You may already know that I’ve been working on updating my Lifestyle Coaching programs but what you don’t know is that I am TOTALLY revamping them. What’s that mean?
It means that I’m busy learning even MORE tools and skills to help YOU improve the quality of your life and if you’re an entrepreneur, your business. I am completely rewriting my Marketing From the Inside Out© program which is geared toward building a foundation for your business that is in alignment with your values, who you are and what you desire. A business that supports you in all aspects of your life.
I’m also creating a new program, Lifestyle Changes From the Inside Out© which is geared toward empowering you to create a foundation for your life that truly supports who you are and what’s important to you.
No more sitting on the sidelines thinking about what you want to do or what you wish you could do if only you had…enough time, enough information, enough skills, enough, enough, enough! It’s time to take control and responsibility for where you are and where you aren’t in your life. Both of these programs will give tools that you can implement immediately and you’ll see changes just as quickly.
I’m not going to tell you things I think will work or be helpful, I’m going to share the steps and tools I’ve used that have helped me – steps I know work. They’ve worked for me and they’ll work for you – if you do the work!
I plan on unveiling these new programs later this summer, till then I’ve got LOTS to do!
I’m sharing a few tips below to give you a taste of what’s to come and to help you make some changes in your business today.
- Do you know who your ideal customer is? I know your first thought is that you are available for anyone, but that’s not a thought that will significantly grow your business. Drill it down, really think about your ideal, who do you want to work with? Who is your ideal client?
- What do you offer? My biggest suggestion? Keep it simple, reduce the amount of services you offer and focus on the services that bring you the most joy and satisfaction.
- Where is the most profitability in your business? Of the services or products you offer, which offer you the most profitability in both self fulfillment and monetary reward?
At first glance, these may seem like simple questions, but they aren’t. The answers to these questions will determine everything you do or don’t do in your business. The answers will determine whether or not you’re going to be successful at whatever it is you hope to do.
Spend sometime thinking about them, talking to yourself about them and after you’ve written down your answers say them out loud and ask yourself if your answers feel like a perfect fit for you. Do you say them with passion and meaning? If not, keep working.
© 2012 Harmony Life Design®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Lifestyle Feng Shui™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Homemaking is a term that may strike many of us as something women aspired toward when there were few other options. Unfortunately, this has caused many of us to move away from a connection with our homes and your home can be a home for your soul if you make the connection. Homemaking can help.
Homemaking is the art of making a house a home. We’re pretty aware of and perhaps pretty good at hanging pictures, buying into the latest decorating trends and colors and that does make a house attractive. But making a house attractive isn’t enough. Homemaking is about creating spaces that are filled with comfort and warmth: spaces that beckon you to enter and stay awhile, spaces that embrace us with a sense of belonging and security.
Sounds enchanting doesn’t it?
A home is many things, it’s the way a room looks, the way a room feels and the balance of light and color. It’s the way the furnishings are arranged, the objects we choose to surround ourselves with and where we choose to live. But most of all, it’s how personally connected we are to the spaces we inhabit.
It doesn’t matter if your house is big or small, in the city or in the country or what style of décor you prefer. What matters is that you take the time to create a space that embraces the spirit of your home and the essence of your true personality. When we take the time to connect to our personal spaces, and improve those spaces, we improve the quality of our life.
Connecting to your home isn’t about spending lots of money or buying a bigger house. Connecting to the spirit, the heart, of your home isn’t something you buy; it’s something you do.
As Jane Alexander states in Spirit of the Home, “Rediscovering the spirit of your home is about bringing the natural world into your space, giving play to all the elements and the life force they embody. It’s about allowing your senses full rein; filling your home with delicious sounds, and scents, textures and tastes.”
Making your house into a home takes effort. You have to be physically and mentally involved – just like you do in any relationship. For this is a relationship, and for it to work, for your house to fully embrace you and welcome you with comfort and love you must first do the same for your house. And when you do, the change will be perceptible; your house will change into a home that beckons you, that embraces you, that welcomes you. Our homes shape us just as we shape them.
Home is the ultimate expression of who we are. And homemaking is the art of making a home.
