Archive for the Feng Shui career
Several months ago I was giving a lecture on marketing and one of the members of the audience asked me a great question. I’d like to share that question and my answer with you.
Q- How do you stay inspired in your business through the ups and downs?
A- I stay focused on what I want to achieve and I set aside time to achieve it.
I may spend that time in a class, a workshop or training, I may spend that time reading a book, attending a networking meeting or simply taking a walk. As long as the time I’m spending is focused on moving me forward in my work and life I know that I’m making progress, and that inspires me!
The single biggest piece of advice I can give you is to believe in yourself and the work you are doing.
3 Powerful Steps to Inspire You-
- Every day for the next 30 days, begin your workday by writing down everything that you love about what you do. Include all positive aspects of your job. (It’s OK if you repeat things from day to day). Don’t write or think about anything that isn’t going the way you want it, write only about what’s working and what it will be like as it continues to work and grow for you.
- Know what you do best, what will produce the greatest reward, the greatest quality and quantity of business, then do what you must to get more time to do it! Knowing the best uses of your energy is much more important than trying harder or working longer. To get better results, you don’t have to do anything essentially different from what you’re already doing at the moment. You just have to do more of what you’re already doing that works fantastically well – and STOP doing those things that don’t improve the quality and quantity of your business.
- Get proactive. What work do you have outstanding-right now? What’s stopping you from completing it? Get organized, get focused and get busy! Contact that customer, write that outline, keep your eye on the big picture. Don’t get sidetracked and let your day take charge of you. You are the master of your thoughts. Are they serving you?
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t? either way you are right.” ~Henry Ford
The point is, you can only achieve what you believe you can achieve. So, whether business is good or not so good, to stay inspired you have to stay focused, and keep learning and growing.
Inspiration and change go hand in hand. Otherwise, inspiration is just a good idea. And a good idea is only that unless you take action and get proactive.
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
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Marketing. For some of us, it’s a natural part of who we are but for many of us, marketing is something we don’t understand, don’t feel comfortable doing and avoid at all costs.
As an entrepreneur, avoiding marketing or failing to understand its value can ensure a lack of success or at the very least inconsistent success.
So, how can you change that? Learn more about the many ways to market. I guarantee that there is a way that works for you. It may not be what you’re familiar with right now, but if you take the time to try several different methods you will find your perfect fit!
Top 15 Lifestyle Feng Shui Marketing Tips
- Determine what you do, in a way the embraces your unique abilities
- Establish a professional email address and phone number
- Fully utilize online directory listings in your field (and be sure to fill out all the information!)
- Create a simple business card (biz name and/or logo is not necessary – start where you are.use your name.) Include your phone, email and website on card
- Brochure…doesn’t have to be a full tri-fold. It’s very effective to create a brochure card instead. Place in doctor offices, small biz bureau, wellness centers, etc.
- If you are interested in speaking, set up engagements start small with wellness doctor or chiropractor then expand to workshop venues…
- Submit articles to online article directories
- Include your biz info in your email signature- everyone know what that is? If you don’t have one, create one.
- Tell everyone you know about your business
- Schedule free consultations or create a special contest…create buzz
- Social networks…what are they and do you need them? (check out my Social network blog post for more details.
- Network with other entrepreneurs, work together, give each other referrals, set up workshops, etc. (don’t be afraid to network with others who do what you do, you can and should support one another.)
- Set aside time every week to work on marketing…whether this is direct contact marketing, working on your materials, social networks, or even taking classes…your results are a reflection of your efforts….you decide what you want it to be (check out my blog post for more marketing tips and suggestions.
- Every contact you have in public is marketing. You are the product, be aware of how you present yourself, the energy you give off and your train of thought. When you catch yourself focusing on negative outcomes, shift your thinking.
- View challenges as opportunities. Thinking in this way is affirmational and reinforces a positive energy flow in your life experiences – it’s Lifestyle Feng Shui™ at it ‘s best!
All businesses, no matter what their size, benefit from marketing. Take the time to find out what works best for you and do it!
I wish you all a year filled with joy, good health and abundance – in all its forms!
© 2011 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and link above.
