The Pain of Writing

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I have written only one other article on writing. Although I have written and published two books and more than 500 articles; I do not consider myself an expert on writing. The only thing of value that I believe I learned in school was four years of typing; it’s really paying off now. I slept through English; it is the one course I can now say I wish I had of paid attention to.

I am on two months leave of absence from work and I have created a habit of going to Chapters early in the morning and writing my articles there. I try different places from time to time to try and find the inspiration for my new book or an article. In the last two weeks I wrote six articles for “No Limits” magazine, and it’s about all the writing I have done lately.

I am 1 ½ years behind writing my third book. I wanted to write 10 books in 10 years. I have written very little in the last nine months and have ignored my web sites.

Most of the times when I decide to sit down and write I don’t really know what I am going to write about. If I can create a title first; I don’t have any problems writing. However, the process is agonizing and physically exhausting. My back is tied up in knots and it hurts. I am restless and fidgety. In the 10 years that I have been writing I have never started an article or book that I did not finish – it never fails. Still, I go through this torturous process. Once I get started it just flows and it has never let me down. It’s not even about writing the first line; it’s simply about getting started. My articles are usually 1000 to 2400 words each – not bad for someone with nothing to say.

I don’t know why I chose this time to write about writing, except maybe to help others who go through the same process or still others who never get started. I teach others how to start and I am always surprised at how surprised they are when they begin. Many have no idea of the talent that they keep hidden inside.

When I first sat down to write my very first article I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to write about – it just came to me. And this is how it still works for me. After all the years of writing, it still surprises me that I can come up with anything at all. Most people fear that they do not have the knowledge of good grammar, punctuation, spelling and other skills to write – this stops many people from even trying.

I tell them that it doesn’t matter about those things. They can always go back and check it later or have someone proof read it – just let it come out not matter what it is. The computer spell checker works great most of the time. I have spent hundreds of dollars on programs that help. But it’s just not necessary to start writing. The only thing I would suggest is to write in paragraphs it’s easier to read and edit later. Don’t worry about whether they are correct breaks. If you write nothing, you are holding back any chance for expression – you are dying inside. There is a book already written in everyone just waiting for the moment for it to be brought to the surface.

By nature you are a creative being; you were born to imagine, create, and manifest your ideas into physical being.

For every book or article written there is at least one who is waiting to read it; even if it is you.

When I wrote my first published book I proof read it at least eight or more times. I read it twice more after it was proofed and twice more since it was published; but if you were to ask me about what’s in the book I would struggle to remember anything other than a general outline. It is the same for my second book.

For anyone who is following the “New Age” genre, there are no surprises. Most of what I have written about has already been published. The only difference is that it was done from my perspective and in my own words which have reached others who may not have understood while reading another author. That is the wonderful thing about being part of physical life. There are about 6 billion people doing the same thing differently. Every word ever spoken or written has been repeated many times over the millennia, but not in your way.

I have a fellow author who stumbled upon my website and she emailed me. She told me she was an author and had started a child’s book, but took a break from it. After visiting my site she was inspired to work on it some more. Some time later she emailed me back and said that she had visited a major book store looking for more inspiration.

After visiting the children’s section she became discouraged because there were hundreds of books there – why would anyone read hers? Why should she bother finishing a book that has so much competition; hers would surely get lost in the mountain of books already published? And besides, there is no reason to think that hers would ever get published.

I replied to her email and told her that there is one good reason – write it because you can, and because there is no other book published that has your name on it. Her book is unique even if the story was written many times before. It will never be exactly as any other, and she may reach a kid that the others missed. Her book may inspire a child for the rest of his/her life.

Not being able to write is no excuse, there are ghost writers who will do it for you. It’s all about the thought, the idea that needs to come out. A thought is not complete until it is experienced.

Having gone this far with this article I have realized that I am going through these doubts at this moment. I have written so much about my genre and I am looking to do something that is very unique. What I have done so far is a prelude to that – it is experience. When the time is right it will happen. All things happen at the correct time for a very specific purpose, not only for you, but for another as well.

You are of no service while you keep your creation inside – it must be expressed fully in the physical world.