© 2012 Harmony Life Design®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Lifestyle Feng Shui™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Years ago, Carolyn Myss wrote about the power of the tribe. As she defined it a tribe is a group of individuals, it can be family members, people you’ve grown up with and it can be people you work with or who have similar beliefs as you.
Her point about tribes is that as each of us grow and develop as individuals an interesting this happens with our tribe. If we’ve grown in a way that our tribe has not, there are several reactions within the tribe. The first is the ‘stop change back’. The stop change back is an effort to get the changing tribe member to stop the new behavior and to move back into the energy of the tribe. To realign.
The other reaction is for the tribe to cast you out. Yes, it’s dangerous to grow and develop if you want to stay safe and in the comfort of your tribe.
The third possible situation is for you to simply find a new tribe. Sound scary? Think about it, wouldn’t it be better to find a tribe that feels as you do and supports your latest growth instead of staying with one just because it’s where you’ve always been and as long as you don’t change it’s where you’ll always be?
When you connect with like-minded individuals you become a new member of their tribe. You find where you fit. (and kinda like jeans, sometimes you have to try a few before you find your perfect fit!)
A tribe is a powerful community. And being a member of a community that supports and believes in you, is an awesome thing.
Don’t choose your tribe by default, as so many of us do, whether that’s based on where you live, or where you went to school or even people you grew up with. In today’s world of technology, there’s no reason you can’t find the right tribe for you.
You no longer have to live in the same geographical area or read the same books or vote for the same politicians.
Now you can select tribes that align with your thoughts, beliefs and goals – no matter what they are, or how many you have. You aren’t limited to one tribe. That would be like limiting yourself to one friend – better to have several tribes that align with different interests, this way your circle of helpful people is constantly growing and shifting with you.
Sound too good to be true?
It’s not.
All you have to do is get online and search for people and groups who share your interests, people who embrace what you embrace…then get busy, go to meetings – whether in person or online, get to know your new tribe and find ways to support one another.
In fact, I just joined a new tribe!
It’s a group of women from around the world uniting in support of women and their goals and dreams. I think it sounds like it might be a good fit for me…time will tell.
In the meantime, what about you? Are you in the right tribe?
© 2012 Harmony Life Design®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Lifestyle Feng Shui™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Have you ever heard the term ROI?
It stands for ‘return on investment’, and for many of us it is how we determine of our marketing efforts are successful. When we market ourselves in any way, whether online, with products, handing out brochures or business cards at networking events and lectures or workshops, we expect a certain ‘return’ on our investment of time and resources. Generally speaking, ‘return’ can be defined as new clients.
Every marketing or advertising dollar is held up to a standard that expects at least a one-to-one return. This type of thinking is limiting and I believe it actually prevents you from reaching your potential.
To truly achieve your potential you must step outside your comfort zone, you must erase not just the lines, but also the old rules. As long as you bind yourself to a perspective that no longer relates to the networking world, you’ll limit your opportunity.
I’d like to suggest a new perspective.
With the Social Network explosion, marketing has changed in ways we couldn’t even have imagined just 3 short years ago. Now, if you’re not on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook or at least one of them you are out of touch with your potential market and opportunity.
But that’s not the new perspective I want to talk about, I want to talk about shifting from a focus on ROI to a focus on ROV.
What is ROV you ask?
I just created it. It stands for ‘return on visibility’. I believe that consistent visibility provides your potential client with a foundation on which to build a level of trust and familiarity. The more they ‘see’ you, the more comfortable they are with you. And the more comfortable they are with you, the more likely they are to become clients.
How do you expand your visibility?
- Get online. Check out the big 3 in the Social Network world (LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, and if you’re feeling adventurous check out Google + too!), see which best suits your personal style of communication and your niche. Join that network and become active.
- Create a website or blog and maximize it’s visibility by targeting your keywords and phrases and use them in your content.
- Create an email address that incorporates your website. Mine is laurie@lifestylefengshui.com
- Create an email signature that incorporates a link to your website, your social network site/address, and any other pertinent information you’d like to share with others.
- Write articles and post them online (Not a writer? That’s OK; it’s about sharing not publishing.)
