fl ow was on, creating nice, organized, harmonious ripples. I was at peace and ready for a new professional perspective. About a week later, a new creative director was appointed in the creative department. My new boss. I already knew him and got along very well with him. Together it was like a ball game of ideas and creativity. We inspired each other and I was happy he was my boss so I could learn from him. T e fountain had done its job. He will give me the chance to grow. Feng Shui works. I kept the fountain clean all the time, changing the water once a week, contemplating the ripples… What happened a few days later was totally unexpected. I had spent an overnight in the offi ce working on a campaign to be presented to the client the next morning. During the night, while designing layouts, I suddenly found a new concept that also answered the brief and was very innovative as well. So I stayed all night to have all options ready by 8:30am. I tried to call my CD (Creative Director) to tell him about the changes, but his phone was off . So I printed it all, and organized them on the huge central table so we could see the whole campaign. What happened next felt like a bucket of frozen water on my head, a slap in the face. It happened very fast. My CD stepped into my offi ce suddenly and violently, shouting very high. How did I “dare” change the concept? Who gave me the right to create another option? I was asked to produce what he had created the night before... How? Dare? Print... T en I went totally deaf. I was so shocked that I didn’t want to answer. Nobody breathed. Total silence in the creative department. Like a robot, I switched my power off . I sat back on my desk. Emptied my mind, took a deep breath, and printed the layouts he wanted. Cut. Spray Mount. Stick. Cardboard. Paste. Cover. Logo. I prepared the presentation very professionally. Back to my desk. I tidied everything. Shut down my station. Fixed my handbag and left. Not one tear. Like a rock. I knew that this incident cannot be fi xed. I knew I was resigning. I went back home still shocked. I fi xed myself a nice
cup of Turkish coff ee. And while sipping it, I started contemplating my beautiful fountain. T e base was being splashed with drops of water. So I got a kitchen towel, and started drying the pot by rotating it. Big surprise. It couldn’t be! I thought I was hallucinating... Unbelievable... T e base pot was all cracked from top to bottom... what a bad omen! T at justifi ed the offi ce issue! T e base of my job... Cracked... Broken base... Impossible! T is cannot be a coincidence! It was clearly a sign... But meaning what? It worked! It was an interaction! T at feng shui thing worked! Oh. My. God. T is Lillian Too is not just marketing an illusion... But now what? Do I change my fountain? Do I change my job? Unemployment meant leaving Dubai. I put my emotions aside and focused on my fountain. I liked my fountain. I didn’t really want to change it. So why don’t I just replace the base! About one hour later, a brand new solid base was supporting my fountain. Lillian said to throw away anything broken or out of order.
62 FENGSHUIWORLD | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011
I put all my emotions together and made up my mind.
A few hours later, my resignation letter was written. It wasn’t easy to leave a network after 8 years. Tears were dropping. My heart was hurting. But things were irreversible. It was obvious that my CD would not let me evolve. T e glass was broken. I saved the document and shut the computer down. T e sun was still shining when the phone rang. A friend in the same fi eld. He spoke so fast that I didn’t absorb his words. He quit his job to get a much better position. His new job was to set-up and manage a new team and build a winning agency. He was off ering me a great position with a great salary. Plus medical insurance. Plus 2 tickets (in business class) per year. Plus... Plus... no time to think. I immediately accepted the off er. A new job, new challenges. He didn’t know I had quit that day, and I didn’t have the chance to tell him. Half an hour later, he emailed me the written contract. I printed 2 copies. Date, signature. Doorbell. Driver to pick-up the signed contract. I had just got a new job before quitting the old one! Not only was it an off er you couldn’t refuse, but also an off er without demand. I felt so lucky, and grateful. My fountain was still generating action. I loved it! My fountain was still the same; it kept me in the same fi eld, same bowl, but new solid ground. I kept this story to myself. I already had a light-headed reputation. Nobody would believe me anyway… It took me about 2 years to activate the 8 directions.
But I still didn’t know how. Why? No answers. In 2003, I yahoo’d Lillian Too, was shocked to fi nd her, her website, her magazines, her Courses… I fl ew to KL 3 weeks later to understand the secrets. When I returned, my father asked me if I could practice it and make money. I said “Maybe, I don’t know yet.” But between all of us, frankly, why would I consult for people to make them rich if I can make myself and my circle rich and safe, chilling out with friends, without pressure and commitment? T is thought developed over time and it has changed my perspective about life.
After spending thousands of American Dollars at the shrink, I am convinced now that searching for stability is just an illusion. T ere is no such thing as “stability”. Even if you have a job with a contract, even if you are settled with you partner, married, there is no stability. Life is in constant change. We have to accept it and enjoy it. Like yin and yang. Constant change. My fi rst interaction with feng shui was a major success.
Which by the way is exactly why I recommend and insist on DIY Feng Shui. Our intentions are eff ective, powerful. Some may say it is coincidence or psychological, but I know we have the power to make things happen. With some help from feng shui.
Marie-Lise Chabtini describes herself as a “well-being solutions hunter”. She believes in Do-It-Yourself feng shui and uses her skill not to make the rich richer, but to help the poor and unlucky to enhance their luck. Email:
mlise@fengshui-diy.com Website:
www.fengshui-diy.com
www.fswmag.com
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