The easiest way to start is to just start. Sit down with a blank paper and pen. Leave it idle on the table while you go inward and give it a few moments. Write down whatever comes to mind – it doesn’t matter what it is, anything at all. It doesn’t have to relate to anything. Try this, the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. Congratulations, you just became a writer. Now continue to do this again and again for as long as it takes – write your first thought, your second, third etc. Never force yourself, just let anything come out that comes across your mind. Eventually something will happen that may seem supernatural. The pen will just start flowing seemingly without any conscious effort from you. It may be something you know about or something far from your conscious mind. When you open the gates things start to move. Don’t fear it and try to stop; just let the words flow onto the paper.

Everyone has a story; I encourage all to start writing, painting, sculpting, baking or whatever is creative for you. Just let it happen – you are going to be greatly surprised.

Potty Training Girls Tips – Here Are Three Tips For Potty Training Girls

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The ideas of how to potty train has been a widely discussed topic for a long time. Each parent seems to have their own ideas and tips that worked well for them. I know of one couple that swore by the strategy of buying two portable potties for camping. One for their daughter and one for their son. They had a large enough bathroom for both of them to have their own potty. Within a couple of weeks, no more diapers. I will give you three tips for training girls that worked well for my wife and I when we trained our daughter.

Start as early as you think she is ready and maybe even a little before. We had our daughter on the potty when she was 14 months old. We were not pushing the issue at that age but we were getting her comfortable with it and from time to time she would do her thing. By the time she was 18 months old she was wearing pull ups. And by 22 months she was trained.

Make it fun for your daughter when she is toilet training. This is one of the biggest tips for training girls that I can recommend. By fun I mean, every time she potties, let there be an ethical bribe involved. Whenever my daughter was successful with going to the potty she was allowed to pick out her own dress the next time we went to town. Girls love doing this kinda stuff, whether they are 18 months old or 18 years old. I guess its a girly thing.

Be patient when toilet training. Whether its potty training girls or potty training boys, it won’t last forever.
Remember you are the adult and they are just a child. These are the best days of your lives, and potty training is the kind of thing that you will always remember about your child raising experiences. I know it is for me.

These were your three potty training girls tips. A person could probably write a book on tips for potty training girls because like I said earlier, every parent seems to have their own tried and tested methods.

Getting to Know More About Schooling and School Fees

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Many people are interested in migrating with their families to the beautiful country of Australia. However, if you want to do so, you need to learn a few things about this country, and one of the important things is to get familiar with the school fees structure in this part of the world.

In Australia, there are Public or Government schools and Private Schools, which also include church-established schools. Although children can go for kindergarten, compulsory schooling starts from the age of five. Here, it is important to mention that if you are in Australia, even on a temporary basis, and want your child to attend a government school, you will still have to pay preset school fees. But it is essential to understand that charges will be different for different years. Moreover, there will be a change in fees with a change in state or territory, which is because the state or Territory Minister of Education usually sets the fees in Australia. Although they may differ a lot, you may have to pay anywhere between $4,000AUD and $9,000AUD to make your child attend a school for a year.

You also need to keep in mind that there are some cases where school fees are waived. For instance, if you are an international student and are on a South-Australian government-endorsed scholarship, you won’t have to pay tuition and school fees for your children. However, you should also bear in mind that if your child is going to study in Australia as an international student, you would have to deal with overseas tuition fees. To get to know more about it, you need to contact your respective state or Territory Department of Education. By doing so, you will be able to get latest information about the tuition fees policies. In this way, you can make a better decision and get yourself in a position to let your child attend a public school free of cost.

Another important point that needs your attention is that if you have migrated permanently to this part of the world, you are Australian citizen and required to pay taxes. In this case, you don’t have to deal with schooling expenses of your children – if of course you opt for Public schools. You have to pay fees if you choose to send your children to non-government schools. And do keep in mind that private or non-government schools have their own fee structure, which is why you need to contact the relevant schools to get correct information.

The fact of the matter is that like all other countries, Australian schools also charge specific fee to permanent and temporary residents. However, the structure can be difficult in different states, and that’s the reason why it is important that you get familiar with schooling system in different states before going any further with your immigration. If you don’t proceed in the right way, the amount of money you need to spend to fulfill your children’s schooling needs may set you back. So, don’t let this come as a surprise and learn more before moving on.

