Feng shui for beginners:
an organized, harmonious work environment is a
business asset
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
* MANY CPA FIRM STAFF
MEMBERS AND SOLE practitioners as well as chief
executives use home offices in their professional
work. CPAs can apply some principles of feng shui--which
uses placement design to achieve harmony, health and
prosperity--to make a workplace more pleasant and
efficient.
* PRACTITIONERS WHO WANT TO IMPROVE an
office, whether at home or elsewhere, should follow
some simple principles. One is to keep desk and
drawers, cabinet tops, ledges and tabletops as
clutter-free as possible. Stay on top of the
situation by filing daily, purging weekly and doing
a major cleanup twice a year.
* CPAs WHO SPEND MANY HOURS A DAY on the
computer will experience less eyestrain if they have
warm lighting rather than overhead fluorescent. Too
little light can depress productivity while too much
can cause glare and headaches. A table or standing
lamp with a full-spectrum bulb helps in a work area.
* PRACTITIONERS DON'T HAVE TO TAKE feng shui
literally to benefit from incorporating some of its
easy-to-implement ideas into an office, at home or
elsewhere. A tidy environment, pleasant sounds,
attractive touches such as mirrors and plants,
balanced light and healthy air flow all contribute
to well-being and success.
Can CPAs boost success by fostering harmony and
balance in the workplace? According to the
principles of feng shui, you can. Half art, half
mysticism, feng shui--Chinese for "wind" and "water"
and pronounced fung shway--is the ancient practice
of placement design to achieve harmony with the
environment and a salutary effect on health and
prosperity. Feng shui holds that arranging certain
elements according to traditional guidelines can
influence outcomes in all areas of life. It has
become a popular way to improve the ambience of a
home, and entrepreneurs are turning to it to reduce
stress and enhance business possibilities. Reports
say real estate mogul Donald Trump's buildings
incorporate feng shui, Virgin Atlantic Airways
founder Sir Richard Branson uses it and Texas First
National Bank and Mutual of New York apply it in
their offices. You may even have feng shui
consultants among your business clients.
Will increased productivity and success
inevitably follow if you arrange your work
environment just so? You won't know unless you
try it. Here are some very basic, easy-to-implement
feng shui tips CPAs can use to make an office more
pleasant and efficient, at home or elsewhere.
Remove clutter. Piles of papers look messy
and create negative energy--and you waste time
looking for information. Keep your desk and drawers,
cabinet tops, window ledges and tabletops as
paper-free as possible. File needed documents and
put away items daily. Purge clutter weekly, and do a
major cleanup twice a year.
Position your desk strategically. To attract
prosperity place your desk so you see as much of
your workspace as possible. According to feng shui,
southeast is the "wealth corner," so it's preferable
to put your desk on the south side of the room.
Avoid having a window or a door behind you, which
may leave you "unprotected."
Note: Bulky furniture such as an overstuffed
couch or an extremely large desk can overpower a
room and disrupt harmony, the essential goal of feng
shui.
Avoid placing furniture in of near a doorway.
An entryway allows for the flow of ch'i (pronounced
chee) or life energy. Blocking an office doorway
blocks ch'i, decreases productivity and curtails
privacy. It's better to keep obstacles away from an
entrance.
Select the right room lighting. Too little
light can depress productivity while too much can
cause glare and headaches. The right wattage depends
on the size of your office and your particular work
process. Warm lighting is preferable to overhead
fluorescent if you spend hours on the computer. A
table or standing lamp with a full-spectrum
(day-balanced) bulb helps counteract gloom in a work
area.
Use mirrors. Feng shui precepts hold that
mirrors protect against threats. Opposite a main
entrance they may frighten away clients, however.
Full-length mirrors on side walls denote a doubling
of clients. Energy should move upward, not down, so
make sure the long edges of mirrors hang parallel
with walls. Octagonal mirrors draw positive ch'i,
practitioners say.
Decorate with plants, Green promotes business
growth, and plants brighten any work space. Bamboo
and rubber plants represent good fortune, making
them good office plants. If a plant dies, dispose of
it right away.
