“Peace I leave with you; My own peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled. ~ John 14:26-28

A “troubled heart” can be defined many different ways. The most notable is when a loved one has hurt us or perhaps when a loved one has departed from this world. But I want to talk about those hidden troubles that aren’t readily discerned. Those hidden troubles that we don’t want others to know. The lonely hearts, the confused hearts, the burdened hearts, the bitter hearts, the hateful hearts, and yes, the forgotten hearts. Another way of saying this is the downhearted, heartsick or heartbroken. Undoubtedly this affects your quality of life.

Let’s look at this from a design perspective. Let’s say your body is joined together by different rooms in the same way as your home.  The heart room is oftentimes decorated with constant mood swings or negative habitual patterns. We can also say the heart room is the hallway that pretty much links together all the rooms of your body of life because the issues of life flow from the heart. So it’s safe then to conclude that the other rooms of your body of life have a direct effect on how your heart room actually functions.  Just like the purpose behind a functional house renovation and design is to bring more comfort to your life, it is also safe to conclude that the rooms of your body of life can be comforted by a facelift, or renovation.

Constant moods swings or negative habitual patterns don’t have to have a grip on you. What would be your answer if I asked, “What drives and motivates you from day to day?” I can tell you this. The focus of your mind will paint the picture that remains in your heart.  I am not going to tell you that you must change your mindset. You hear that all the time from other coaches. Whew!

Let’s get real here. The only true way to change the décor of your heart room is by renovating the thought room, the vision room, the hearing room and the speaking room. Why? Because all of the issues of life make an entrance through the doors of these rooms first before they can even reach the heart room. Remember, the heart room is only the corridor to life.

I am sharing the following from my own personal experiences.

1. Identify the worn-out spaces.  Have you succumbed to thinking nothing good ever happens to you anyway so what’s the point in trying?  Do you feel that you’ve encountered so many disappointments that you begin to say this is your destiny in life? These thoughts and words are worn-out spaces in your thought and speaking rooms, and simply identifying and recognizing them will begin to chart your freedom.

     a.  Fight for your life in your thought room because your mind-set doesn’t automatically come into agreement with just thinking positively. It takes much effort and the blueprint for charting your course is God’s word. It’s the only power tool that breeds life into the rooms of the body of life.

     b. Begin to practice thinking then speaking only on things that are lovely, noble, honorable and lovely. Even positive thinkers run into difficult situations. But with God’s word as your blueprint, you can let things roll off your back no matter what happens. You will soon begin to think and say only what you desire to manifest in your life! Not always easy, but always doable.

 2. Monitor what you see and hear.  First examine yourself and honestly locate what has become your focus. Prioritize the issues in your life according to the truths in God’s Word. This takes a conscious decision on your part. It took a lifetime to harbor the décor you’ve created in the rooms of your body of life and it will take a conscious decision to correct the damage.

     a.  Don’t listen to the naysayer, doubters, worrywart or complainer. Don’t drown yourself into seeing the negative reports on the local news about the downturned economic conditions.  If you get laid-off, God has a better position for you.

     b.  Ask God to make you sensitive to His plans and purpose for your life. Meditate on the Word, so His promises can take root on the inside of you.

     c.  Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and make the choice to make God your priority. When you seek the things of God, eventually your thoughts and desires will align with His.

     d. Focus on the Father and His Kingdom. When He becomes the center of your life, you will have every good thing He promises you.

3.  Think about what is most important in your life. Don’t allow the things of this world to overshadow the God that designed you for His purpose. He already knows your heart, and when He begins to search your heart room, what will He find there? Will He be welcomed? What will He find sitting on the bed of your heart, which was intended for Him alone? Have you replaced Him with other things such as your personal image, material wealth, selfish ambitions or relationships with people?

     a.   You must forgive. Many thoughts and decisions are related to unforgiveness. One of the most important reasons why you are to forgive is because your unwillingness to forgive others limits your ability to receive forgiveness from God. Unforgiveness makes the heart sick and life dysfunctional.

     b.      The solution to unforgiveness is cultivating a thought décor and a heart style that says, “I set my will to forgive anyone, for anything, at any time” before the offense takes place. It is essentially a heart style that is willing to lay aside pride and bitterness simply because God commands it.

I’ve found that what works for me is saying only what God’s word says about me, my life and anything that concerns my destiny. I believe it will work for you as well as you renovate those trouble spaces in your heart by his blueprint.

