Perhaps you’ve heard of the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway). As explained at www.dummies.com, “It enhances your environment according to principles of harmony and energy flow. Whether you’re aware of it or not, your environment — and your relationship with it — are constantly affecting you. Consequently, your best bet for a healthy, happy, and successful life is to make your environment work for you through the practice of Feng Shui.”
I have only a passing familiarity with it, and find that some of its principles are, dare I say, a little “woo-woo,” but other principles make eminent sense and I believe that I have benefited from applying them.
For example, it is believed that open drains, including open toilet seats, allow energy (or “chi”) to be drained from your home, so Rita and I are diligent about keeping the lids down on our home’s (and office’s) toilets. Besides, it looks better, don’t you think? I advise sellers to do the same while their home is on the market.
Clutter is a big no-no. I remember when I owned an office building on Capitol Hill in the early 1990s, it had a side yard that was filled with debris and trash. I paid little attention to clearing it out since it wasn’t visible to passers-by, but a Feng Shui consultant urged me to clean it out, and when I did, I was noticeably more successful in attracting tenants.
One principle that makes sense to me, but that I tend not to practice, is that of keeping my desk clear of clutter. I know I feel better when I have cleared my desk. I remember being told during a tour of RE/MAX International’s executive offices that co-founder Gail Liniger had a strict rule that every desk must be cleared before leaving work each night. It’s easy to imagine the psychological effect of that practice, and it sounds as if Gail’s rule might be rooted in Feng Shui principles.
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