- Join professional organizations that support your field, and network with others in your field – you never know where opportunity will come from.
- Consider working with a mentor or coach to finesse and fine tune your business focus (Check out Marketing From the Inside Out©, it’ll be available in April)
- Sign up with online directories supporting your field and maximize your listing (don’t forget your keywords and links to your website, email and social networks)
- Share your knowledge and skills with others. I believe that the more you share, the more the Universe shares with you. In this world of dynamic energy, you get what you give. Be generous.
This type of return will never be measurable in the literal ‘return on investment’ model, but it can be measured in terms of new opt ins, new contacts and interaction.
I’ve changed my focus. Now I focus on the value of my time and resource investment as it relates to an expansion of my visibility. And business is booming!
© 2012 Harmony Life Design®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Lifestyle Feng Shui™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Have you ever heard that mirrors are the ‘aspirin’ of Feng Shui? Well, for me, the fail-safe tool for many situations is COLOR!
Color is my favorite Lifestyle Feng Shui® enhancement. I use it everywhere!
Color is the fastest way to completely change the way a space looks and feels. You can create a space that feels e-x-p-a-n-s-i-v-e, or a space that feels intimate. You can create a space that feels warm or cool. You can use pops of color to accent and enhance any area of your home.
But, color doesn’t begin with the walls, or the art or the accents in your home; color begins with you. Your first personal environment is you, and color can work with you or it can work against you. Color can bring your energy up and make you feel good or it can deplete your energy and leave you feeling tired and washed out.
Today’s video is all about COLOR – it’s everywhere you look!
© 2012 Harmony Life Design®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Lifestyle Feng Shui™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Challenges. Life can seem to be an endless series of them. Do challenges challenge you? Do you do your best to avoid challenges? Or, do you embrace the challenges life has to offer and learn from them?
I love a good challenge. In fact, in the spirit of lifetime learning I decided to learn how to make videos for You Tube. What’s challenging about that you ask? To jumpstart my learning curve, I joined a group of professional women and we embarked on a new project. (A very ambitious project!)
30 Women 30 Days 30 Videos
Everyday for 30 days 30 amazingly talented women are creating and posting videos sharing coaching advice, Feng Shui advice (this one is me!), social networking tips, marketing, business building tips and so much more!
I have to admit, the challenge of keeping up with this Challenge has been challenging. And I’ve done something each of you can do for the parts of your to-do-list that you control, give yourself permission to do what you can and let the rest go.
Life isn’t about perfection it’s about experience. And the best experience come when we’re authentic and when we give ourselves space to just be who and what we are, no judgment or negative self-talk.
Challenge, it’s a part of life, embrace it, immerse yourself in it and you’ll come out the other side stronger, smarter and wiser. I know I plan to!
I encourage you to check out some or all of the amazing videos, I guarantee you’ll learn something new for your work, for your life, for your home.
Ready for a little self empowerment? It’s as easy as standing tall!
© 2012 Harmony Life Design®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Lifestyle Feng Shui™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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The Bagua is a symbol representing change, it shows how energy moves in the works of vibration. because energy moves in a predicable manner we are able to ‘read’ its movement in a given space through the use of the Bagua Map.
Lifestyle Feng Shui Bagua Map how-to video
The Bagua is one of the main tools used in Feng Shui evaluations. it has its foundation in the trigrams of the I Ching, the ancient Chinese book of divination. The Bagua is actually a template or grid that is divided into 9 sections. The center section aligns with balance and harmony while the other 8 sections align with the energy of the trigrams, each section represents a different life energy.
There are two different ways to place the Bagua, one based on Cardinal directions and the other based on the entrance to the home or room. The placement used in Lifestyle Feng Shui™ is the 3-Door Method, which is the placement method based on the door to the home or room.
3-Door Method
- Center front = Career
- Left front = Inner Knowledge
- Center left = Family & Foundation
- Back left = Abundance
- Center back = Fame & Reputation
- Back right = Relationships
- Center right = Creativity & Children
- Right front = Helpful People & Travel
To place the Bagua follow these easy steps.
