Sit Like a CEO (Originally titled Creating Self-Confidence) by Ralph & Lahni de Amicis, Excerpted from their Book Prosperity Lessons
Often when we're working with clients we'll realize that their underlying challenge is their confidence, or lack thereof! We've learned to recognize this by their responses to our solutions. When we hear things like "Oh, I can't move that. I can't change that. My husband (or wife) won't let me do that.", that's a pretty strong clue.
We can offer them the best Feng Shui tricks in the world, but unless they have confidence in their ability to create positive change, it's just a bunch of talk on the clients consultation tape. We're not going to discuss here what knocks the stuffing out of a person's sense of personal worth. Instead we're going to focus on what you can do in your own environment, to put you firmly and consistently in your power.
First thing, command the door! Stop sitting with your back to busy entrances like a quivering rabbit waiting to be pounced on by a wolf. Being able to see the door comfortably from where you're sitting, standing or lying down helps you feel confident and in charge. Arrive early and take the best seat. Move your chair around to the other side of the table. Change seats if you don't like the one you've got. If need be, position yourself to see the entrance through a mirror or reflective surface.
The desks of the Presidents and CEO's of successful companies face directly at the door. These people exude confidence and their positioning shows that whatever comes into their life, they'll deal with it straight away and confidently.
Sit like a CEO! People who are administrators often sit sideways to the door and the minions huddle in their cubicles like scared bunnies with their necks exposed. Body language tells all, so what are you telling yourself and the world by which seat you choose?
Of course the question arises, "I can't move my desk and I'm one of those trembling bunnies, what can I do?" Simple, invest in a mirror and a tiger striped jacket. Place the mirror so that you can see the entrance to your space when you're sitting at your desk. Now, the first thing people will see, when they come in your space, is your eyes looking at them. That's gives them pause. Next, hang your tiger stripes on the back of your chair. Now, when the wolves come around, they'll see your eyes and your stripes. You've just dramatically changed the dynamic at work. Everything in that situation says that you're no one to mess with.
There's a side benefit to having that mirror by your computer, you'll make less typos and go home with more energy and less neck pain. Since you can see over your shoulder, you're not twisting around and taking your fingers off the keyboard every time someone pokes their nose into your space. We often see a 30% increase in personal effectiveness and productivity for the price of a little mirror. That alone does a lot for your self-confidence and you probably look great in animal prints.
By the way, comfortably seeing the door means not having to twist or turn your head or use the corners of your eyes to see the entrance. If you can only see the door with your peripheral vision, that entranceway is continually saying "Boo!"
The next Feng Shui Fuzion trick for boosting self-confidence is a bit of Euro Bagua programming. The Euro Bagua is the diagram that shows us which part of the room relates to which part of your life. When you walk into the main door to any room, what you have in the middle of the left-hand wall shows how you're reinforcing your self-image with your design choices.
It's helpful to remember that your interior design normally supports who you were, more than who you want to be. Walk around your home and see what you have on the floor and walls in that left-hand section. It will give you a good idea of what your home design is telling you about yourself.
Once you locate and analyze that spot, it's time to kick your self-image into a higher gear. Choose pictures of strong, healthy, dynamic people and hang them up in the middle of the left-hand wall in every room that you can. Don't put any transitory images there. Pictures of cut flowers and fruit all say "easy come easy go", while a picture of a redwood forest says "I possess sustaining grace, beauty and power." Now that's some good self-talk.
When you hang pictures, place them at your heart height. This increases the vitality of the heart chakra. If there's a window there, place the picture to the right of it and hang something dynamic in the window itself, some red stained glass works great. This increases your Mars-energy and boosts your self-assuredness.
Finally, whenever possible, face your chair or desk in the direction of the Sunrise. This is especially great for anyone in sales. The eastern horizon is about new beginnings, supreme confidence and boundless possibilities. Facing that direction infuses you with a spirit of optimism. It brings out your natural confidence so that those boundless possibilities become yours.
Sit Like a CEO (Originally titled Creating Self-Confidence)
by Ralph & Lahni de Amicis, Excerpted from their Book Prosperity Lessons Copyright 2009
Ralph & Lahni speak at conventions and conferences in the San Francisco Bay Area on the topics of the 'Dynamic Work Place', 'Staying Healty @ Work', and 'Napa & Sonoma, A Love Affair in Maps'. They also run a wine tour company that creates custom tours for Top Achievers and Executives. They work in multiple languages. Please contact them through the form or call 707-235-2648 Pacific Time.