 If this post speaks to you, download a complimentary ebook 3 Interior Living Principles and Strategies They Don’t Want You to Know and then please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media sites or networks.

 I know that there’s someone out there needing more, so please pass this along. It’s time to help someone else renovate their life and experience the 360 interior living lifestyle!

 Thank You!

 Live by Design,

Copyright 2012, Dr. Deana Murphy. Dr. Deana works with women leaders who want to BOUNCE BACK, FAST-FORWARD their lives courageously, confidently, and conscientiously, leaving a positive footprint in the world.

She can be reached in the following ways:

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For more information on Dr. Deana’s business check out http://www.DeanaMurphyGlobal.com

Life doesn’t have to beat you up. Circumstances need not keep you down. Positions have no power to keep you stuck. Hurts won’t last if allowed to heal. Behaviors and attitudes can change.

Change is a certainty of life, but learning from past mistakes can be your most valuable asset. No matter how responsible you are or how congenial you may be with people, you will inevitably slip up on moments that are uncomfortable and threatening.

It doesn’t have to intimidate or bankrupt your self-esteem or self-confidence. Yes these oftentimes are private struggles hidden from view, and now is the time to confront them. You will never conquer what you are not willing to confront.

I firmly believe it is possible to push and break self-imposing barriers and live with no regrets. Here are some ways to make the sustainable transformation:

1. If you were to split yourself open and see a panoramic view your inner workings and capabilities you’d be astounded. There is more life in your life. Don’t be afraid to want for more, ask for more and go after more.

The opportunities are embed in your disappointments, frustrations and losses. This will help smooth over the personal development and life improvement scars and instead turn them into successes.

2. Live life intentionally. That is to intentionally get involved with your life. A running back doesn’t run through human blockages, trips and flips over backwards to score a touchdown and says, “This is amazing! How did I do that?”

Of course he has to train in the rain, snow, wet, cold, doubt and perhaps without. He perseveres. Before his body learned those maneuvers, his mind orchestrated them first. That’s the foundation. The mind is his training field. I’m reminded of Paul’s metaphor about training for a race:

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT)

3. Tackle stagnated thinking. Thought design takes the prize every time. Forward, contemporary progressive thinking is a barrier breaker.

You simply cannot remain the same if your mind is pulling  you onward. What do you say to the fighter who’s in the fight but is not aiming at anything? Something is wrong with his sparring habits! Discipline intentionally.

It is difficult to put new wine into old wine skins just as it’s difficult or rather impossible for me to design a home in the midst of the existing clutter. It obviously must be removed for the design installation to be effective.

There must too be a method for handling the clutter of life: the clutter of pain, subordination, being stuck, insecurity, loneliness, subordination, regret or domination. A thought renovation must take place prior to the design. Lifedesign will help you to create the life of your choosing. It is not necessarily quick and it will not always be easy—it will always be possible.

This is the beginning of breaking self-imposing barriers and living a regret free life.

If this post speaks to you, then please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media sites or networks.

I know that there’s someone out there needing more, so please pass this along. It’s time to help someone else renovate their life and experience the 360 interior life! Thank You!

Live by Design,

© 2011 Dr. Deana Murphy All rights reserved.

Passionate, strong, adventurous, optimistic, fearless, independent. These adjectives describe the woman who owns her identity. It describes the woman who has come from behind the shadows into the light of who God has created her to be.

I’ve seen women give up the pursuit of her dreams in favor of helping their mate achieve his. She may withdraw from law school for “just a while” while he get’s his law degree, expecting him to one day return the favor.

But the day of favor never comes. He’s now in the spotlight and she has “willingly” lost her way. She see’s him as the the influential mate, and she succumbs to becoming subordinate, complacent, weak and unfocused. She has lost her identity to the light of his.

Well she has gotten herself in a mess of things but the good news is she can get herself out. Here’s how:

1. Admittance and Awareness. Call it is what it is. Face the ugly truth about your perception and belief that your mate is more powerful than you. (By the way, that’s all it is…a belief and perception).

2. Action and Advance. You will need to renovate and design your thought room. There is a design process that I teach (I’m not a life coach but moreover an interior lifedesign strategist) for doing this but for the sake of time I will share it this way: Your mind is a field. It is being planted with thought seeds that resemble:

• low self-esteem
• less than him
• misdirected beliefs
• no self-worth

You determine your own misery or happiness based upon your thought seeds that you plant in your mind. You have been given authority and no one else can determine that for you.