Step 1: Draw the floor plan of the first floor of your home, include all attached structures that share the roof of the home. (Ex: garage, screened in porch)
Step 2: Divide the floor plan info nine equal sections. When you divide your floor plan into nine sections you may find that your rooms do not line up exactly with the Bagua areas. Most of our homes are not architecturally designed in such a way that they divide evenly, a room may flow into more than one Bagua area and that is completely normal. Energy is not limited by structure.
Step 3: Stand at the front door of your home, facing the door. Determine where the front door is in relationship to your floor plan and the Bagua. (Most front doors align with either Helpful People, Career or Inner Knowledge) Once you’ve determined which Bagua area the front door is in you’ll be able to place the other Bagua areas in each of the remaining sections of the floor plan.
Now that you know where each Bagua area is in your home you’re ready to decorate or accessorize the areas you’d like to enhance or improve. Have fun!
© 2012 Harmony Life Design®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Lifestyle Feng Shui™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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This weekend I was reading the new In Style magazine and I came across this heading and subheading –
Life, etc.
Because style isn’t just about what you wear
And it got me thinking. For me, style is about living a life that embraces who I am and what’s important to me. A life that reflects my authenticity and personality – with panache and aplomb! Style is a way of living; it isn’t just about what we choose to wear or how we choose to decorate our homes. What we choose to wear and how we decorate our homes should be a reflection of our personal style, not the other way around.
Take a look around your home and in your closet. Does what you see bring you a sense of comfort and satisfaction? Do you like what you see? For many of us, the items in our homes are items we’ve accumulated over the course of our lives – and while this might be a good thing, it might also mean we’re surrounded with a jumble of furnishings and accessories that don’t bring us a sense of joy, things that we have just because they’re here not because we love them.
The same might be said about the items we have hanging in our closets. If you have clothes that don’t make you feel comfortable and attractive it’s time to release a few things and make room for something new!
When your surroundings, whether furnishings or clothes, don’t nurture and comfort you or reflect who you are, they are devoid of vibrant energy, they are devoid of style. And the energy in our surroundings is what inspires and motivates us, so it’s important that it be positive and uplifting. Not depleting and depressing.
The beginning of the year is the perfect time to really evaluate your belongings. Consider each item, determine if you love and need what you have and if some of your things aren’t things you love or you find you aren’t quite sure, consider releasing them.
Releasing items that no longer serve us creates space for change, space for opportunity, space for new things. And if the new things we select are things we absolutely love, they will also be things that reflect our personal sense of style, they’ll be just right!
When you surround yourself with things you love, you feel good about where you are and you feel good about who you are. Feeling good about who you are, empowers and enriches your life experiences and it all starts with the things you choose to live with.
Click for past article on clutter
For more info on clutter visit Lifestyle Feng Shui
© 2012 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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Feng Shui is based on change, the ebb and flow if life. An acceptance and understanding of this enables us to move through lifes’ challenges with a greater sense of comfort and ease. Just as the river adjusts and shifts to the shape of the land. A sense of flexibility and the ability to ‘go with the flow’ allows us to move through our hectic, busy days and lives open to new opportunity and relationships.
Is there a place in your life where you’re feeling stuck, immersed in old energy or thought patterns? How are these past experiences and patterns serving you? Does remaining in old patterns and ways of thinking enable you to remain in a job you don’t like? A relationship that doesn’t nurture you? Are you choosing to stay with the old because it’s familiar or because it helps you be the best you can be?
I believe that everything that happens to us provides us with the opportunity to grow stronger, wiser, more creative and more diverse. Often our needs for safety, predictability and controlled outcomes prevent us from fully experiencing all our life has to offer.
I believe that we can all truly learn to experience the perfection of each and every moment by simply letting our days unfold, letting each moment propel us to the proper action. We can chose to act rather than react. Life is experienced in the moments, in the now. If we are too focused on getting through our list of things to do, intent on ‘doing’ versus ‘being, life has a way of slipping by us. We are too busy to ‘see’ opportunity, to see and experience life before us. It is the unexpected moments that bring us synchronistic opportunities.
