Ways To Turn Heads and Get Noticed

Looking to get noticed on a date, at a party or during a job interview?

Red is one of the most powerful colors of the rainbow, symbolizing good luck, success, or a fiery personality, full of passion. For entrepreneurs attending networking events, red will catch people's eyes. Incorporating a fun pin or accessory that invites comments will also help you catch people's attention so you can find out how you can help them in their pursuits.

However, if you're going on a job interview, red may signal combativeness. Blue, which represents loyalty and trustworthiness, is far better for this purpose. A clean, bright blue shirt will get you noticed for your credibility.

Green is also an attractive color for people with many different kinds of chi. Representing hope, new ideas, and good luck, green is sure to lift your energy and inspire those around you.

Multicolored floral patterns are also auspicious for social engagements. When you wear clothes featuring many different colors, you'll appeal to people of many different personalities. Different chi is represented -- and strengthened -- by different colors. Regardless of what type of elemental chi a person possesses, multicolored clothes will draw them in and raise their chi. Bright floral patterns are fun, feel-good clothes.

Why not celebrate the unofficial start of summer with a wardrobe makeover and bring out the bright-colored clothes.

Meet the Love of Your Life in the Right Clothes

Are you seeking love? Commitment? Fulfillment in a romantic relationship and an eventual family? It all starts with a first date.

What you wear on that first date can increase the odds you'll form a powerful connection with potential for a long-term relationship. On the other hand, the wrong choice in clothes can make you disappear quickly from the person's mind as soon as the door closes on the evening.

Red to Turn Heads
If you want to turn heads, a red dress or shirt will do the trick. This sends a message that you are a person full of passion. Red, often the color of a Chinese wedding dress, is an auspicious color for most occasions, and especially for a woman or man seeking a mate.

Pink or Peach for Seduction
If you want to show that you're open to seduction -- and looking for a more intimate connection -- a pale peach or beige satin top, which blends with your skin and gives the illusion that you are almost nude, sends a subtle message to your date that you are both daring and passionate. Pink has the added benefit of being a lucky color for finding a marriage partner.

Whatever you wear, make sure you are comfortable. An outfit that is flattering in its fit, cut and colors will give you tremendous confidence before you even leave your home. That confidence will project itself as a radiating inner light, attracting others -- including that special someone -- to you.

Dress to Enhance Your Chi
If you want to impress your date, you can choose colors that enhance your most positive inner traits or, alternatively, colors that correspond with your sign in the Chinese zodiac. These colors strengthen your chi.

For instance, if you are creatively charged and ready to deliver stimulating conversation -- and looking for someone who can do the same - wear blue, red or purple.

If you wish to showcase your natural compassion, green, blue, black or red will send a message to your date. Black can also indicate wisdom, class and style. (Think of a black tie affair.) However, to avoid depressing black chi that could overwhelm the otherwise happy occasion, dress up the outfit with colorful accessories, such as a red evening bag.

By strengthening your chi for a special occasion like a first date, you increase your own confidence. The right colors also change the way people perceive you and affect their chi in a positive manner, as well.

Rainbow Colors to Connect
Most people respond to rainbow colors. Salespeople often wear this color in order to appeal to a broad variety of buyers; this technique can work on a date, too. Rainbow colors enhance every type of chi and support the virtues of all five elements.

It takes a certain personality type to pull off a rainbow outfit without looking like a clown. Consider, instead, using rainbow elements on your undergarments or in very small doses, like on a piece of jewelry.

The Five Elemental Colors
Instead of a rainbow, you can employ the five-elemental colors in any order on your outfit to bring good fortune during a first date. Using the five elemental colors in an outfit is a special Feng Shui technique used to increase your fortune during important events.

You can see that Feng Shui can help you dress for a successful first date. With so many different color options that will help you make it a night to remember, you can choose the combination that works best for you.

I'm curious, do you have a favorite first date outfit or color that you really like?