It is nobody else’s fault that you live the way you live right now. This may make you mad, but remember step one is “admittance and awareness.”

In the renovation process you can dig up what you have planted by taking responsibility for the design of your life. Only you can determine the decor of your mind…what you will allow to be installed there.

This is a process that works hand in hand with the design of your heart room. Because as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

Embrace your own power and design a life that delights you. Engage your personal development plan fully focused. You don’t have to follow someone else’s script.

You don’t have to be less of who you are in an attempt to make your mate more of who he is. What you don’t realize is the spotlight is large enough for both of you.

Own your power, reclaim your identity, design your life for the King. The Chief Architect has a life plan especially for you.

If this post has inspired you, then please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or any other social media sites or networks.

I know that there’s someone out there needing a little inspiration today and direction, so please pass this along. It’s time to help someone else renovate their life and reclaim their identity! Thank You!

Live by Design,

© 2011 Dr. Deana Murphy All rights reserved.

The Chief Architect has a lifedesign just for you! Watch this video, your help begins here!

Ladies, no longer do barriers and limitations have to threaten your ability to walk in your confidence and run with your greatness.

You can redesign your inner landscape, fulfill your dreams and soar just as the Chief Architect intended! Watch this video!

Live by Design not by Default with my proprietary 360 Interior LifeDesign S.Y.S.T.E.M. – Shape Your Spirit To Eliminate the Mess.

You can do one of two things. Create the life you love by design or live it by default. Many people may say that is a cute cliche, however it is a real truth. Today there are many coaches claiming the phrase, “Design Your Best Life” or “Life Designer or Life Design. ” It’s a catchy phrase and sounds “trendy” and is different from just saying, “Change your Life” or even perhaps “Plan your Life.” But wait a minute. Design is much more than that. Design is multi-faceted and comprises of principles,  elements and creative nuances that brings order and function to a setting. In this instance, the setting is a human life.

Now really, am I being touchy here? Yes, I am. I can honestly say I have a good reason to be. After studying architectural interior design and practiced my craft for well-over a decade, I believe I do know something about what design is about. My advantage is knowing that these exact abstract concepts—scale, proportion, balance, rhythm, emphasis, harmony, variety, and unity— are as equally necessary to transform a space as they are in transforming your life.  Included also are several elements that must be paired with these concepts to successfully make the completed design cohesive and whole—better translated: Best Life Design.  Every design begins with one word: PLANNING.

Every successful design beings on paper. Begin journaling. Because a well-designed life is a planned life, you have to tend to the details of your life. And the best and surest way to know what they are is by journaling every day. See your journal as your creative canvas. Jot down every ingenious idea and inspiring moments. Don’t reduce this to using technology, get out the old pen and pad and engage in a healthy time of writing down jolts of information. Begin doing these 8 things now for the journey to designing your life:

1. Always be prepared.
√ Carry pen and paper with you at all times.
√ Jot down anything that positively affects you.
√ Take the time twice per week to compose these thoughts into journal entries.

2. Keep your expectations out here!
√ Always anticipate hearing God speak to you. In order to write down what you hear, you must be in the habit of listening.
√ God will answer your questions and give you witty ideas and inventions.
√ Expect to hear them and stay prepared with pen and pad.

3. Journalize with style.
√ Find a journal that suits your personality and situation. I like cute, compact luxurious journals. Someone gave me a leather bound Woman of Faith Journal with a ribbon marker. I also use other journals for different things.
√ Locate your style.

4. Observe Life. You will get enlightening thoughts and have many experiences worth journaling.
√ Don’t allow your memories to slip away.
√ Include sensory details like sight, sound, touch and taste.
√ It is also a good idea to paste memorabilia in your journal-things like ticket stubs, invitations, etc. from special events.

5. Find a special place to write.
√ Find a spot to designate as your writing spot. It can be your bedroom, sitting room, sun room, deck or wherever you are most comfortable and creative.
√ Go to this same spot each time you journal. This habit will make you calmer and more prepared to record your thoughts.

6. Honesty and transparency. Your journal is for you.
√ Effective journaling requires you to be honest and truthful. Let it flow.
√ Don’t hold back when writing your thoughts, activities or insights. It is your personal life stream.
√ Nothing is too silly or unimportant to write down.
√ Keep your journal in a safe place where no one can find it and read it.

