human Resources Consultant to Small and Medium Businesses with her company Heart Harmony www.heartharmony.com.au.