Browse published articles attributed to Pat Heydlauff, with full-archive search.
Feng Shui is often defined as a Chinese art or a system of natural laws to govern the spatial arrangement, orientation and placement of a building, home, furniture or a grave so that maximum harmony is achieved between the flow of energy of the environment and that of the user. It is believed to bring good fortune and prosperity to those who use its principles.
Feng Shui does not have to be a mystery or confusing and complicated. It is all about the flow energy or the flow of focus in your life. It is not a religious philosophy or a magic potion. It’s about the same energy described in Einstein’s formula E=mc².
Are there rooms in your home you absolutely hate to go into? Do you always wince when you open the door to your office? When you are in your family room do you want to say “go away, leave me alone”. Does one room in your house make you feel too relaxed and another make you feel jittery? It’s all about color. Color plays a huge role in your life. It can make you happy, it can make you sad, it can make you feel angry, even depressed. Just look outside your window and you will
Has personal responsibility for self and taking control of your life taken a backseat to victimhood and blaming others? Feng Shui is all about taking responsibility for self and creating the life you want, not the life others think you should live or tell you to think. Feng Shui principles are about creating balance and harmony in your life and surroundings so they can support you in accomplishing your objectives and dreams. Feng Shui provides the focus necessary to help you stop complaining and deal with an issue so you can change the results and achieve your objectives.
Harmony, personality and practicality seem to be the underlying trends at the January 2016 Atlanta Gift Market where Pantone introduced their colors of the year: rose quartz and serenity blue (a light periwinkle). Think soft soft soft pastel shades of these two peaceful colors. They refer to these colors as cool and tranquil, transporting the homeowner into a sunnier more tranquil space.
Are rest, relaxation and regeneration at the top of your list now that summer is here? Summer brings with it patio living, picnicking, barbecuing and lots of outdoor activities that can be both restful and relaxing or physically taxing and exhausting. Do you even have a list of relaxing things to do just for you?
Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” One could look at this statement and think that those 10,000 ideas were a waste of time and money or one could look more closely and realize that out of those 10,000 came not only the light bulb but the phonograph, film projectors, motion pictures, the quadruplex telegraph; a total of 1093 patents. Just to make the light bulb consumer-friendly and useable for electric distributio Edison
Increase in your personal energy and uplift your spirits by acknowledging or giving thanks for something or someone good in your life. Gratitude for even the smallest of things sets a positive mood for your entire day. When you regularly express thankfulness or appreciation, you are surrounding yourself with positive energy on the outside along with great positive thinking on the inside. Gratitude equals positive energy, a better tomorrow for you and a richer fuller life.
The new normal, if there is such a thing, is all about the workforce, the client and the consumer – they want to know you have their best interests at heart. They are bombarded daily with an information tsunami via electronic communications but the one thing they lack: personal connections. It can be argued that they are always connected but the reality is they are constantly in contact but never connected. And, even their contacts are seldom long term. So for them the new n
Public Enemy No. 1 for leadership and management is distracted focus. It leads to lack of clarity and reduces personal and workforce engagement, productivity and performance. Change the focus dynamic in your life and you will improve your personal performance, engage your team and improve long term success. Unclear goals and distracted focus slow your productivity and limit profitability. You can eliminate distracted focus and harness it to maximize productivity by first ackn
People have a tendency to segregate their lives: home vs. office, personal vs. professional and physical vs. spiritual. However, when you observe closely you will find that there is no separation to the movement of energy as it flows from one location, duty or emotional need to the next.