Water is key. In feng shui, water symbolizes
money. New York City mayor Michael
Bloomberg--founder of worldwide financial
communications company Bloomberg LP and a self-made
multibillionaire--has aquariums throughout his
business offices. If your office doesn't have room
for one, use a mini interior fountain with clean,
smoothly flowing water to achieve the desired
effect. If you think a fountain will distract you,
substitute a tasteful seascape or a picture of a
waterfall.
Use images to reinforce goals. Feng shui holds that
you're likely to achieve the outcomes you visualize.
If you would like a particular client or project,
for example, prepare a sample engagement letter and
put it where you can see it. Replace it as needed.
HOME-OFFICE DOs
Many CPA firm staff members and sole practitioners
work from home, and chief executives use home
offices, too. Here are some feng shui
considerations for augmenting a home work space.
Choose a dedicated area. Keep business
activities separate from your living environment. A
separate entrance is best; next best is a location
near a front or back door. If your work area must be
a part of your living space, separate the two with a
room divider.
Get an air purifier. Keep the environment
pleasant. To create a harmonious workplace, you must
take all of your senses into account. Cooking or pet
odors aren't ideal for your health and may
discourage business visitors. Use ah air purifier or
keep windows open.
Choose color wisely. In the classic feng shui
tradition, color balances ah individual's innate
personal qualities, strengthens a desired effect or
compensates for structural factors in the
environment. The ultimate goal is harmony, so what's
important is to use hues you truly enjoy--an office
doesn't need to be power red to promote success.
Here is a list of some color affinities:
* Green--stimulates business and money.
* Peach--represents health, healing and overall
well-being.
* Blue--enhances peace and stimulates intuition.
* Pink--is good for relationships.
* Gold--symbolizes abundance and wisdom (a good
career color).
* Red--enhances energy and success.
* Violet--inspires insight and peace.
Accessorize. Small touches can effectively
incorporate feng shui nuances in your home office.
Include
* Crystals to deflect negative energy. A
crystal figurine on your desktop will do.
* I Ching coins, which symbolize wealth.
Three coins tied with a red thread are said to
attract wealth. Place them in your wallet or
somewhere discreet in the office.
* Jade, a symbol of good fortune. A small
jade Buddha may bring good luck to your home office.
* Wind chimes. Hang these near an open
window, air conditioner or fan to generate a
relaxing sweet sound.
* A bowl of fruit. A bowl brimming with fruit
symbolizes abundance. A bowl of crystal and jade
fruit will encourage peace and good fortune and
won't need to be replaced every few days.
HIRE A FENG SHUI CONSULTANT
If you are too busy or feel silly about applying
feng shui techniques to your workspace, consider
hiring a professional. Just as interior decorators
can do big jobs of recommend small changes, feng
shui masters can work with your space and budget
limitations, and they may even become clients. If
they suggest using wind chimes to bring luck or
color to encourage an outcome, be willing to follow
their advice. To experience any real change, you
must be flexible enough to try.
Regardless of the kinds or number of changes you
may make, using feng shui in the workplace can be a
plus for today's busy accountant. A tidy office,
pleasant sounds, good light and healthy air flow all
contribute to well-being, efficiency and success.
PRACTICAL TIPS
* A huge desk can be overpowering in a home
office; choose something in proportion.
* In your home, keep an area for business
activities separate from your living environment.
* Surround yourself with color you truly
enjoy--an office doesn't need to be power red to
promote success.
RESOURCES
Publications
* Management of ah Accounting Practice Handbook,
loose-leaf-version (# 090407JA); e-MAP, online
subscription (# MAP-XXJA). Chapter 210 is on "Site
Selection and Office Facilities."
* Creating a Virtual Office: Ten Case Studies for
CPA Firms (# 090426JA).
For more information or to order, go to
www.cpa2biz.com or call the AICPA at 888-777-7077.
Other Resources
The Internet lists many feng shui books, articles
and consultants. Here are one of each.
* Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui by Karen
Kingston, Broadway Books, New York.
* www.alexstark.com--feng shui master Alex Stark's
Website.
* www.techfengshui.com--a blog with links to
articles for reining in technology clutter (new from
blogger Ernie the attorney).
