Consider Feng Shui for Your Home Office

Feng Shui (pronounced "Fung-Schway") is the ancient Chinese art of arranging your surroundings to attract positive energy, known as “chi.” The objective is to allow energy to flow smoothly by unblocking any obstructions in your environment. This Chinese art evolved from the theory that people are affected for better or worse by their surroundings.

Does this sound corny, perhaps even a bit too mystical for you?

If so, let me ask you a question: Have you ever rearranged a room a few times before “getting it right?” Or, maybe you bought a new vase for your home and moved it around a few times before you found the perfect place for it. These examples represent one’s innate sense of what feels right with regards to their surroundings.

Feng Shui is being used in homes and businesses around the world to improve quality of life and work. Fortunately, we’re not talking about major remodeling projects. Simple, minor adjustments can often make powerful and profound changes.

But, before you decide whether or not this is something you want to pursue for your home office, let’s look at some history.

The term is not random. When translated from Chinese to English, it means wind and water. Its origins date back several thousand years to ancient China.

Because the geography of China is vast, careful consideration is given when constructing a building – the mountain winds are severe and the lower areas are prone to flooding. This consideration given when constructing a building became known as Feng Shui, or in English – wind and water. Not so mysterious and mystical after all, huh?

So how did Feng Shui make its way into the West?

During the California gold rush (the 1840s) many people from around the world came to what is now the Western region of the United States. They came hoping to find gold. The Chinese immigrants brought with them their belief in Feng Shui’s principles.

Today, over 160 years later, the United States is being re-introduced to a much simpler Western version of this Chinese art.

Most of us start each day with the intention to accomplish or achieve something. We intend to produce work at our job, care for our families, exercise, or cook a nice meal.

But, we have days when we encounter obstacles, setbacks, problems, or challenges.

For example: your local grocery store is out of one of the key ingredients for the meal you planned on making; you have an important meeting to attend but the school just called and one of your children is sick; you have three hours set aside to finish a project but your local internet service is down for a few hours.

Most of us figure out how to handle these types of situations – however, sometimes setbacks can take their toll on us.

This Chinese art can help by increasing your ability to cope with life’s setbacks. Because your surrounding environment is harmonious and energy is flowing efficiently around you, you can more clearly see and deal with issues as they come up.

Sound too good to be true? Well, simply try incorporating some Feng Shui principles into your home office and see what happens. If nothing else, you’ll enjoy how your surroundings look and like being in your office – that alone can increase your productivity a lot.

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