Six Common Ailments and How to Cure Them Using Feng Shui

Have a sore throat? Wearing the color black, especially near or around your throat, or sipping tea with honey from a black cup, may help. That's because a sore throat is believed to be caused by too much fire chi, and black -- the color of water -- will cool the pain. Aqua and green will also soothe a sore throat.

There are very few pains and ailments that can't be alleviated, if not cured, using the powers of Feng Shui and color. You can apply "color cures" -- that is, use colors that correspond with that area of the ba gua -- to heal pain and discomfort.

Because parts of the body also correspond with each of the elements, you can choose colors that will create, enhance or complement these elements.

Here are some common ailments and the colors you should use to feel better. Of course, apply these color cures with common sense and always seek medical attention for persistent or recurring health problems. You can also use colorful, nutritious foods to fight disease and improve your health.

1. Headache - The soothing colors of pink and green will help you fight a headache, as will white and gray, which corresponds with the "helpful people" section of the ba gua.

2. Sore throat - black, aqua, green

3. Flu - Use red to cure the flu, which is a water ailment and red will "boil it out." You can also use blue and green (for hope, life and vitality).

4. Childhood illnesses - Rainbow colors

5. Stomach ache - yellow or red

6. High blood pressure - black, white, light blue or light green to "calm" your nerves. Avoid red, an agitating color. Apply the same colors for heart problems.

Dress Your Children for Success

We recently talked about how the color of your clothes can make you smarter. You can also dress your children in certain colors for greater success.

There's a reason many children's toys and room decor products are in a rainbow of primary colors -- rainbow colors give young children (grades K - 6) all the virtues represented by the five elements, giving them the strong basis for a successful life.

Middle school age children thrive in black and green, which promote wisdom and encourage benevolence, respectively. In high school, students should continue to wear these colors, as well as red to encourage reason, as their reasoning and logic skills continue to develop. If you have an irrational teenager, (and which teen isn't, at times?) light green, light blue, or dark green for benevolence, or a combination of white, black, and green.

Best Colors for Athletes, Scholars and More
If you have a child who has trouble focusing, is hyperactive, or even diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, black and brown will calm the child down, help him focus, and also enhance loyalty. The color yellow for any child will bring out loyalty, honor and honesty.

Here are a few more colors and the traits that they will encourage to balance your child's chi:

Red and green: athletic ability and coordination
White or black: Intelligence
Green or blue: benevolence or liveliness
Black: calmness, focus
Rainbow colors: spirituality

When taking tests, encourage wearing the colors of black or white as this can help with concentration, intelligence, concentration and overall test scores.

12 Colors That Help You To Achieve Your Goals In Life

We know that colors play an important role in Feng Shui. Colors can be used to activate a “missing section” of the bagua in a home or apartment. Colors can be used strategically in your wardrobe for greater fortune, increased wealth, or to enhance your persuasive or sales powers. Painting different rooms of your house in auspicious colors, or using the five-element color cycle, can improve many different areas of your life, and help you attract love, money or success.

But what do specific colors symbolize? Keep in mind that many colors have cultural connotations. For instance, a green hat in China symbolizes marital infidelity. White symbolizes death in China, but U.S.-based brides wear white to symbolize purity. In China, brides consider red to be the most auspicious color.

These guidelines will help you select the best colors to strengthen your chi and achieve your goals in romance, your career, finances, spirituality and more.

Red - The Chinese consider this color one of the most auspicious. Full of fire energy, red is stimulating, powerful and persuasive.

Purple - Purple is as auspicious as red, with the added connotation of money and power.

Yellow - While people in the U.S. often interpret yellow to symbolize cowardice, in Feng Shui yellow or gold is associated with royalty and wisdom. It is not as “high energy” as red, but it represents, tolerance, patience and wisdom -- worthy attributes for leaders.

