by Stephanie Roberts

One very valuable aspect of Feng shui is that it has a tendency to bring new opportunities and relationships that encourage us to relinquish ineffective behaviors and stretch outside our comfort zones. While this is not always comfortable, it can be powerfully transforming if we rise to the challenges presented by these opportunities. When we don't, choosing instead to remain safely sheltered by familiar behaviors and attitudes, we block the transformative power of feng shui and the significant transitions we'd hoped for often don't materialize.

I always recommend to my clients that they keep a feng shui journal. This notebook becomes a place to record how you plan to correct and enhance the energy of your home, how you follow through (or not) on those plans, the energy shifts that you experience as a result of changes made, your emotional reactions to the work, and the insights you gain from taking a different and deeper look at your life.

When it seems that feng shui isn't working, it's time to take a hard look at whether your attitudes and actions are supporting what you say you want to achieve. Here are some questions to ask yourself, based on the issues that you may be working on:

Career

• Am I diligent about always communicating as openly and honestly as possible?
• Do I look for ways to create opportunities for others while advancing in my career?
• Do my actions consistently demonstrate my abilities, or do I sometimes take the easier path?

Self-Understanding

• Do I respect the spiritual beliefs of others, even when they seem limiting or misguided?
• Do I help others to learn and grow, and support them in achieving greater self-awareness, or do I usually put myself first?
• Am I unflinching in exploring my own needs for growth, or do I pretend my negative habits don't matter?

Family, Health

• Do I honor my family and friends in "thought, word, and deed," even when they behave selfishly or inconsiderately toward me?
• How am I contributing to the quality of life in my community?
• Am I a mindful inhabitant and caretaker of my body?

Prosperity & Abundance

• Am I generous to others, even when my financial resources are thin?
• Am I comfortable receiving the generosity of others?
• Am I a wise caretaker of my assets?
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Fame & Reputation

• Do I recognize and applaud others' accomplishments?
• Do I refrain from idle or malicious gossip about friends and co-workers?
• Am I comfortable being in the spotlight?

Marriage & Romance

• Am I supportive and nurturing to others?
• Am I able to love without clinging, or do jealousy and insecurity undermine my relationships?
• Am I comfortable receiving and giving love?

Creativity & Children

• Do I listen to and act on my intuition, allowing it to guide me even when I am unsure of that direction?
• How do I express my creativity in my every-day life and environment?
• Do I support my children as individuals, rather than trying to mold them into "mini-me"s?

Helpful Friends & Travel

• Am I asking for the help I need, and allowing others to provide assistance?
• Do I take advantage of opportunities to try new things and explore new places?
• How can I be a greater benefactor or mentor to others?

When feng shui is applied without this commitment to self-exploration, the effects may be short-lived or disappointing. For example, you may experience an increase in cash flow as a result of feng shui, but if you are a chronic over-spender that additional money will flow out as quickly as it came in and you'll still be mired in debt. Support your feng shui changes with conscious changes to your spending habits, and that additional cash flow becomes available to help pay off your credit cards and transform your financial situation.

The effects of feng shui can be slow and subtle or immediate and seemingly miraculous. Whether you experience dramatic improvements in your situation or a frustrating lack of results, you can gain additional benefit from feng shui when you explore your inner responses to outward transformation. Make a commitment to use feng shui as a path to personal growth, rather than as a quick fix for your problems, and you will inevitably achieve greater success in all aspects of your life.

For details on applying these guidelines to your home, order your copy of Fast Feng Shui: 9 Simple Principles for Transforming Your Life by Energizing Your Home today!

Copyright © 2002 by Stephanie Roberts

Adapted from material in Fast Feng Shui: 9 Simple Principles for Transforming Your Life by Energizing Your Home by Stephanie Roberts (Lotus Pond Press, Kahului, HI, ISBN 1-931383-03-0).For more feng shui tips and information, visit http://www.fastfengshui.com.

 Permission is granted to reprint or circulate this article with the condition that both the copyright notice and this paragraph are included in their entirety, and that www.fastfengshui.com is cited as the original source.