7. Write your way to a positive day.
√ Start your journal with a positive heading at the top of each page. Even if something dreadful has happened focus on what’s positive. This way you will look for more positive events to happen in your life.

√ Document every compliment people give you. This will give you that needed pick-me-up when you are feeling down.
√ Every night, write in your journal what you want the next day to be like. Write specific things you want the Lord to do for you.

8. Take time to reflect on your journal entries.
√ Pull out your journal once a month and review your entries.
√ Watch for reoccurring themes, challenges or situations.
√Reflect how you’ve grown over the course of the month.
√ Make note of the ways God blessed you and brought you through situations.
√ Be thankful.

Make journaling a creative necessity in your life. Overtime you will begin to see its rewards and the patterns that need attention, correction, adjusting or eliminating. Designing your life far from a cute cliche or passing fad, it is as traditional as that old chair that you are probably sitting on.

Live by design,

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For many years I had a cat that I named Early. Each morning she would be at my bedroom door waiting for me as she escorted me into the kitchen to be fed. This is not something I’d trained her to do. Early just figured that’s what you do when you get up in the morning.

Much the same is with your thinking. You get into the habit of thinking a certain way and then you’ll rarely question it after a while. Like Early, you become accustomed to doing things automatically as well.

Everything in your life follows your thoughts. The key is to become aware of what you think.  Like the old adage, garbage in, garbage out.  If you think negatively about everything in your world then how can you possibly change your life for the better? It’s your thought patterns which have the greatest impact on your life.

Look at these ways to change your world simply by changing your thoughts:

You see and are attracted to what you believe. Your brain will ensure that you’re right about what you believe. Whatever you believe, you will attract. If you want to change what you see, change what you are believing about it whether it be your career, your marriage, your appearance, your abilities or your appearance.

Harness the power of your imagination. Imagination is the ability to create a mental image of something that is not visible in the present moment. Meditation or imagination is actually comprised of 3 key components: visualization, vocalization and memorization. You will move in the direction of your most dominant thoughts. Begin now imagining how you want the end of this year to look. Create an image of how your marriage, your finances, your house even you might look like 12 months from now. The more specific you are, the more strategic you can be, the more power you give the images to create what doesn’t yet exist.

Begin with the end in mind. How would you like your life to look one year from now? Be specific. Everything that exists today started as an idea in the mind of someone who pictured it, then pursued it. If you can keep the same mental image of success before you and never let up, you will speed up the imagination process.

Claude Bristol said, “Every business, every fortune is the outgrowth of an idea, the workings of someones imagination followed by an action.”

Change how you think, and you’ll change your world! If you change the images in your mind, you will change your world! Your inner dialogue was a learned skill.  You therefore can learn a new skill simply by monitoring what enters your passageways to your spirit, i.e., eyes, ears and mouth.You start by paying attention to what you look at (see), hear and say. Read about the life you desire and begin to speak what you want your life to become.

Your thoughts are a NEGATIVE or POSITIVE force. You choose.

~Live by design,

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1. Top Ten Ways to Design Your Best Life!
2. 30 Day Challenge to a Winning Attitude!
3. 30 Day Challenge to a Greater You!

Great people are single-minded and focused. They concentrate on their priorities and don’t deviate from them. Why? Because they have a systematic plan to extract chaos from their daily routine in general and from their lives as a whole.

Charles Dickens said this, “I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time…” Most people try to put their hands in too many baskets for the sake of multi-tasking. But I’ve learned that great people concentrate on one task and do it well. They recognize chaos as the enemy.

Why do so many people even those with a clear sense of purpose oftentimes lose their focus and their capacity to concentrate on one subject at a time? During my research for my book, Designing for the King, I discovered that people have too much inner chaos. I’ve found also that the ole cliché, “Jack of all trades and master of none” proved to be correct.

I’ve identified six forms of chaos that I am diligently working towards removing from my life. The goal is to be “Jack or Jill of just one trade.” The benefit is being focused, and concentrating on mastering it well.

Emotional Chaos

This type of chaos is typical when unforgiveness is clouding your focus. Holding grudges or carrying a chip on your shoulder is toxic. Forgive and move on.

Organizational Chaos

As important as organizing is to progression, it amazes me how so many people overlook this. You can accomplish so much more when you are organized.  Figure out a system that works for you and stick with it.

Timeline Chaos

When you begin to master your time well, timelines or lifelines (I don’t like the word deadlines) won’t seem like a nightmare in the making. Prioritize your day and use your time and energy on what will yield the most return.