Leadership was on display as the audience hung on every word uttered two weeks ago in Ft. Lauderdale, FL by Bob Danzig, former nationwide head of the Hearst Newspaper Group and vice president of the Hearst Corporation. For 20 years this industry giant was the epitome of what leadership should be in the 21st century. He used engagement techniques and conversational communication skills long before they ever had a name. Danzig’s leadership philosophy was summed up in eight simp
Research shows that a three second distraction doubles errors and a four-and-a-half second interruption triples errors. Are numerous daily distractions wreaking havoc on your productivity and efficiency? When was the last time you placed a “do not disturb” sign on your door? If the answer is never, today is a good day to start. Research by both Michigan State University and the Navy has determined that errors are made immediately after interruptions even if the interruption
Many people have a tendency to attract exactly what they don’t want in life but often what they need most in order to learn necessary lessons which, if acted upon will lead to self-empowerment, self-improvement and a balanced prosperous life. This is the “law of attraction” put forth in the popular book The Secret by Rhonda By e. In other words, what you focus on is what you get. Life Echoes Back What You Transmit.
With 105 million strong in the US, the Millennial generation is now larger than the number of Baby Boomers and Generation X combined. Their presence is felt in the workplace and is creating great diversity in age, work ethic, interpersonal social and communication skills. Instead of silver spoons in their hands, they were born with computers in their laps and cell phones and iPods attached to their ears. They are the first totally digitized generation and are truly hooked on
Are you preparing your home for the arrival of a new season filled with hope and prosperity or to sell your home? It doesn’t matter which you want to accomplish, the preparation process for either also leads to helping you maintain or further develop a positive outlook on life.
Students often ask, “how can I improve my concentration, my mind just seems to wander when it comes to details or finishing a project?” Others say, “I can concentrate reasonably well but I am always in a rush to get the job done; how can I be more productive with the time I have? Will Feng Shui help?”
Fall is often thought of as a time for cleaning and uncluttering, only on a much smaller scale than spring when our houses usually go through a complete metamorphosis from winter to summer. That makes fall the perfect time to do internal fall cleaning, not your home and the things you’ve surrounded yourself with but your thoughts, pre-conceived notions and the walls we psychologically build around ourselves.
With the holiday season rushing toward you at warp speed and Thanksgiving just days away, are you already thinking, “How am I going to get everything done this year with less time and less money?” Are you so worried about all the details and how to pay for it that you will never get anything done but worry? Use Feng Shui principles and positive energy to remove the hassle from the holidays and help you reset, renew and remember so your holiday season is filled with more joy and peace. Hassles can pop up from nowhere during this busy season.
What should you do when nothing seems to be going your way? How can you get past those endless times of nagging doubt that just keep lingering in the back of your mind? Where do you turn when you run into a “brick wall?” These are all questions I’ve faced and get asked often when speaking to ...
"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure," said Peter Marshall, former pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, who also twice served as Chaplain of the United States Senate.
Do you ever daydream about how great it would feel if, for just one day everything in your life was great – no financial bad news, no weather disasters, no unexpected illnesses, and no new repair problems on computers, cars or your home. In addition, a time when all your important relationships stay united and loyal?
Stress often comes from being overwhelmed by just looking at or listening to all the clutter and chaos in your surroundings.
When it comes to the holidays, you get what you attract. If you are attracting chaos, exhaustion and turmoil, you will get chaos, exhaustion and turmoil. If you’ve set your intentions for experiencing holiday joy, calm amid the chaos and quiet enjoyment then you will reap those rewards and receive holiday joy, calm and quiet enjoyment.
There are many ways for a leader to train and develop a workforce: teaching, coaching, encouraging and nurturing. However the one form that speaks loudest and is rarely considered a strategy are a leader’s actions. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the actions of a leader are worth significantly more. Leaders are under constant scrutiny from their workforce. They are watched to see how they perform, how they act on a normal busy day and how they react during a cri
Is there a connection between feeling anxious and discouraged or being overweight and unproductive? Is there a common link that relates to all of these that is preventing you from enjoying a more peaceful life? The answer is yes and can be as simple as one word clutter! Yes, clutter – it is a personal energy drainer! When your own surroundings are clutter-free you experience less stress which eliminates depressed and discouraged feelings; you prevent overeating and weight gain which in turn leads to a happier, healthier more productive and peaceful you.