Green - Like the springtime grass, green represents hope and freshness. A great color for a kitchen or bedroom, it can be both energizing and tranquil, depending on the shade.

Blue - Like green, blue is associated with the element of wood and therefore symbolizes growth and hope. Blue hospital gowns have a calming effect on patients and represent the hope of recovery.

Black - The ultimate in “yin” energy, black creates a sense of depth in mood and perspective. People may don this color for wisdom. Too much yin energy, though, can lead to depression, so people who are naturally “down” should avoid this color.

Gray - The perfect blending of black and white (yin and yang), gray can symbolize the ultimate balance. However, it can also take on characteristics of black and represent hopelessness (as in a gray and dreary day.) Use your instincts when applying this color -- does it feel uplifting and balanced or drab and depressing?

Brown - Symbolizing the depth and roots of wood, brown conveys a sense of permanence and stability. On the other hand, it can also create a heavy, weighed-down feeling. Dark brown can also represent the element of water and take on the yin characteristics of the color black.

Tan - Unlike dark brown, tan is an “earth” color, representing re-birth and possibility growing out of hopelessness.

Orange - Like red and yellow, orange is an auspicious fire color, designed to energize a space.

Pink - A softer shade of red, pink often represents love, joy, and romance. If red is fiery hot passion, pink is pure love and affection.

Peach - An important color in Feng Shui, this blending of pink, red, and orange can be auspicious, as in peach blossom luck. It is a social color, attracting friends and lovers. It is a good color for a single person's bedroom if they hope to attract love. However, peach in a married couple's bedroom could lead to infidelity.

Which colors do you most identify with right now? Which colors are lacking in your life, and would adding them to your home or wardrobe help you achieve your goals?

How The Color Of Your Clothes Can Make You Smarter

To create success in your life and business, you want to play up your strengths. This means selecting a career or business that permits you to do what you love and use your talents. We can also use Feng Shui color cures to play up our strengths (and counteract our weak areas) when we need it most.

In the article “What Feng Shui Element Are You?” we discussed the traits associated with the different elements. Each element also corresponds to a virtue which, in turn, corresponds to a color. If you want to play up a particular virtue, you can wear the color associated with that element. You can further strengthen that virtue in yourself by also wearing the color's complementary colors as accents.

If you have weaknesses, (real or perceived) downplay those weaknesses with colors associated with the opposite strengths. In other words, if you feel less-than-knowledgeable about a specific topic and want to learn more, wear black (the color of wisdom) as you study the topic. This will improve your mental acuity. Black, green or white, (which both complement black) are also good colors for students or anyone who wants to enhance his intelligence.

How to Adjust Your Chi with Colors
You can also wear colors in direct contrast to your personality in order to balance your chi. If you're quiet and withdrawn, go shopping and stock your closet with more cheerful colors -- add a bit of red to your wardrobe in order to add some fire to your personality.

On the other hand, if you come across as overbearing, loud, or a little too full of energy for some people (or in some situations), and you dislike these traits in yourself, wear more muted colors like beige and various pastels.

How Would You Like to Be Viewed Today?
Let's look at some common virtues and the colors that can enhance those traits and balance your chi for greater success. Keep in mind, balancing your chi with these colors also alters your psychological profile -- how others perceive you, as well as how you perceive yourself.

You can also use these virtues to counteract your weaknesses -- for instance, wood (green and blue) corresponds with benevolence or humanity. If you perceive yourself as selfish and wish to be more giving, add these colors to your wardrobe.

Truthfulness, Faith - The virtues of honesty and faith (in yourself, in others, and even in a higher power), are represented by Earth and the colors yellow, orange and brown. Therefore, to alleviate dishonesty, paranoia, or being overly sensitive, wear these colors.

Decorum, Courtesy - These virtues are linked to the element of fire. If you feel you have a tendency to be selfish or insensitive to others and want to change this about yourself, add more red to your wardrobe.