Information Chaos

This happens as your attention is divided among so much to do. Every social media expert has a mailing. Where’s the value in allowing insignificant things to detract you from your focus?

Unhealthful Chaos

Many years ago I heard the Lord say, “My people wait until they are sick before they change their diet instead of changing their diets before they get sick.” You cannot concentrate well if your body is chaotic and dysfunctional.

Visual Chaos

Sustainable success is founded on being focused. I find it totally impossible to concentrate in the midst of visual chaos. You will find it easier to make the right decisions when your eyes have places to rest.

Because you are reachable 24/7 with your smart phones and lap tops, you tend to fall into chaos over-load and oftentimes cannot differentiate the significant from the immediate. Adapt to a chaos-free lifestyle and you will find your focus clear and sharp. Concentrating on the life design of your dreams won’t be far-reaching.

I enjoy sharing my passion with you.  If you know someone who would like to read this, share it with them. And always I welcome your comments and will personally respond to them.

Sharing my passion,

Deana

© 2010 All Rights Reserved

Like many of you, I talked with the Lord about my life, the things that I’m facing and am going through. Each time that I go to Him with humility and in expectation, I hear Him say to me, “Let patience have its perfect work that you may be entire wanting nothing.” Surely this isn’t what I wanted to hear. I want Him to fix it right here on the spot. I wanted so much for Him to give me a specific instruction, direction, a word so I could run smack into my breakthrough. He wants me to be patient. But I need it today Lord! “Be patient.” You don’t understand, Lord, I needed it yesterday! “Let patience have its perfect work that you may be entire wanting nothing.”

Then one day I heard Him say this to me, “I want you to elevate, educate and motivate my people.” While I was told to be patient, I was instructed to inspire someone else. As I needed encouragement myself, I was told to be patient! Thinking about this I came to the realization that nothing produces without first being in seed form. This seed could be a thought, a word, an action, or something tangible. God was saying to me work your patience by sowing into the lives of others the very thing that you are needing right now. As you do you will be walking smack into your destiny (entire, complete, wanting nothing).

I sow these words of wisdom and encouragement to enhance and elevate your thinking, enhance and educate your mind and enhance and motivate your heart:

1. There is greatness inside of you longing to be discovered.
2. No one can ignite it but you.
3. You must want it.
4. You must pursue it.
5. You must think about it.
6. You must talk about it.
7. You must never say anything contrary to it.
8. You must never loose hope — go in to possess it.

I’ve accepted the mission to enhance your lives, designing for you possibilities for the mind and heart. I want to help you to Design Your Best Life™. Every decision you make and action you take began with a thought. Yes, as simple as it may seem, a thought resulted in this online communication; a thought resulted in the bed that you sleep in every night; a thought resulted in the shoes in your closet. A thought! You can change your world with your thoughts. So what are you thinking? What’s on your mind?

There is only one person who knows exactly what you want and can truly make you happy. The buck stops with you. No one is responsible for you but you! Look farther than you can see. It’s called visualization. No matter how dark things are or seem to be, raise your sights, see the possibilities, and possess them. Always, let patience have its perfect work that you may be entire (complete) wanting nothing.

I will be sharing along these lines from now on. I am now on a mission. I want to help you transform your lives and your world from Zero 2 Greatness™!

I enjoy sharing with you and always look forward to reading your comments. Please share this with your friends and family.

Sharing my Passion,

Deana

©Deana Murphy. All Rights Reserved. You may reprint this post
only in its entirety with the author's byline below.
Deana is the Expert on Life Design™ and is your
Go-to-Resource for promoting successful lifestyle makeovers,
whether you seek one-on-one consulting, group trainings,
virtual workshops or live lifestyle makeover events.
Learn more about Deana’s expertise at  DeanaMurphy.com 

How many seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, and decades have we wasted our lives on trivial like grumbling and whining about one thing after another. Then there’s the criticizing, judging and pointing fingers. And don’t leave out the infamous triplets … should’ve, could’ve, would’ve. Say yuk three times! Time does fly whether you’re enjoying life or not. So much of life is lost exacerbating our precious mind with the negativity, cynicism and gloom.

Imagine what life would be like if negative energy would suddenly convert into the positive. That alone would jump-start your engine to an enjoying life simply because you now see the glass half full instead of half empty. Begin viewing life from the productive view instead of the critical.