The Best Spanish Learning Methods in Existence!

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So you want to learn Spanish? By now you have probably realized yourself that there are a variety of ways to approach that matter. Well you’re in luck because this article details the best Spanish learning methods in existence!

Before we start you need to understand a fundamental thing. Any of these methods are useless unless you have the will and determination to succeed. Nobody is going to snap their fingers and make you fluent in Spanish, you need to put all the hard work in.

#1. Private Tutors

This first method is quite possible one of the most effective however it’s horrendously expensive. Private lessons cost around $50 per hour. Each lesson lasts about 2 hours which means that you’ll be spending $100 dollar at a session. It’s quite funny just how expensive that is. Don’t get me wrong, I might be the only one who thinks this is expensive, but if you are not like me, and can afford it, go for it.

I needed to learn Spanish for work. And I did so in about 4-5 months. But I didn’t do private classes because I just couldn’t afford it. Think about it, if you want to learn at a decent pace, you will have at least 2 lessons a week, times that by 4 weeks in a month and again by 4 months you result in a $3200 whole in your pocket.

#2. Spanish Classes

This is one proves to be more cost effective however I hate the fact that I have to rely on others to do my own language learning. By this I mean the schedule, that’s just a nightmare. You have to be there, every week, at a specific hour. I just hate that, I personally like to work in my own time, whenever I feel like it. If I feel like it I will also have the best results and be most effective.

Also, if you are relatively good, you will be held back by all the other 30 people that are in the same class with you. They constantly ask questions, questions whom you already know the answer to. This is cheap excuse to learn Spanish, but if you really want to learn something, this is not the way to do it.

#3. Self study

So here we are, towards the end, at the best learning method. I’ll be very honest with you now, I’ve hired a private teacher and I’ve also been to these classes but they were not for me. I needed something that allowed me to move at my own pace.

As a person, I am personally shy, so I needed to be able to speak freely without being hinged by the fact that I am in a room full of people, or even by the fact that there’s another person in front of me. I’m not saying this is like stage fright but you must understand that when I had to get up in front of 30 or so people, I just felt totally embarrassed. This became a growing problem as I released that my Spanish wasn’t as good as the other people in the class.

I also needed something that I could revisit, something that had everything needed for learning.

Then I released that I have to turn to self study. Self study is by far the best method to use. But how do you approach self study? Well books are not that helpful. I personally like either online websites or computer software to do the job for me.

In conclusion if you want the best Spanish learning method than start learning it by yourself at home. That is the most cost effective, time efficient way to do it!

An 8 Point Plan For Passing The PMP Or CAPM Exam – PMP And CAPM Exam Simulation

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Any good Project Manager knows the importance of having a good plan. So, if you are preparing for the PMP or CAPM exam, wouldn’t it be a great idea to build a plan? As in life, many procrastinate, can’t find the time, and myriad other excuses, and do not get where they want to go – to pass the exam. Be a planner, and practice good project management in the process.

Here is a start of a plan of action for passing the PMP or CAPM exam using online training. Of course this can be adapted for any type of training and preparation, or adapted to your own style.
1. Go through the training in no more than 2-4 months at the most. Set a schedule, and stick to it. Review for familiarity the appropriate section of the PMBOK after you cover topic in the training.

2. The material will be reinforced while taking each course. If you are on a tough topic, print out the study aids that are part of the particular online training module.

3. Within a week or so after completing the course, do some questions on the topic within an exam simulation.

4. Take one complete PMP or CAPM exam simulation right up front. See how you do, and what your strengths and weaknesses are. This will make you a little sharper and alert for information as you continue the online training.

5. Take another full PMP or CAPM exam simulation every 2-4 weeks, even if you have not finished the courses. Adjust your study plan based on results.

6. In the last month leading to the exam, focus work with the simulations on your trouble areas by using the flash cards and topic specific study mode.

7. Shoot for 80-90% scores on the tests as you get close to the test. This will give you confidence that you are ready to pass, and if the scores are lower, will give you more impetus to work harder.

8. If you need to, read books, online materials, free templates, podcasts, and any other materials that you fit your learning style to see things from different angles and approaches.

The key really is practice good project management – what you are learning – and to have a plan, and to follow it! You can and will succeed. Increase your chances of project management and exam success with a plan.