Benevolence, humanity - These desirable traits correspond to the element of wood and the colors green and blue. If you have a tendency to be opportunistic, to anger quickly, or to be inflexible, blue and green will balance your chi. Green and light blue will also ground your thoughts in reality if you tend to be absentminded. Green, being the color of wood, also represents “roots” or grounding, and can help people rest, relax, or even fall asleep. That's why it's a favored color for a bedroom.

Righteousness - White, corresponding to the element of metal, is the color of righteousness. To increase your moral compass, especially when it comes time to make an important decision, wear something white.

Wisdom - Black, associated with water, enhances wisdom or knowledge. You can also combine black with other colors (like green or blue) to alleviate certain problems, like a hot temper or inflexibility such as the example in the picture above of Deepak Chopra in a black shirt and blue jeans. A sense of wisdom, combined with calmness and humanity, will come to the forefront of your personality.

Colors play an important role in our lives and, in the ancient traditions of Feng Shui, in balancing our chi.  

4 Easy Ways to Lose Weight with Feng Shui

The summer is fast approaching and many people want to lose weight to look better in lightweight, revealing summer styles. You can use Feng Shui methods to encourage weight loss, and to raise your own chi as well as the chi in your home, which will give you more energy to exercise and pursue your goals.

Clear the clutter - Nothing weighs people down -- literally and figuratively -- more than clutter in the home. This includes clutter you can't see, in closets, basements, attics or garages. If tackling all the clutter at once is too overwhelming, begin with the kitchen. A clutter-free kitchen will feel fresh and light, encouraging you to want to feel the same way.

Most importantly, rid the kitchen of all those foods you know are no good for you -- sodas, chips, sweets and anything that makes you want to overeat. Then, give the kitchen a thorough cleaning.

Surround Yourself with Healthy Foods - Stock the pantry with bright, colorful foods, that complement each other. If you have any specific health concerns, you may want to eat foods that offer Feng Shui treatments for these problems.

Additionally, keep fresh fruit of a variety of colors in plain sight, where you can grab whenever hunger strikes. You can also keep fresh herbs on the counter in decorative containers. You'll be reminded that you don't need excess amounts of salt and white sugar to make food taste good, and the fresh herbs will be close at hand when you need them for recipes. Fresh herbs like thyme and basil or those found in a curry provide strong, pleasing flavors. To learn more, check out The Best Feng Shui Foods for Your Heart, Lungs and More.

Colors to Curb Your Appetite - The best colors for a kitchen are blue, which curbs the appetite, or fresh white, a color of purity. Avoid green, which stimulates the appetite, and any of the colors that correspond with the fire element, such as red or orange.

Black tablecloths, black place mats or even black plates make food look less appealing, so you'll eat less and lose weight. There's less contrast of a food's bright colors against a black backdrop. Additionally, black dampens your inner chi -- as opposed to bright colors, which make you feel more energized -- so you won't feel like eating as much.

Place your food on smaller plates, too, so your plate will look fuller than usual and you'll trick yourself into thinking you're eating more.

Wear white - Contrary to fashion advisors everywhere, Feng Shui Master Lin Yun recommends that heavy people who want to lose weight dress in all white.

The reasoning is simple: White clothes really do make  people look heavier. This will serve as a reminder of the need to lose weight and inspire people to take the steps to make that happen.

White clothes also force the wearer to slow down with every bite, to avoid spilling or dropping food on their pure white outfit.

An ancient Indian proverb states: “Drink your food, chew your drink.” Literally, it means you should chew your food enough to liquify it, while thoroughly tasting your drink (in the manner of chewing food) before swallowing. In essence, slow down to enjoy the entire dining experience, and use these Feng Shui tips to enhance your weight loss efforts based on a sound diet and daily exercise.

Best Colors For Your Career

Are you following your passion with a career you love? The adage, “Do what you love and the money will follow rings very true.” However, if you are positive you love your career -- whether you are an entrepreneur or working for someone else -- but still haven't achieved the success you would like, you may be dressing for the wrong calling.