I’m often asked what attracted me to Feng Shui. My first introduction to Feng Shui was through books. The first Feng Shui books I read were; Interior Design with Feng Shui by Sarah Rossbach, Feng Shui Made Easy by William Spear and The Western Guide to Feng Shui by Terah Kathryn Collins. My interest and attraction grew steadily stronger with each book. I found that while Feng Shui was ‘new’ to me, it was also very familiar and that was intriguing. How could something I had no experience with seem so familiar? I believe that Feng Shui was familiar to me because it is a practice that resonates deeply with who I am and where I am from.
My ancestral heritage includes Chinese, Hawaiian and Native American, all cultures that practice Feng Shui – though not all methods and techniques are the same, the foundation of each practice shares a desire to live in harmony with nature and our environments. I believe it is this ancestral heritage that responded deep within me as I began to read and learn about Feng Shui.
Initially, I had no intention of studying Feng Shui but as I read more books it became clear to me that much of the practice could not be found between the lines of text and if I wanted to really learn I was going to have to train.
My first Feng Shui training was BTB, or Black Sect Feng Shui, my second, Essential Feng Shui® and my third, Interior Alignment®. Each of my trainings has provided me with a deeper understanding and appreciation of Feng Shui; its many layers and perspectives. Of all my trainings, the one that resonated the most with me was and is still Interior Alignment®.
With Interior Alignment® I felt as though I had stepped through a portal to myself, a place where I was embraced by what ‘I know to be so’, and from that place of knowing I learned additional ways of ‘seeing’, ‘feeling’ and understanding.
The beauty of Interior Alignment® is that it embraces a synergistic blend of methods and techniques from many cultures and practices: Feng Shui, Hu’na, and Native American to name a few. How it embraces them is by combining various bits from each, the core form school foundational aspects and energetics of Feng Shui, the loving connection between our consciousness and our environments from Hu’na, and some of the ceremonial aspects, beauty and power of Native American thought, technique and ceremony.
It is this unique combination that makes Interior Alignment® more than just Feng Shui. In fact, the name Interior Alignment really sums it up nicely. It’s about aligning who you are and what’s important to you with the places you inhabit, visually, energetically, and spiritually. Interior Alignment uses the energy in our homes as a tool for healing and transformation.
Studying and practicing Feng Shui has completely changed my life and my work in ways I could never have imagined when I picked up that first book back in 1995. Life still has its ups and downs, its challenges and joys – but all in all it’s a great life filled with wonderful people, experiences and opportunities. Do I think Feng Shui is responsible for all this? I think Feng Shui has helped establish a sense of balance, comfort, harmony and inspiration in my life and from that place the rest has been much easier. It’s a Feng Shui Lifestyle!
At the end of the day, when the places we live in support us energetically, visually and spiritually they stop being a house and become a home.
And home is where I want to live.
For more information about Interior Alignment training click here!
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and link above.
I’ve been experimenting with Social Networks for about 6 months. I have to admit, I resisted even learning about it for years and now…I love Facebook! It’s true! I visit it several times a day and I look forward to hearing from my FB friends and followers. I like knowing a little bit about their daily lives and I like sharing about mine!
If you had asked me my opinion a year ago it would have been much different. You see, I’m a big believer in managing energy. (I don’t believe that we mismanage our time, it’s our energy we mismanage.) That means using technology to enhance my life rather than letting it take over my life. You did notice that this is a blog post- right? Another type of communication using technology. Has technology taken over my life? No, but it has redefined it.
Now when I write my monthly newsletter, I do it in an Ezine. When I want to reach people I use Facebook, email, my blog and my Ezine. I rarely write hardcopy articles any more. And I love the change. It’s fast. It’s spontaneous. And it’s interactive. All things hardcopy writing is not.
What has this got to do with Feng Shui? Feng Shui is about change. And embracing change is going with the flow. So, my embrace of Social Networks and technology is me going with the flow and in the process, practicing perfect Feng Shui!
As long as- I keep a balance.
How do I keep a balance? I check email, and Facebook early in my day, sometimes before I get to the office. Once at the office I focus on my work related projects. I check both again around lunchtime and then finally before leaving the office. And sometimes, I only check once a day. What I don’t do is keep any of them open all day. If I did that I would lose focus and my work would suffer for it.
I know you know what I mean! How many of you find that you spend much of your day online and your to-do list just keeps getting longer? If this sounds like you, you’ve been sucked into the energy wasting vortex and you must get – out – now! Before you’re trapped!
