Empowering Yourself

Create spaces that reflect your personal integrity.

“You cannot outperform your environment.”

I remember the first time my performance coach said this. It took me by surprise. I looked around my home, office, car, everything, and decided to take it up a notch. I completely redecorated my office. I painted, invested in a high quality standing desk, and purchased two gorgeous, comfortable chairs for my client sessions. The impact was immediate. I experienced more focus, deeper inspiration, and increased energy.

Being aware and being accountable for my environment is part of living a life of integrity. (I’m speaking about personal integrity here, not moral integrity.) If I’m living a life of high integrity, things are unbroken, sincere, and honest.

When parts of my life or environment are out of integrity balance, there is an energy leak. It’s like when anything is out of balance. I remember once noticing I needed foundation piers on one side of my house. I would walk into that room and just feel the personal energy drain. Once I had the piers installed, all that leaking of energy disappeared. I can now walk into the room and it is whole, complete. No energy leaks.

Developing a practice of being in integrity begins with simple actions, like making our bed each morning. This action sets the tone for the day. We begin the day with a win. I invite you to survey areas of your life. Notice when you walk into your kitchen: are the counters clear or cluttered? What about your desk or office? Are you leaking energy the minute you walk in and see your piles?

If your settings do not bring you happiness, how can you expect to perform at your highest level? If things are not progressing the way you would like, take a look around. What’s missing? What needs to be organized, cleared, put away, or thrown away? What needs to be present to close that energy leak?

Creating empowering environments enables us to have more lasting, enjoyable results. Consider doing an inventory of your environment. Where are you out of integrity balance? Write down areas where things are incomplete, in need of repair, or just plain worn out. Then prioritize that list. If you were moving in a “first things first” direction, what would that be? Set a time to begin and put it on your calendar. Stay in action.

It helps to establish a routine that supports this commitment to your environment. Does that mean hiring a maid service to come once a month? Is it setting aside the last 30 minutes of your work day to clear your desk and make your to-do list for the following day? Reducing clutter and creating order can be the fuel we need to interrupt the negative patterns separating us from our joyful, high-performing life.

Imagine for a moment that each physical space you encounter throughout your day is one of quality and order. If you can imagine it, it’s possible to manifest it. This can be a way of life that fuels your dreams and aspirations.