Communication that successfully engages and focuses the workforce means getting off your soapbox so you are accessible. This means interaction and conversation – not unapproachable dissertation. Nineteenth century communication methods such as lecturing, impersonal written missives and top down delivered information result in workforces disengaging, productivity dropping, reduced performance and limited profitability. Engaging everyone at all levels of the business through c
“The best places to work are those that foster an inclusive culture – one where differences are celebrated and our people can be themselves and feel at home.” This was recently tweeted by Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, which comprises more tha 400 companies. Branson passionately believes in balance and equality in the workplace because he knows it drives better business performance. At Virgin, they recognize that a culture that brings together a group of peopl
The power of peak performance lies within. It is all about knowing who you are, what you want to accomplish and a plan for how to accomplish it. Peak performance's simple definition is "doing ones best at achieving one's goals or objectives." Peak performance is often linked to physical activity and sports such as football, baseball, tennis, golf, basketball, swimming, etc. However, when you apply specific peak performance enhancing tools to your workplace performance goals,
While most leaders are measured on the basis of business results, organizations must begin holding leaders accountable for building a strong and enduring culture, listening to feedback, and engaging and retaining their teams, according to a new study just released Global Human Capital Trends 2015 by Deloitte University Press. They went on to state, “Our research indicates that the transformation of the aging performance management process is long overdue.” It has been known
Are you hoping for good or improved health in 2011; a more financially stable year or better relationships with friends and loved ones? In Feng Shui, good wishes for the New Year include all of these under the banner of prosperity and abundance including an overflowing cup of joy and peace within.
Walt Disney knew exactly what soul was in his organization. It was the feeling of happiness and the joy of the Disney magic whether created in movies, theme parks, customer service or products. Those feelings were at the core existence or soul of the organization. Everything Disney does is designed to provide joy in the hearts and souls of everyone who shares the Disney experience. A soulless corporation was defined by Roland Marchand in his book, Creating the Corporate Soul
Engaging employees requires more than directing them in what to do; they also need to receive credit for their accomplishments. Such recognition helps to improve the employee experience according to Ventana Research: Five Reasons to Use Social Recognition in Business, 2014. The research states that recognition of employees has many more benefits than simply motivation. The recognition contributed to creating a positive employee culture where they feel: • Encouraged to perfo
Are you contemplating or in various stages of remodeling, restoring or refurbishing your home? Would you like to remodel but find just the thought of it is overwhelming? Are there specific things you wish to accomplish besides laying new flooring and new counter tops such as creating a balanced flow of positive energy throughout so no room collects stagnant energy?
Do Fine Art, Feng Shui and Good Fortune have anything in common besides the letter F? Absolutely, they are all about creating energy in your surroundings; energy that can make you happy or sad, be uplifting or depressing and be supportive or obstructive.
Whether you are trying to create a peace filled home for you and your family or become the next Monet or Tom Clancy, you need to surround yourself with a great deal of positive creative energy. Self expression requires plenty of desire, focus and supportive energy. Self expression is truly the greatest outlet each of us has for releasing the tensions of the day, stress of the world around us, plus nurtures your heart and soul.
Use Silence as a Leadership Strategy Silence, yes, silence, is a powerful leadership tool. There are many adages about silence such as “he who speaks first loses,” or “silence is golden” which comes from a longer phrase “speech is silver, silence is golden,” placing a much greater value on silence, not just the spoken word. Recent research by New York University’s Ste School of Business Department of Management and Organizational Behavior shows that the workforce is remaining
There is a new breed of leadership surfacing in organizations. According to an article on informationmanagement.com by Stacie Capshaw and Thomas M. Kuolopolous, this new breed, “knowledge leaders” is evolving. It no longer fits into the nice square organizational chart boxes used since the fifteenth century. Citing a multi-client study by the Delphi Group, they indicated that knowledge leaders from diverse organizations exhibited similar qualifications, most notably: • A hy
According to the report, Global Human Capital Trends 2015 by Deloitte University, global organizations today must navigate a “new world of work” – one that requires a dramatic change in strategies for leadership, talent and human resources. The research went on to state that when comparing their results to last year’s, they found that the capability gap in organizational management and the workforce increased in magnitude, suggesting an accelerating economy; and rapid change
Your success or failure is created by what you focus on. What you focused on five years, five months or five days ago is what you have in your life today. What you focus on today is what you will reap in the future. Dementia usually describes deterioration in cognitive abilities that are commonly seen in people who have suffered a head injury or psychiatric illness. Digital Dementia, a term coined in South Korea, is used to describe a deterioration of cognitive abilities resu
The things that lead to stress in your life can be wide ranging and often vary as much as individuals vary. The one stressor that seems to be a common denominator in many lives is clutter and the chaos it causes. Clutter, when it is everywhere in your home or office, prevents the home from ...