How do you get out? Simple. Set aside specific times when you’ll be online and stick to it. And soon you’ll be going with the flow too!
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and the following information:
Feng Shui Teacher, Designer and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, is the author and creator of ‘Feng Shui Lifestyle’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with Feng Shui and Lifestyle Marketing articles and tips, empowering and inspiring you to live and work in comfort, balance and harmony.
Visit www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
What colors should you use for your website? The world is your oyster. In the world of Feng Shui, colors have relationships with one another. Some are supportive, others aren’t. Let’s talk about five or six colors.
Green is the color of new beginnings. It’s the color of flexibility, it’s the color of health, and it is literally the color of money. It is supported by black and dark tones. If you’re looking to develop a strong business with lots of opportunity for growth, make sure you incorporate green.
If you want to have a strong successful career, incorporate black. Black is the color of adaptability; it’s associated with career energy and it’s representative of the water element.
If you need greater clarity, a crispness, focus and direction, consider white. White is associated with clarity, expansion and development. You can use white as the color of your text block. And if your text is black, you’ve incorporated clarity and also strong successful career. Good to have clarity in our careers.
If you want to seek great recognition or supportive relationships, incorporate the color red. In addition to prosperity, red is also associated with both our reputation and our relationship. Red can be intense, so a little goes a long way.
If you want to experience great abundance, consider incorporating red or purple tones. Both of those colors are strongly associated with prosperity.
If you want to create a sense of vibrancy and excitement, consider incorporating yellow or a yellow tone. Orange is a color that shares aspects of both red and yellow, Yellow is associated with warmth, with expansion and with mental stimulation.
To create a look and feel that’s enticing and compelling, use two or three colors – complementary of course, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming and dominating. It’s all about flow. Too much is not a good thing.
You use color in your business name, your logo, your page subheads and even the color of your text and text block. All of these unite and combine to create the look and feel of your website. Each of them should seamlessly flow into one another.
When selecting the color of your web page, your images and your text really consider the relationship the colors have to one another as well as what your intention for your website is. When you choose your colors this way, they won’t only look good but they’ll feel good. They’ll energize your web pages, supporting your goals and aspirations.
For more hints about how to use color in your website, click here to listen to Laurie’s podcast.
This is a very exciting topic for me. Designing a website with the principles of feng shui is design that feels good. Design that embraces a sense of balance; balance in content, balance of text and graphics, balance in color.
It’s a site that embraces who you are and what you do in such a way that your visitors are inspired, interested and they’re compelled to go further.
A website basically does one of two things:
- It offers information
- It sells a product, (whether that’s a tangible product or a service)
A website offers your reader an opportunity to get to know you.
What’s this have to do with feng shui? Feng shui is about working with the energy, the dynamic of a space, whether that is an internet space or our living and working spaces. Feng shui is about balance, it’s about flow, it’s about creating a sense of welcome. Feng shui makes the difference between a website with information but no interest to one that has visual interest, balance and compels you to stay.
I remember when I first created my website, I had no idea how to write it. I didn’t know in what order to put the pages. I didn’t know what colors or what type of design or font to use. I didn’t know anything about it, but I did know that in order for my website to attract the type of clients I desire, it had to sound like me; it had to feel like what I do.
First steps:
- What is the purpose of your site?
- What do you want your website to do for you?
- What is your intention?
Once you’ve determined these things, it’s time to begin writing. Write directly to your ideal client. Use your unique voice, your own words. Write with passion. Everyone loves passion, to attract your ideal client you must speak directly to them and in a manner that attracts them to you. The best way to do this is to be true to yourself and who you are.
Not sure where to start? If you have a brochure, that will make a perfect outline for your website. If you don’t have a brochure, begin the process of writing by drafting an outline of your services, the benefits your services provide your clients and what your client can expect. Once you have your outline in place, fill it in with text that flows from one point to the next. Read what you’ve written out loud; by doing this you’ll be able to tell when your words do not flow well or don’t sound like you. This step is invaluable. It’s easy to write in a stiff, unnatural voice and the only way to catch this is to read it aloud.
Text is king, no matter how your website looks, if it doesn’t have something interesting to say no one will stay.