Lifestyle Feng Shui Tips for Living in the Moment
- Stop filling your days with tasks and activities that don’t serve your highest intention. Do you define yourself by how busy you are? Do you think being busy is proof that you’re successful? Are your days all about quantity rather than quality? Slow down, don’t fill every moment with activities, experience your life. Living is in the moment, not the past, not the future. Living is now.
- Do what you really want to do. What activities would you do right now if there were no obstacles in front of you? Take one small step toward doing something you like but haven’t given yourself permission to do. Start small, and stay consistent. You deserve to love the life you’re living.
- Stop trying to control everything. Let it go. Is it important to you what others think or do? By learning to release being stuck in the outcome of what others do or do not do, you free yourself up to focus on you.
- Tell the whole truth, all of the time. Most of us don’t realize how much energy we waste by not being entirely truthful with ourselves. Stop trying to live up to someone else’s idea of how you should be…..just be who you are. Who you are is not only enough, it’s perfect!
- Slow down and breathe. Reflect on where you are and where you’re going. Quiet time is a way of checking in with yourself as well as a way of connecting to those around you. Going ‘with the flow’ requires that we change our mindset, that we let go of the need to control every aspect of our days and lives. This doesn’t mean we can’t set goals, it means surrendering the need to forge ahead at all costs, it means trusting that what you’ve accomplished is enough; that what you’ve accomplished is what was meant to be.
If you can learn to incorporate the principles and spirit of Lifestyle Feng Shui into your daily life, not just your living environment, you will find you accomplish more than you can imagine. Pay attention to what makes you feel energized, connected and stimulated. Let go of the need to control your life and begin living it instead.
This weekend I was reading through some of my past Ezine articles and I came across this one. It’s as valid today as it was in 2007. I hope you enjoyed it.
© 2012 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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To celebrate the new year, I decided to create my first video! Join me as I share 3 powerful Lifestyle Feng Shui tips to help you change the quality of your life this year. I hope you enjoy it!
SPACE CLEARING FOR THE NEW YEAR
A good time to space clear your home is at the start of a new year. This year, I’d like to share the steps I take when I clear my own home.
Space clearing is a way to instantly shift and transform the subtle, energy or the feeling in your home or workspace.
I believe that our homes mirror and reflect our consciousness, our inner state of being, and the act of clearing or re-aligning the energy in our living spaces shifts our energy and our experience of the energy within our living spaces.
There are seven basic steps to I use when space clearing my home. I usually do the first two steps the day before the clearing.
- Cleaning. I thoroughly clean my home from vacuuming carpets and floors to windows. When everything is clean the energy automatically feels better.
- Personal preparation. After cleaning my home, I make sure to take time to eat a nourishing meal and bathe. I like making this step a bit of a ritual. I love taking an epsom salt bath, (great for clearing toxins from our bodies while grounding us), with a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil added for clarity and focus.
- Preparation. At this stage I create a beautiful display that includes my space clearing tool (I personally love sound instruments – my favorite is a crystal singing bowl), a bowl or vase of fresh flowers, a beautiful table cloth, several candles and a fabulous crystal or semiprecious stone. I use this space to set my intention and to say my house blessing.
- Clearing. There are many ways to clear a space, this is what I do. I begin at my front door and moving clockwise through my home and each room I gently ring my singing bowl as I move through the space, paying attention to the clarity of the singing bowl. If the bowl sounds dull i know to spend more time in this space. When the bowl resonates with a clear tone, I know the area is clear.
- Blessing. Once I’ve cleared my entire home I go back to the front door and begin again. This time as I move through the space with my singing bowl, I also say my blessing, or intention for my home.
- Closing. Once the entire home has been cleared and blessed, I return to my beautiful display and I state the blessing once again as I close the ceremony.
- The final step is sealing my intention or blessing into my home. I do this by placing the vase of flowers on my kitchen table. The flowers represent vibrant, living energy and reinforce the power of the clearing. Their beauty embraces the beauty of my intention and blessing.
© 2012 Harmony Life®, LLC by Laurie Bornstein
Feng Shui Lifestyle™ articles, tips and conversation http://www.fengshuilifeandstyle.com
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