My birthday is less than a month away. Reflecting on my life experiences I’ve released myself from appraising past mistakes and hurts. Instead I’m heeding to life’s lessons with gratitude of having explored ways that doing life didn’t work out! Therefore, I know now not to take that route again and move on. It’s time for a re-birthing of the greatness within. And it feels so good! We are in total control of our lives. The sagging economy doesn’t determine our successes or failures. Only we can do that.

It’s time to open your heart, take a deep breath and be thankful for the preciousness of living. Always there’s something to be thankful for. Do you have running water? Do you have indoor plumbing? Can you read these words in this post? Can you smell dinner from the kitchen? Get the picture…you have a great deal to be thankful for. Seeing life through thankful eyes encourages unspeakable joy which speaks to the greatness in your heart.

Life is too short to dwell on sorrow and distress. Don’t allow the economy and others negativity to stress you. When thinking on enjoying life, the three “F’s” comes to mind:

1. Forgive… Forgive yourself first.
2. Forget…Snap out of it. It’s over!
3. Focus… Look ahead of you.

Forgive How many times have you said, “if only I’d…. The reality is, you didn’t. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. Then forgive others for having hurt or mistreat you. What do you gain with unforgiveness other than depression, heart disease, and hypertension? Make a quality decision today.

Write down all of the mistakes that you’ve made. Look in the mirror and say aloud, “I forgive myself for having done this. I now released myself from all guilt and pain.” Now write down all the names of people you may have hurt. Call out each name and say aloud, “Forgive me.” Finally write down all names of people who have hurt you. Call each name aloud and say, “I forgive you. I release you from all liability.” Now say aloud, “I am thankful for this opportunity to be free.”

Forget Forget about the past. You cannot change what has happened. Do all things without complaining and disputing.

Focus Reach forward onto the things that are ahead of you. Keep your aim high and your eye on your greatness.

By doing these three things, you will jump-start a life full of abundant joy from a thankful heart.

Thank you for stopping by to read my post. I appreciate you and your comments.

Sharing my Passion,

©2010 Deana Murphy. All rights Reserved. You may reprint this article
 in its entirety with author's contact and bio information.
Deana Murphy is The Expert on Lifestyle Design, media personality,
a dynamic speaker, an award winning best selling author who has been helping
people for years design a home they love, transform their lifestyle,
and showing them how to feel good from the inside out and unleash their
greatness. She has been interviewed for O at Home Magazine, Empowering Everyday Women,
Spectacular Homes, SORMAG, and Meredith publications to name a few.

Most often at the onset of the spring and summer months with winter being behind, people generally are geared-up to get in the creative mode. The beginning of a new season in some way incites creativity and motivation for change. Included with the desire to change may arise enhancing our lives; more outside activities and the best vacation spots. Much the same comes about for the home. Refreshing and renewing worn places ranks high on our to-do list.  For many of us, we seek to get our home in order and finally decorate those neglected and tough to tackle areas.

Ready for a Change!

When I think about changing my home environment it reminds me of how Jesus changed the darkened, hidden places of my being into a ray of light and hope. With a renewed mindset and beaming anticipation I knew He had a purpose for my life. I was ready for a change. Venturing into a home make-over, whether one room or the entire home, can produce this same optimism. But before you jet out to the store to make your purchases, prepare your mind for the change. Consider what you want your home to accomplish for you. More importantly, how can your home design unify your family? Do you want it to remind you of the warmth and security of your home as a child? Or would you like it to help cancel the pain of the past? What about a design that will accommodate every family member’s desires and needs?

Too often we acclimatize lifestyles and living at home to the layout and features of the home. Imagine how our lives would be if God didn’t first re-arrange the universe. He designed His world in His majestic display of power with purpose. The same holds true for every design or decorating endeavor we undertake. Design changes should spring forth out of a renewed mindset. I’m not only talking about designing to appeal to forms and aesthetics. And I’m certainly not referring to making changes because your best friend or neighbor’s home is outdoing yours. That’s not the right mindset, that’s meddling. Creating the right home design mindset means to have a plan.

Design a Plan

Looking back over Scripture it is apparent that God did nothing without a plan. From the design of the world in Genesis to the soon and coming King in Revelation, His plan has always been wooing His people to Himself. It didn’t matter how impossible the darken world looked, God had a plan for the design of His world. He knew exactly what He wanted His design to do for Him and His family. This says to me that we must do no less when designing our home. Let’s consider the gathering or family room for example. This room generally serves as a multi-purpose area where we relax and entertain, play and work, or watch TV, read and do homework. But we certainly can’t engage all these activities simultaneously. And someone has to plan the room’s layout and décor for incorporating these activities. Then the schedule must be planned.

