Is being “rich and famous” on your list of life goals? Or maybe you'd rather have wealth without the recognition. That's okay, too. But it could still pay off to use Feng Shui in the fame and recognition trigram of your home.

What Fame Means

When we think of “fame and recognition” not as celebrity, but as being acknowledged for what you do well, we can see that it may help you achieve your goals. Earning recognition could mean:

- Promotions at work, which could lead to a more fulfilling career and more money
- Kind words from people you care about
- More customers generated by word-of-mouth if you are a business owner

How to Use the Feng Shui Ba Gua to Achieve “Fame and Recognition”

When you use the Feng Shui ba gua on your home or apartment's layout, the fame and recognition corner is in the back center of the room. Here are some Feng Shui changes you can make to that area:

- Use an anchoring object in this trigram of the ba gua. Anchoring objects can include awards and honors you've earned, or photos of your favorite celebrities or successful people in your field of work.

- Activate the chi in the fame and recognition trigram with the color red. One Feng Shui client I consulted with added red curtains to her living room, located in the fame and recognition trigram of the ba gua, and has been getting more attention from family and friends.

- The fame trigram of the ba gua corresponds with the element of fire, so the stove (wherever it is located) also relates to your success in this area of life. Feng Shui your stove by making sure it is clean and in working order. Use all the burners regularly.

Black Sect Feng Shui relies heavily on intuition and, to a large degree, knowing yourself, your goals, and what works for you. It is about finding the remedies that not only work best for your current goals and situation but also what may work best for you and your family in your home or apartment. 

If you make an effort to live in the moment, listen to your inner voice, and follow these three tips, you'll experience even greater success from Feng Shui.

1. Choose from multiple Feng Shui remedies. For most issues created by negative or stagnant chi or other bad Feng Shui, there are multiple solutions. This gives you a lot of flexibility to select the remedy that works for you. Sometimes, it may mean moving or re-purposing furniture to improve the flow of chi. In other cases, the use of color can improve the Feng Shui of a space.

Feng Shui consultants typically recommend one of nine different remedies to help align your living environment with your life goals and purpose.

2. Trust your intuition. As you implement Feng Shui remedies, trust your intuition that you will select the right one. What feels right and what appeals most to you?

3. Ask yourself: Does it work for me? Once you decide on the Feng Shui action to take in your home or apartment, give it a chance to alter the chi of the space. Evaluate it to decide if it's working for you. Does it fit with your lifestyle, your personality and your home's decor? Is it accomplishing what you hoped it would? Again, trust your intuition in this process.

Feng Shui has been proven, after centuries of use, to work whether you truly believe in the principles or if you're just at your wit's end and willing to try anything. The flow of energy is always a factor in our lives, whether we acknowledge it or not. But when you truly place your intention and belief -- as well as positive action -- behind a Feng Shui remedy, you will be truly amazed at the immediate results.

You can learn more about the nine basic Feng Shui remedies in a special FREE REPORT when you purchase my eBook Feng Shui Secrets: What Everyone Should Know About How to Be Successful with Feng Shui. Click here to get started today!

I can't think of anything that's better Feng Shui for a yard (or even a New York rooftop or a windowbox) than a Feng Shui garden.

Our homes and apartments reveal secrets about our life that we may be too busy to recognize on a daily basis. That's why it's good to remain in the moment and focused on the immediate task when you clean your house or apartment. During these times, we are most likely to hear the “stories” our homes are telling us. In many cases, these are also the stories we tell ourselves about our past, our present, our capabilities and our future.

Creating stories about our life isn't a bad thing -- unless we find those stories holding us back.

Do any of these excuses sound familiar?

- I'm just not good at that. It's not my strength and never has been.
- My parents never taught me how to ...
- I'm too old/young/busy to learn how to do that.

These excuses all stem from the stories we've made up about our experiences and the labels we've placed on ourselves.

Make this spring the time to shed those old beliefs about yourself that are holding you back. I offer more tips on how to listen to the stories your home or apartment tells, and take the steps to create new, more desirable stories about your life, stories that really serve the person you are today and how you envision yourself in the future, in this month's issue of OMTimes magazine.

Check out my OMTimes column and for even more in-depth knowledge about understanding the stories your home is telling you, that is where my ebook comes in...

In it, I'll teach you how to understand your space and what it is telling you. In other words, it's a complete system. You'll learn everything you need to know to start to Feng Shui your space IMMEDIATELY.

All the details are here... check it out: Feng Shui Secrets Risk-Free Trial.

Often, my clients who have recently had Feng Shui consultations say they want to go out and accomplish everything right away. They have this tremendous burst of energy and initiative that comes from having a definite action plan and someone on their side to offer guidance and support.

But it's important to remember that changes in your space, just as in your life, can take place in small steps and be just as effective. The important thing is to take the first step.

