Archive for the Feng Shui for the office
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
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.
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
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.
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?
You can, as long as you include the copyright and link above.
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.