These Are Three Ways Parents Can Help Their Children Focus on Education

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One of the hardest jobs of a parent is keeping their children focused on education at home. Parents need to understand the importance of education in their household. I have listed three ways parents can keep the family focusing on education.

The number of hours children spent at home with their parents could be between 12 to 16 hours each day. What parents allow to happen during those hours will determine what kind of educational foundation is available in their household. Most children will probably sleep for eight hours, which will leave four to eight hours to use constructively. If two hours are spent doing homework, there are still several hours available for additional constructive uses.

The first recommendation is not to allow television viewing or playing of video games during the week. The week should be used for school work or educational games only. If not enough homework was assigned by teachers, parents should develop homework assignments, or give children reading assignments to improve their skills. Parents should have a lot of educational games at home so children can play when time is available. Some games such as puzzles, Legos, chess, checkers, coloring books, and educational computer games can be utilized for developing educational foundations.

Another way to keep the focus on education is to take the family on regular trips to the bookstore and library. This will generate excitement. Why not make books exciting by taking children to purchase their own books! After several visits to the book store, curiosity about books should carry over to read more. Make sure they have a bookshelf in their bedroom. Parents are planting seeds when books are available every day, and the entire household will realize that reading is important. In addition, parents should practice what they preach and read and purchase books for themselves to model good habits for their family.

Lastly, children are always drawn to music. Music can be another good educational motivator. Taking music lessons at a young age is an excellent path to education. The discipline that is developed from learning to play a musical instrument can go a long way with their educational foundation. Some of the benefits include good concentration, learning to read music, developing dexterity with hands, and discipline from all the many hours of practice.

These foundational skills can help parents with the educational process. If a love for music is developed, parents should make sure they provide as much support as possible. In addition, children who are taught how to play the piano at a young age will probably develop overall confidence a lot quicker.

Parents can utilize these activities to assist them with keeping children focusing on their education. The earlier this process is started the more focus the household will become, which can benefit the entire family.

Playing Near the Ricoh Women’s Golf – Courses to Visit Whilst in Southport

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If you are venturing to the Merseyside area for the Ricoh Women’s Open Golf competition later this year, you might also be considering a game or two yourself at one of the many golf courses that fill the area. The Royal Birkdale course itself is neighboured by Hillside and Southport and Ainsdale golf clubs and within a few miles you have two more Southport clubs, four courses at two clubs in nearby Formby, a couple of clubs in Ormskirk and that is without looking further away to Preston, Kirkby, Crosby and so on.

But if you maybe do not want to venture to one of these main high class clubs, what are the pay and play options on offer? We will look at a few of the options here!

Not too far away from Birkdale, easily accessible by car, is the famous Aintree race course. Within the ‘country’ half of the course as it is known (that is the area over the Melling Road furthest away from the grandstands) lies a motor racing track and within that a truly excellent 9-hole golf course. It is a course I have played several times and am hoping to play again in the next couple of weeks. Turn up and play or if you are travelling, check their website for the telephone number and book in advance, just in case they are closed due to a horse or motor racing event!

The course, when first built, held the record for the longest holes in a 9-hole course in the UK. No one seems to known whether this is still the case, but at around 550 yards plus, the first and the ninth holes are long and excellent fun! Not all of the holes are this long and there are a few par three holes to ease the game.

But out of the memorable holes, this course has a few, but what could be more so than playing the ninth hole towards the grandstands of the race course? An excellent distraction as you are playing.

Nearer to the action in Royal Birkdale is the Southport Links, which is the Southport municipal course. Do not be put off by the municipal tag, it is an excellent course, in good standing and a trial to play with the third hole another long Merseyside hole of longer than 550 yards. The blind shot over the bunker on the fourth hole is a challenge and a half, you will see what I mean when you approach a bunker that must be 20 feet high! The rest of the first 9 are interesting holes, although the back 9 are a little up and down in places, over some very long par 4s.

For the not so serious there are a few other courses that are par 3s in the area, including Tarleton and the Formby Driving Centre, as well as a pitch and putt at Ocean Plaza in Southport. If you feel like hitting a ball or two, there are plenty of option.