In Feng Shui, certain colors fit certain career paths best. If you match your career to the bagua color wheel, where different colors correspond with different elements and sections of a space, you can activate your personal chi for greater career success.

Here are a few examples of common careers and the colors people in these industries should wear to promote success.

Banker/Investor - One key to this job is helping people feel secure when they entrust you with their money. The color blue is comforting and confidence-inspiring. Because the wealth area of the bagua sits between wood and fire (blue/green and red, respectively), pink, red, blue, green and purple are all auspicious accent colors.

College professor - Black or dark brown promote an air of seriousness. Be careful, though, not to stock your wardrobe with entirely drab colors. Brighten your outfit with lively complimentary colors or you may risk depression. Red encourages rationality and lively thinking in your students and is a good counterpart to more somber colors.

Health care worker - Hospitals have it right when they dress doctors and nurses in light shades of blue and green. These colors encourage hopefulness while inspiring confidence. White is also good to encourage -- and exude -- an air of cleanliness, while red accents symbolize a warm heart and good bedside manner.

Real Estate Agent - White will encourage your speaking ability while also letting the home “speak for itself,” creating the proverbial blank slate so you don't distract from the house's interior decorating. Red will bring out rationality in your buyers, while pink will warm up your customers. Also, if you haven't had a chance to meet your prospective buyers or sellers or have a number of appointments scheduled for the day, employing multicolored clothing can help any salesperson achieve their objective and will do the same for real estate professionals.

School teacher - Green, blue and pink inspires confidence and “warms up” students. Red will encourage rational thinking. In contrast to college professors, who want a serious, attentive class, primary school teachers who wear dark, somber colors may find it hard to excite young students about the subject matter.

Therapist/Psychologist - The best colors for this job may depend upon the patients you are meeting that day. White will help you maintain your own peace of mind in the presence of patients who may not be stable. Green will give you energy and enthusiasm. Black can give you an air of seriousness, but be careful -- too much black in your wardrobe will depress your chi, especially after listening to other people's problems all day. Multicolored clothing may work well for mentally unstable patients.

Graphic designers/writers/creative careers - Graphic designers work well when dressed in multi-colored clothing, or outfits of a single primary color -- except black or white, which don't promote creativity. Writers and editors can enhance their personal chi and creativity with multi-colored clothing, as well.

All-black outfits for people in creative professions, including publishing and advertising, may work on deadline weeks or days, when calm attentiveness is required. Red or green are great for brainstorming sessions, as they promote new ideas.

4 Ways To Use Feng Shui to Create the Vacation of Your Dreams

We already discussed how Feng Shui elements affect your commute and, in turn, your career. But what can you do to ensure an auspicious vacation? Play close attention to the Five-Element Creative and Destructive color cycles during every stage of your trip to enjoy free upgrades, discounted meals, and opportunities to make your vacation even more memorable.

Paying attention to Feng Shui details should begin before you even leave home, when you book your hotel and flight and pack clothing for your vacation.

1. The Safest Airplane. Do not select an airline carrier with drab color schemes for the interior of their planes. For better service -- and a safe flight -- pick airlines whose predominant colors are clear and bright: blue, green or red. The Chinese view red as an auspicious color for nearly every occasion. If you have a fear of flying, wearing red will make you feel more empowered and in control of the situation. You may also want to view this video about overcoming worry by consciously changing your thought processes.  For protection while flying, wear black and white or solid black.

2. Pack Your Clothes for Fortune, Discounts and Upgrades. In the book Living Color by Sarah Rossbach and Feng Shui master Lin Yun, one traveler reports receiving free upgrades and other fortunate changes whenever she wears her auspicious green suit, which harmonizes with her chi and her Chinese birth year (the year of the dragon.) For an easy way to dress auspiciously, pack clothes combinations that follow the Five-Element Color Cycles. You can also pick clothing items that balance aspects of your chi. Match all your clothes into outfits when you pack, so you won't have to think about it on vacation.