Your website can be a single page or if you have more than one service it can have several pages. The length isn’t as important as the focus is. Take your time writing, this is the foundation of your site.
Want to hear more? Click here to listen to Laurie’s podcast.
Is the abundance area of your home located in your office?
As with all Feng Shui rooms, command position is first and foremost. Your desk should be positioned so you have a solid wall behind you and when you are seated in your desk chair you have full view of the entire room as well as the door. You should avoid being positioned directly in line with the path of the door.
If the position of your desk is limited by the configuration of the room and you have to be positioned with a window behind you there are some effective solutions. To create solid support, similar to a wall behind you, you can use; plants, a decorative screen, a sofa table or console or even a bookcase or cabinet.
Second, you want the office to be organized in such a way that it supports the way you work, however that may be. You may stand up while you look out the window and talk on the phone; that’s different than sitting in a stationary position at your desk all the time. It’s really important to have an understanding of how you work and what works for you.
After placement, color is important because it can affect the energy of our office. Ideally, our offices should be mentally stimulating. So we want to choose colors that aren’t too dark, because that makes the space quiet. We want the space to be uplifting and energizing. Yellow tones, warm cream tomes and gold tones are fantastic for creating a room that supports a sense of awareness and energy.
Now that we have some of the basics out of the way, I want you to do a quick visualization exercise with me. Imagine you’re standing at the door to your office. As you look into your office, how do you feel? Is this a room that inspires and motivates you? Is this a room that excites you, a room that nourishes ideas?
If not, and for many of us our home offices are places of disarray and mixed function, take the time to incorporate the ideas I’ve listed above and add the following: bring in a touch of nature to invigorate your space. This is as easy as opening your window or adding a healthy plant or two to your office. Increase the amount of lighting in your office by incorporating a floor or table lamp. Consider adding art that inspires you with its meaning and color.
It’s hard to achieve abundance when you don’t feel abundant and a dark, dreary, cluttered office effectively blocks the flow of energy. And when the flow of energy is blocked, so is abundance!
Use the rules of Feng Shui to support abundance and prosperity and energy will flow!
Unsure where the abundance and prosperity area of your home is? Click here for a FREE Bagua map.
To learn more about Feng Shui and abundance and prosperity, listen to Laurie’s podcast here.
© 2010 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and the following information:
Feng Shui Teacher, Designer and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, is the author and creator of ‘Feng Shui Lifestyle’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with Feng Shui and Lifestyle Marketing articles and tips, empowering and inspiring you to live and work in comfort, balance and harmony.
Visit www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
The world is going through transition. Many of us are going through transition in our career or in our relationship or possibly even residential transition.
In these difficult times, it is possible to use Feng Shui principles to help us manage those transitions with grace and ease.
There is a huge sense of fear and uncertainty in the future. If you are a victim of downsizing at your job or if you have lost your home, or are in danger of losing it, the uncertainty can seem overwhelming.
It is important to remember that fear is a self perpetuating reality. You actually create your own reality, so what you focus on really becomes real to you. You need to shift your focus away from the spiral of fear and shift instead toward what can you create – what you can do to improve the situation you are in right now. By doing this, you will create the stronger energy that you need to support a positive mindset.
Three Feng Shui principles you can use to help you do this are:
- practice mental Feng Shui
- clear clutter
- give back
Mentally – practice mental Feng Shui
Move your mind from a place of fear to a place of empowerment. Focus on maintaining a positive mindset.
Environment – clear clutter
Get rid of things that are blocking your way. In order for change to occur, it needs space. Make space for the change you desire.
Make space for those opportunities.
The Law of Abundance – give back
Get rid of things you don’t need. The law of abundance states that what we give away, we get back. Give away things you don’t need to charity.By focusing on these three simple principles, you will put yourself in a positive frame of mind, and you will create space in your life to allow change and opportunity to come to you.
For more information on how to deal with clutter in your life, pick up my Clutter Tips.
© 2009 Harmony Life, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and the following information:
Feng Shui Teacher, Designer and Entrepreneur Laurie Bornstein, is the author and creator of ‘Feng Shui Lifestyle’, her FREE monthly ezine filled with Feng Shui and Lifestyle Marketing articles and tips, empowering and inspiring you to live and work in comfort, balance and harmony.
Visit http://www.harmonylifedesign.com to learn more.