Meeting of the Minds

Actually the way you live at home determines how you should plan your design. If relationships are centered in your heart, then making a place that unifies the family and connects family with friends is one way to define the purpose of the home. Perhaps working from home defines a major purpose for redesigning the home. Evaluate the use of each space. I often advise my clients to have a design meeting with their families. In this meeting discuss what is important to each household member, write it down, and be willing to compromise and be flexible when possible. While function is a major consideration in the design process; what’s paramount is the emotional and spiritual well-being of the entire household. Here are a few suggestions to discuss in the design meeting:

Objection

• What is the main purpose for making design changes? More space? Ab better lay-out? New purchase? Reworking some existing things? Insulation to stifle the sound of drum practice or electric games?

• Do you want your home to reflect your spiritual life? If so, what would you need to do to be ready to reflect this? Would it be more patience with each other? Like-mindedness with your spouse? Unselfishness?

• Does your lifestyle define how you live at home? What functions must be performed for each room?

Editing

• Walking through the home and carefully looking at each room, what do you see that needs to be done?
• What do you see that needs to be removed? What isn’t needed that can be donated or just simply thrown away?
• Are there any hard places in your heart needing editing? What about spurts of anger over something simple as tidying up behind someone or taking out the trash?

Ambiance

• What kind of atmosphere do you want? Do you want it to be peaceful? energetic? restful? loving?
• What kind of atmosphere can you create that will sustain His Presence?
• Atmosphere is very important to the Lord. Remember that He transformed space  to separate the waters so He could design an atmosphere called heaven.
• How is the atmosphere of your heart? Does it need renovating? Only a touch-up?Do you have the right spirit in your heart? What about your attitude?

• What style, objects and activities will be pleasing to the Holy Spirit? Everything that looks good may not necessarily be sanctioned by God.

Bringing Order

• How can you arrange your activities to undermine any negative habits and keep the home in order.

• Assess your needs for bringing clarity to what to do with what you have.
• Which spaces can you use in nontraditional ways if functional issues arise?
• In what ways can you adjust and show more love and respect for each other?

Sentiments

• How can you incorporate past places of influence into the design?
• How can you incorporate those pleasant childhood memories into the design?
• How can you incorporate priceless family traditions into the design?

Cultural

• Are there any cultural influences and can it be included?
• Talk about your differences and how to effectively translate them into the design.

Preferences

• What are your likes and dislikes?
• What are your individual interests?

Bonding

• When and where is family time together? It maybe as simple as sitting around the table sharing your day.
• Remember children are people too. Don’t make the design so important that they aren’t allowed to enjoy it.

Differences

• Discuss personalities, values, and memories. This carries a high price in keeping peace at home.

Improvements

• What changes will benefit everyone and fortify the family?
• What are some practical ways to improve on what you have?
• How can you better designate the existing spaces to meet your family’s needs?

These lists are not all inclusive, but know how vital it is to do this. So much time is used when planning activities to entertain friends, but planning the details with the right mindset for living at home is oftentimes overlooked. When you think about it, you spend more time in your home than any other place, which makes home design the most influential art form. In view of that, home is an important part of health, spiritual and well-being of your family.

Making changes in our lives and homes is essential and always necessary. I challenge you to begin this spring/summer season with the approach of looking at home design from a different perspective. Yes you are eager to finally decorate those neglected and tough to tackle areas. You’re longing for a fresh start. But be mindful of your family’s needs, surrender any selfish ways of doing things. Renovating allows for a fresh start. Renovate your heart of those hidden attitudes so that His plan and creativity can rise up within you. Your home is a good gift. Design it with the right home design mindset.

I always enjoy reading your comments and thanks for reading my posts.

Sharing my Passion,

Deana

©2010 Deana Murphy. All rights Reserved. You may reprint this article
in its entirety with author's contact and bio information.
Deana Murphy is a dynamic speaker, award winning author and

a conscious home and lifestyle expert who has been helping

people for years design a home they love, transform their lifestyle,

and approach life’s design in view of Spirit and family relations.

She has been interviewed for O at Home Magazine, Empowering Everyday Women,

Spectacular Homes, SORMAG, and Meredith publications to name a few.

She has also appeared on HGTV and Fine Living.