New York feng shui master Alex Stark designed the
three personal workspaces here. In his view a
harmonious, well-balanced environment liberates
creativity and vitality and opens up new
opportunities. Feng shui, the holistic practice of
space design, is a valuable tool in creating
salutary business environments, he says.
The red wall is about power and achievement; its
artwork by a prominent artist nourishes with its
intensity and prestige. The green and red carpet is
about power combined with growth. The foliage
pattern brings more natural elements into the
office, which would be otherwise too rigid and
corporate. The black of the desk and in the artwork
promotes career. The sculpture of a woman reminds
the owner of her feminine qualities.
In this office the desk occupies the fame and
recognition area of the room (central rear). Red
flowers promote success, and the bamboo plant and
crystal decorations in the wealth and power corner
of the desk also promote business growth. The lamp
and family photos are in the relationships sector
and encourage activity in the business. The black
laptop is in the career sector of the desk, and its
color promotes career advancement.
An important rule in feng shui is that you will
become what you see, in this case from your desk.
This photograph shows the view from the owner's
desk, which is actually a work table--hence the
clutter of work in progress. The strong colon of the
art and artifacts aim for an ideal balance between
elements that evoke success, prosperity and renown
and images that affirm the client's lifestyle,
interests and health.
BARBARA WELTMAN is a small-business writer who
publishes a monthly newsletter called Big Ideas for
Small Business. Her Web site is
www.barbaraweltman.com. MICHAEL HAYES is a senior
editor on the JofA. Ms. Hayes is an employee of the
AICPA and her views, as expressed in this article,
do not necessarily reflect the views of the
Institute. Official positions are determined through
certain specific committee procedures, due process
and deliberation.
Author
Journal of Accountancy, by Barbara Weltman, Michael
Hayes
COPYRIGHT American Institute of CPA's COPYRIGHT Gale
Group
The following information provides you a brief
introduction to various schools of Feng Shui:
Flying
Star Feng Shui
Flying
Star or Xuan Kong Feng Shui is the most advanced
level of Feng Shui study, it adds a time dimension
to a building's energy. The advanced Compass School
also integrates the Eight House Theory to provide a
comprehensive & professional analysis of a house.
Feng
Shui study under this school enables you to predict
the good times and the bad times from year to year,
month to month and day -to-day based which are based
on the natal or the birth day chart of each house.
Feng Shui consultant of this school suggests
enhancements for every home after a complete Feng
Shui study is made to know how the nine different
"stars" or energies are moving or flying to
different compass directions every year, month, day
and hour. Base Charts of all nine periods are
constructed based on the study. The residents' dates
of birth are also taken into account. The school
also gives consideration to the form as it affects
the stars.
Compass
School Feng Shui
Compass
School divides the structure into the eight compass
directions using a lo pan compass. Each person has
four good compass directions and four bad compass
directions which are based on their year of birth
and gender, the person either belongs to either the
East Group or the West Group. A building's sitting
direction determines whether it is an East or West
Group structure. Each compass direction has a Feng
Shui element associated with it: water, wood, earth,
metal, or fire. A Feng Shui consultant who is
proponent of this school suggests best compass
directions for sleeping and working which can
tremendous affect for improving your life.
Form School Feng Shui Under the 'The Form School of
Feng Shui' one makes a systematic Feng Shui study to
understand how the shapes and forms of the
surrounding landscape and waterways affect people
living or working in a structure. The four cardinal
directions of the compass are represented by four
animals which are the Green Dragon of the East, the
White Tiger of the West, the Red Phoenix of the
South and the Black Turtle of the North. Interior
forms and the layout of the structure are also
analyzed and Feng Shui consultation is made by
understanding the many implications of the color.
Western
Feng Shui/BTB (Black Hat Sect Tibetan
Buddhist)/Pyramid
This is
a modern version of Feng Shui developed in the mid
1980s and is a combination of Tibetan Buddhism,
Taoism ,Psychology and Traditional Feng Shui and is
based on a more spiritual approach. The structure is
divided into eight sections and a bagua or Ba Gua
map is aligned with the entry door, rather than
actual compass directions. Each section corresponds
to a different life aspiration. The Feng Shui study
gives more emphasis on placing of symbols. The Feng
Shui consultation also draws from modern psychology
and design principles besides the ancient wisdom.