Although it was a beautiful sunny spring day outside, there was a dark cloud hanging over atto ey Steve and his office reflected it. Steve was the managing partner of a multiple-city law firm spread across the state. He complained about how unfocused, distracted and disorganized he felt. He was worried that the firm wasn’t going to grow and make money on his watch. Steve was also conce ed that he was not as efficient and productive as he should be which left him feeling ineff
Focus is much like the wind. If harnessed and channeled, the wind can create electricity, expedite the flight of an airplane or the movement of a ship and pump water from a well. You cannot stop the wind, change its intensity or at times destructive forces, but when harnessed, it is useful, productive and generates a limitless supply of focused energy. Like the wind, you cannot stop focus. You, your peers, your workforce and associates are always focusing on something all of
“A paycheck is what an employee lives on. Recognition and appreciation is what they live for,” according to Mac Anderson, the founder of Successories and Simple Truths. Recognition is fast becoming the buzzword of today’s modern workplace. Does your leadership roadmap include scheduled rest stops along the way to express appreciation and recognize accomplishment? According to Aberdeen’s 2013 employee engagement survey, “Sixty-seven percent of ‘Best-in-Class’ organizations ha
Do you face each day with a smile, enthusiasm and a plan? Or, do you plan to just cope with what comes along? Is your objective every morning to survive whatever life throws at you – or do you have a plan to thrive? Or, have you already learned the secret to life – how to create what you want and so you can thrive – not just survive? The one thing you can count on is that if you choose to cope with life as it comes along – that is exactly what will happen. You will cope, make do, survive and endure but is that all life is about – coping, surviving and enduring things that happen.
Experiencing Yanni live in concert is an incredible journey of musical magic through sound, showmanship and his dynamic persona. It is also a masterful journey of visibly obvious leadership. Yanni is not only a genius composer but is also an engaging, enabling and empowering leader. Usually leadership is recognized as a necessity in the corporate world and politics – not music. But Yanni not only brings the music he hears in his head to life but empowers each of the musician
Engagement is all about focusing the power of leadership and the workforce on the productivity and profitability of your organization. This holds true for profit centered organizations and non-profit membership driven associations. An engaged focused workforce is key to a successful business roadmap for sustainable productivity and profitability. There is a next generation for creating the engaged workforce. Call it Engagement 3.0 or Harness the Energy, the engaged workforce
With so many people unemployed, the stock market still significantly down from record highs in 2008 and economists arguing about whether the recession is over or is going to get worse, it’s a wonder if anyone has a bright outlook on the future. Everyone has been touched by this economic downturn.
According to Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, “Great leaders are great communicators. It’s not a matter of memorizing and repeating the right words, but of developing the ability to speak directly to other people’s spirits.” He believes that money does not go to businesses with the best products or services but rather it flows to ones with the best leaders. He went on to say, “When I find a business that is struggling financially, it is often because the leader
Does life feel difficult? Are you feeling less productive than usual? Do you wish you could increase your prosperity and wealth? The solution is found in the lifestyle principles of Feng Shui. Its principles are neither a bandage nor quick fix but rather a basic system of order that creates a flow of natural energy throughout your surroundings and within your body. Much like your body needs water, nourishment and exercise to function properly; your surroundings also require attention so that you may prosper, be more productive and create a better tomorrow.