There's one thing you can do today to get yourself started on the path that you want to live. Take a look around your home or apartment and ask yourself, “Am I living in the space for the person I want to be?”

Is your home or apartment organized to put the focus on the areas of life most important to you? Do the things in your home make you happy and reflect the personality you want to project to the outside world? Or is there incongruity between your home or apartment and the person you really want to be?

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

- Do I surround myself with things I truly love? Or do I have objects in my home I wouldn't want people to see, either because they are broken, worn out, or just ugly (in my opinion)?

- Are areas of my home in disrepair? Can I make some easy fixes to make the space more presentable?

- Can my home be “company-ready” in about 20 minutes?

- Is my home laid out to encourage me to do the things I enjoy most?

- Do I have reminders of my goals around my home that help me keep my focus on what's most important in my life?  

If you want more wealth, success, and recognition in your life, it may be time to upgrade your surroundings. These changes don't have to cost a lot; just make sure to surround yourself with items that reflect the person you want to be... even if you're not quite there yet.

If you want to know how to take the first step, then I have a hint for you...

Go get my ebook "Feng Shui Secrets" which you can download and be reading in just a few minutes...

It's time for you to stop sitting on the sidelines admiring what life could be like and start living your true life. I'll show you how.

Go here for for all the details: Feng Shui Secrets Risk Free Trial

It's winter and, for many people that means snow. For parents, this also means snow boots, hats, scarves, mittens, coats and an endless trail of snowy footprints in and out the doorway.

Are there so many coats hanging in your entryway you can't even think about Feng Shui because the space looks more like a yard sale than an entrance?

Remember, a good Feng Shui door should open a full 90 degrees. Hanging coats behind the door (either on the wall or on the door itself) may seem like a space-saving solution, but it can block opportunities and positive energy from flowing into your life.

In the spring, when it's just a jacket or two, those coat hooks may not block the door from opening. But in the winter, clothing tends to pile up. And so many people already feel stuck in the winter, you don't want to add to those feelings with bad Feng Shui in the entry, right?

Save Time with an Organized Entry

There are other solutions to the age-old “coats piled near the door” problem. Consider a coat rack that you can place in a corner of the entrance where it will be out of the way of foot traffic. Make sure it's large enough to hold everyone's coats, and that it's sturdy enough that it won't tip over.

A shoe rack or even a shoe tray can hold boots, and catch all the dirt and snow so you don't have to constantly wash the foyer floor, too. This will save time and help you stay more organized.

Consider a small shelf with cubby holes for mittens, hats and scarves, or hooks hanging from the wall next to the door, rather than behind it.

Feng Shui is Practical, Too

Feng Shui in the entrance is not about hanging wind chimes or painting your door a specific color. The changes that help the flow of chi through our space also helps create more positive energy in our life in a very practical sense.

Think about it: You'll experience a much less stressful morning when the kids can find all their clothing easily and get themselves ready for the cold and out the door in minutes. That simple step sets the tone for a much more successful and fulfilling day.

What practical Feng Shui changes can you make in your home or apartment to simplify your life, save time and reduce stress?

You may have already begun to use Feng Shui principles around your home, helping the chi flow more smoothly and getting rid of objects in your life that no longer serve you, serve a purpose, or bring you joy when you look at them.

Make 2011 the year you Feng Shui your relationships, too, getting rid of individuals who are “energy vampires,” draining you of your time and your positive emotions. This is often more difficult than getting rid of objects -- you can't just have a garage sale or pack a box to drop at the goodwill store.

One way you can slowly sift out those people in your life who drain your energy, though, is to remain upbeat yourself. That doesn't mean you have to seem insensitive when friends and family come to you with their problems. It simply means listening with emotional detachment. Sometimes, people need advice, and sometimes they just need the proverbial shoulder to cry on. By ascertaining which they need, you can provide it without letting it weigh you down.

When you're done associating with these people for the day or for the hour, consciously do something that makes you feel good: Put on upbeat music, whistle a tune, meditating, or read an uplifting passage in a book.

If you've been using Feng Shui principles in your home, you no longer tolerate letting your surroundings bring you down. Don't tolerate it from the people in your life, either.

Attract Positive People in 2011

You can also take steps to attract positive people into your life by becoming more of the type of person you want to attract. Want to attract ambitious, successful people? Go after your goals with new-found enthusiasm and you'll see these type of people drawn to you.

Looking for love in 2011? Live each day with a spirit of love, caring and giving, and the same will be returned to you.

Using the Feng Shui Ba Gua to Attract Positive People

You can also raise the chi in the helpful people trigram of the Ba Gua or in the Fame and Reputation trigram in order to attract more of the type of people you want in your life. Use objects, such as photos people you want in your life, or raise the chi with living plants or metal objects. A picture of a mentor in a metal frame would be the perfect environmental anchor for this space.  