Its guiding principle is that changing the subtle
energetic (Chi) alignments and flows in a given
space can change a situation's inherent intention,
hence changing the fate of its inhabitants.
Feng
Shui Study
One can
go for Feng Shui study for any of the Feng Shui
School mentioned above in a distance learning mode.
There are available many certified continuing
education providers on the internet.
The Feng Shui study helps you to have deep and clear
understanding of the energetics of environment;
discovering how to begin balancing and positively
activating energy in your working and living
environments. It is only after a proper Feng Shui
study that you are in position to explore new ideas
and techniques and learn to extend the basic
principles of Feng Shui to healing your body, mind
and spirit.
About the Author
Wang's aim has been to create a total system
for anyone interested in Feng Shui--not just
the physical aspect of it, but also the
promise of universal harmony, of spiritual
contentment. http://www.thespiritualfengshui.com/
website is more than a mere website on Feng
Shui and Feng Shui element. Wang has major
emphasis on wealth and prosperity through
feng shui by placing it at right.
The 7
Schools Of Feng Shui
Everyone
has heard of Feng Shui, but what exactly is it? Feng
Shui is an ancient Chinese belief that involves the
study of both the natural and the created
environments. To achieve a balance between the 2
affects the energy of a room.
7 Schools Of Feng Shui
There are many different versions of Feng Shui, each
influenced by culture, geography, and religion.
There are 7 predominant types or schools of Feng
Shui:
1. The Compass School uses the 8 trigrams of the I-Ching.
They are known collectively as Pa Kua, which is
based on the 8 main directions of a compass. Each
direction is associated with a specific chi. For
example, southern is vibrant energy.
2. The Form School, based on the landscape's shape,
uses 4 symbolic animals to identify the landscape.
Easy to use, the Form School (along with the Compass
School) increases chi both in and out of the home.
3. The Black Hat Sect uses a fixed entry point to
determine the area. Although similar to the Compass
School philosophy, it has differences. The Black Hat
Sect also consists of psychology, Buddhism and basic
design principles.
4. 8 Mansion School, also known as the 8 House Feng
Shui, is based on the individual number of the
person living in the home. That number is used to
bring harmony and balance to the home. People who
use this system have both lucky and unlucky numbers,
with the west numbers being 2, 6, 7, and 8 and the
east numbers being 1, 3, 4, and 9.
5. The 9 Star Key School uses stars to help identify
lucky and unlucky days. This school of thought uses
complicated math formulas to pinpoint when a person
will get married and the astrological sign of the
future marriage partners. It will also tell the
practitioner how to live based on his house.
6. The most common form of Feng Shui, based on
astrology and numerology, is the Flying Star
Philosophy. Difficult to understand and learn, it is
also based on mathematical principals and is used to
determine a person's fate.
7. Four Pillars, the final school of thought, is not
very common. Based on astrology tied to the person's
date of birth right down to the minutes, this form
of Feng Shui is also used to determine a person's
fate.
5 Elements Of Feng Shui
After determining which school of thought is best
for an individual, it is important to understand the
5 elements of Feng Shui. They are: Earth, Fire,
Water, Metal, and Wood. Balance and harmony can be
created in a home through the use of these elements.
If used incorrectly, however, the energy can be
lessened or even destroyed.
Each of the 5 elements is also associated with a
direction: Earth -- Southwest Fire -- South Water --
North Metal -- West Wood -- East
Beauty And Balance
In a Feng Shui home, all rooms should achieve a
balance of these elements, although some items may
weigh heavier than others. A chair might score 3
times more than a throw pillow, for example, because
of the size difference.Properly applied, Feng Shui brings both beauty and
balance to the home or office.
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About the Author
Visit Feng Shui Home Design to learn more. Ron King
is a full-time researcher, writer, and web
developer, visit his website at Articles for authors
Copyright Ron King. This article may be
reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the
links live. http://www.ronxking.com/ |
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