Where to Get Scholarships for College Students

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Getting a college degree may be difficult for some due to financial reasons. But knowing the advantages you will get once you get a college diploma is truly rewarding. Hence, whatever economic situation you may be in, college education is still very important. To help you get by with educational funding, you may consider applying for a scholarship. There are many scholarships for college students being offered by different organizations, businesses, private companies, and other institutions.

To start with, you can check your local colleges. Many colleges offer scholarships to students based on different criteria. Some scholarships may be based on your Grade Point Average (GPA), some may be based on your ability to join the school’s varsity sports teams, or some simply based it on your location and that is if you are from the university’s home state. There are also some colleges that accept scholarship applications in consideration of your economic status. These kinds of scholarships for college students are normally funded by private benefactors or organizations. In most cases, though, a certain GPA has to be maintained as part of the requirements for the scholarship.

Another way to obtain scholarship is to check with your local government. Some states offer scholarships for college students. They may offer full or partial scholarship. Nonetheless, simply ask, you will never know how much help they can provide. You can also check scholarship offers via online. Many organizations also post their programs online. Simply do the searching and you may be able to find one.

If you are already working, you may also check with your employer. Some companies offer college scholarships to their own employees. If you are not working yet, but your parents are employed, you may ask them if the companies they are working for scholarship programs. In most cases, companies with scholarship programs offer such to the children of their employees.

Application requirements for scholarships for college students differ from one provider to another. These may include submission of resumes, recommendation letters, transcript of records, photographs, cover letter, tax returns, residence certificates and other documents. Some may also conduct interviews as part of the requirements. Despite the numerous requirements, better prepare it as early as possible so you can readily submit the requirements once you have found the opportunity for a college scholarship. Remember that this is the type of opportunity that you should never pass.

How to Start and RAPIDLY Grow a Coaching Business – Coach, Are You EXCITING to Know?

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Are you EXCITING to be around, to know, to work with? Or are you dull?

I know that you don’t intend to be dull, but, frankly, most coaches are.

  • When talking to new prospects are constantly driving toward your end goal, on focus, but still not building excitement in the prospect?
  • When coaching, are you matter of fact, to the point, and even when coaching just plod along in the direction you are trying to lead your client?

Most coaches are.

When coaching other coaches on growing their business, I frequently point out that they’ve got a misconception about what they SHOULD be doing.

As coaches, we often believe that our job is to “lead the horse to water” but it isn’t.

It’s to make him thirsty.

Leading the horse to water can be dull. It’s plain old coaching the prospect to help him find his way to the water. When you meet someone for the first time it just plain seems logical to

  • Discover what he wants and needs
  • And lead him, coach him, to help him get that

It seems logical that when he finds his way to what he wants and needs that he’ll be grateful and may hire you, or he may just see how valuable you are and hire you.

WRONG!!!!

How Not to Get the Sale

Most of the time one of these things happen, and none of them are a coaching sale.

  • He’ll get what he wants so he’ll stop right there. He doesn’t need to hire you now.
  • Some will see what you are doing before you get them there, and plain tell you “that won’t work, already been there, done that”. And no matter whether that WAS the way or not, they have shut down.
  • You may show them the way, but they can’t seem to accomplish it after leaving that meeting, so they don’t see nay need to hire you.
  • Some will think, “that was easy, Gee, why would I have to hire him for THAT?”

In other words, these prospects will see this as either something that won’t work, or something that’s so easy to do that they either don’t need to hire you, or at least shouldn’t have to pay THAT MUCH for something this simple.

More people will use the session to “disqualify you” from the job than those that will discover how much they really need you.

But what would happen if, instead,  you left them with their mouths watering for you? So worked up and so excited that they’d do almost anything to have THAT?

How do you do that? SIMPLE.

How to Get TONS of Sales

Stop leading them to the water, but spend the time building an expectation of what will happen, or what could happen IF they ever worked for you.

Some ways of doing that,

Ask questions, explore with them on the value of achieving their goal 

  • Where do you want to be by when?
  • How valuable is that to you to be there? And how valuable is that to do it by that time?
  • What’s the cost to you right at this moment for not being there already?