3. The Best Hotel Room. When you book your hotel room, do what you can to ensure the rooms are laid out using proper Feng Shui. Because hotel rooms are naturally free of clutter, the chi should be able to flow freely. The bed in the room should be in the command position and the rooms should employ the Five-Element Creative or Destructive Color Schemes. Many online travel sites let you take a virtual tour of typical rooms in the hotel. Will you be comfortable there?

You may also bring your own personal touches, such as a small set of wind chimes, personal photos or scented candles to make the room feel more like “home.”

4. Rent a Car that Suits Your Personality. To continue your safe and enjoyable journey when you arrive at your destination, select a rental car in a color that fits your personality and follows the Five-Element Color Cycle. Since your options in rental cars may be limited, remember that you can employ the Creative or Destructive Cycle -- both are positive systems.

You'll want to look at the main colors in the car: the ceiling, the upholstery (seats), and the carpet. If you hope for an action-packed vacation -- and you don't have a fiery personality -- you may select a red car to spice up your trip. On the other hand, if you hope to relax, select a water color car (black or gray), especially if your dominant element at home is fire (red).

Use these tips with every aspect of your vacation and relax as your trip goes your way.

What other tips would you add that could be helpful?

How To Use Feng Shui To Prepare For A Job Interview

Are you looking for a new job? Would you like to know the secrets to set yourself apart from other job candidates during the interview? If you follow some of the basic tenets of Feng Shui, you can give yourself an advantage during your next job interview.

Choose the Right Colors
The colors you wear can impact the success of your interview, and green or blue are viewed most favorably by potential employers. These colors represent growth, potential and possibilities.  

Avoid wearing all black or all white as these colors can represent limited hope or possibilities. Try to avoid wearing bright red or other aggressive colors that may signal argumentativeness or hint that you may cause difficulties in a place of business.  

Before the Interview

Arrive early and spend a few minutes outside the building centering yourself in silence. Collect your thoughts and just pay attention to your breath. This moment of silence will allow you to be more grounded within the interview process and more present in the moment, able to answer questions more easily. Take nine deep breaths prior to the interview where you can visualize breathing in white light, natural light, sun light that burns up all of your negative thoughts, feelings and emotions then converts into black smoke that you release upon exhale.


If you have the option, position yourself in the command position during the interview. The command position:
-    Gives you sight of the door, without putting you directly in line with the door;
-    Does not put your back to the door;
-    Is not directly behind the door.  

Sitting in the command position puts you in a more secure and stable state, so you’ll feel more in control during the interview process and be able to answer more clearly.

During the Interview

During the interview process, consider the energy you’re sending out to your employer carefully. Think about expanding your aura into the room to bring calmness, confidence and sincerity to the space. This helps all those around you. Those interviewing you will sense a well-grounded, positive energy emanating from you.

Pay attention to your body language. Be aware of what you’re feeling inside, as you may be communicating your emotions on the outside, as well. Many people, when they get nervous, make a washing machine – side-to-side – motion or fidget and move around in their chair. These movements convey nervous energy and a lack of confidence.

Attempt to mimic, at times, the body language of your interviewer. Anthony Robbins refers to this as mirroring others to build rapport and likeability. 


Post-Interview Follow-up

After you have completed the interview, keep the chi of moving water, which represents prosperity, flowing for you by sending a note or email to those who interviewed you. Thank them for their time and add any other information that may be relevant to the conversation. In these times of e-mail communications, a handwritten message on professional-looking stationery or a note card will stand out.

Of course, always take the basic steps of preparing for a job interview. Practice the answers to common questions in the mirror and learn about the company where you applied for a job. If you are well-prepared for an interview and well-qualified for the position, following these Feng Shui tips before, during and after the interview process will give you the advantage over other candidates.