The helpful people trigram is situated in the right front corner of your home, apartment or a room, when you are standing at the front of the room looking in.

The fame and reputation trigram, which can also help you attract the right people into your life, is located in the back one-third of your home, in the center. The element that corresponds to this tri gram is fire, and the color is red. Use red accents (since red in abundance can be an overpowering color), or candles or a fireplace in this section of a room to raise the chi of the space.

Remember, the stove in your kitchen directly relates to your career, fame and recognition, so keep the stove clean for greater success in this area. Even consider a dinner party with friends and associates who are a positive influence in your life.

Note: This series explores the 9 basic Feng Shui cures.

Moving objects -- wind-powered or electrical -- can activate positive chi and also block the effects of killing chi.

What is Killing Chi?
Killing chi, or Sha, is chi that carries with it misfortune. It comes from architectural features like the corner of another building pointed directly at your home or apartment, the corner of a square post pointing at your front door, or from buildings with negative connotations and energy, such as funeral homes.

If your neighbor has a steeply slanted roof and the eave points directly at your home, this carries sha. Likewise with the end of a road at a t-intersection, or the end of a dead end. People who live in these houses often have misfortune.

Mobiles, Windmills, Whirligigs and Weather Vanes to Disperse Negative Chi
A weather vane pointed at the source of the sha will deflect the negative chi. Windmills will help disperse rushing chi -- positive or negative.

Indoors, mobiles can be used (in the same way as wind chimes) to disperse rushing chi down a long hallway or at the bottom of a staircase.

Moving Water Features
There's something relaxing yet revitalizing about a water fountain, geyser or waterfall. These features on a property or within a home activate positive chi and can attract financial wealth to a home's inhabitants.

In Feng Shui, several rounded driveway shapes are considered to attract good luck and positive chi. These shapes include:

- semi-circular
- circular
- circular with a center island of grass or flowers
- circular with a square center

Some straight or rectangular shapes may carry misfortune.

For instance:

- A driveway that narrows toward the road may limit career or business opportunities.
Cure: Place a lamppost at the foot of the driveway to illuminate the front door or the top of the house.

- Steep slope, narrowing toward the foot of the driveway can also limit opportunities.
Cure: Two brick posts that flank the driveway's entrance will re-circulate chi and increase opportunities.

- A driveway that slopes down toward the house can cause problems with money, relationships, health or your career.
Cure: Created terraces of pavement along the driveway to soften the flow of chi as it rushes toward the house or aim a spotlight at the top of the roof.

- A driveway or walkway that is narrower than the front door stifles chi.
Cure: Make the walkway or driveway wider than the front door, since a wide front door is good for prosperity.

Many aspects of a person's home or apartment reflect their attitudes about money. Even how clean we keep our home reflects our ability to care for our finances. Just as Feng Shui, when practiced with intention, can help us make positive changes in our life, it can also give us insight into our current attitudes and challenges -- the things that may be blocking us from living a life of greater fulfillment.

Let's consider three factors in Feng Shui and how they reflect our attitudes on money. We'll also explore positive changes you can make to get unstuck and begin achieving your financial goals.

1. Is your home clean and organized?

If people enter the home to see it is clean, well-kept and organized, chances are good the person's finances and budget are in the same shape. On the other hand, if the home is in disrepair, the residents in the space may wait until things get bad to start worrying about a lack of money -- they may have unpaid bills or make late payments regularly.

It doesn't cost a lot to get organized. Once you have found a place for everything in your home and apartment, put things back when you're done using them. If you do this mindfully, it will soon become a habit and you'll live in order instead of disarray. You may decide you enjoy your new organized lifestyle and take steps to organize your finances, too.

Consider putting a fresh coat of light, bright paint on the walls in your foyer or entrance. This is an inexpensive way to brighten a space and welcome new opportunities into your life.

2. Do you use your dining room or kitchen table for eating?

In Feng Shui, our food and our kitchen also represent our income and wealth. Welcome a bountiful feast into your life at every meal time by keeping your kitchen or dining room table clear of papers, books, and other clutter.

When a person has a dining room table full of papers and doesn't use the table for family meal time, they may not be dealing with financial issues. Instead, they let bills and issues “pile up,” literally and figuratively, until they risk ruining their credit rating or losing their home. Create a system to file papers and keep them neatly organized where you can reach them if needed but they are not always right in front of you, causing you stress.

3. What's in the wealth and prosperity corner of your home?

Take a look at the area of your home that represents wealth and prosperity, according to the ba gua. What's located there? If you store exercise equipment in that corner, you may think of making money as hard work or a “workout.”

It's best to keep a water element such as a fountain or fish tank, in that corner -- or even a picture representing water. You may also put things in that corner that make you feel wealthy, such as a jar of money that you add to with your pocket change each evening.