Paint Word Pictures of What the Future Will Look Like WHEN they Get There

  • Stop and think for just a moment. Tell me what you’ll look like (or their business will look like, or their family, or their career) six months from today IF (or when) you accomplish XYZ (or break down the barriers caused by XYZ)
  • What will you be able to do (in your life, in your business) because of that
  • Tell me, just how valuable is that? What’s it REALLY Worth to you?
  • Expand on that, there’s more to this than dollars and cents, what else will you be able to do simply because you’ve reached that new plateau?

Notice something here?

This is all about discovering the value of “getting there.” It has nothing to do with “how to get there.”

It’s all still “coaching” but the difference is “where they end up.” The way most coaches do it is to coach them toward finding answers of how to get there, but these are finding answers fo how valuable it would be ot get there. The bottom line difference is that this will EXCITE your prospect about resolving his problems, causing him to act NOW.

He’s ready to Fix his problem right now. But the questions still not answered by your prospect is:

  • Can you help him?
  • Have you done this before?
  • How good are you at doing this?
  • Is what you do or what you have THE ONLY answer
  • What are the other options
  • Are you the most valuable of all of those options

Look at it this way, so far you’ve sold him that he’s really excited about fixing his situation. Now you have to convince him that you have the most valuable answer, and that you’ve even done it before.

How do you do that?

The best way is “to tell a story.” So, either as you talk about or ask a question and get an answer from your prospect, it’s pretty easy to say something like, “I understand how important that must be to you. I once had a client who felt that way as well, in fact that client _______________”

Build Even MORE Excitement by Telling an Exciting Story Excitingly

Tell a story about THE VALUE that client got. It might look something like, “one of my previous clients had exactly that same issue, not enough clients. This client, a Mary Kay rep, went from less than one new client a year to 72 within the next 2 weeks . . . 2 WEEKS can you imagine that? Would you like to see your business go up like that in just 2 WEEK?”

Be sure to BE EXCITED about those kinds of results. The more excited you become, the more excited your prospect will become.

Keep in mind that people buy emotionally, and THEN justify it logically. So, you get excited about the results you’ve provided, and your prospects will get excited about your results and the results they could get working with you.

Tha’s the key to increasing your coaching sales by 5-10 times at least.

Write A Successful Story With Feng Shui Career

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A career is the most significant and important part of anyone’s life and people do many things to make it successful. However, sometimes, the hard work does not reap the desired results and disappoints the person to a great extent. In fact, such circumstances can lead to depression as he thinks that his career has come to an end. However, with the help of feng shui career one can restore lost hope in a short span of time. In fact, it also helps in enhancing one’s career by great extent.

However, it is true that everyone has to earn his or her own living, unless of course one has been left with a fortune of millions or billions. In addition, many think that this can be possible only through the inheritance of fortune; however, with the help and solutions from feng shui career expert, one can try to elevate his or her career and inherit a good and stable future. However, things can go very wrong as they do sometimes when we least expect them to. Well, feng shui career tips from an experienced expert can do wonders to any ones career and life. In fact, the expert offers remedies for enhancing career luck and to keep it this way forever.

For a career growth, one can always visit an expert or a consultant and he or she will guide the person in finding out his or her Kua number and the suitable directions for career. In fact, the feng shui expert will help in locating the Sheng Chi direction and the person will sleep with his head pointed towards this direction. However, if the career of a person has stuck then a little thing like changing the position of main door to face person’s personal ‘Sheng Chi’ direction might do wonders. With the help of Sheng Chi, one can also enhance the energies of his desk or office. The consultant will also advise the person to not to sit with your back to a window or a door. These features give support for back and he or she might be backstabbed or double-crossed by colleagues. In fact, look out for any poison arrows directed at the back caused by open shelves or sharp edges. Hence, taking assistance of feng shui career for the perfect future is good move.

For more fruitful results, hang a painting of mountains without water feature, such as lakes or oceans behind the working table. This will ensure good career prospective. If possible, then keep some terrapins in office. Place potted plants to camouflage offending pillars that invite negative energies. However, be sure to give water to plants so that they do not wither and die. In fact, crystals make good remedies for career related problems. According to the feng shui, north direction represents career; as the element of this direction is water and the color is blue. In the north section of home or office, place a metal wind chime. However, remember not to hang anything that represents the earth or wood element in this section. Therefore, make your career perfect with the help of feng shui career.