Two years ago, I attended a day long seminar for women entrepreneurs with my sister and fellow podchick, Monica. One of the featured presenters spoke to the audience about defining the “why” in our business and life and how that is what really attracts the customers and clients, instead of the “how” and the “what” of a business.
Of course, I resonated with the message and it made perfect sense to me. If I want to attract the right client for my company, I must be clear and define “why” I do what I do, what I believe, my passion, my mission and vision of my company. When that is clear and defined, then the clients who relate to those same beliefs and passions will then connect with me and my company.
I took that information, re-examined my entire marketing plan and revamped how I communicated the message about me and my business. I also found a common thread with the new social media platforms that were coming along and found the key ingredient in both is ” building relationships”
Fast forward to June 5, 2009, when my same sister sent me an email about a wonderful opportunity she discovered regarding a great winery in Sonoma County, called Murphy-Goode and how they were looking for a “Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent”. Someone who knows how to use Web 2.0, social media and all the latest and greatest tools to communicate the message about Murphy-Goode and the Sonoma County Wine Country lifestyle.
One thing that I didn’t tell my sister was that I already knew about the Murphy-Goode Winery. I visited the winery in 1995, tasted wines, did a tour and shipped home several cases of wine. I even bought a sweatshirt that I still wear, it’s black so if I spill wine, you can’t tell.
When I looked at the home page of the Murphy-Goode Winery and read the first paragraph, I realized, “wow, these guys have defined the “why” of their business, right there on the first page. I thought, “how cool is this” and they want a social media whiz to work for six months as their correspondent, using social media, “which is about building relationships” to move into the new age of communications.
So I thought for a moment and realized “I am just the right person for this position”. I am passionate about wine, food, life and social media. I am a consumate networker, love working with people, have an amazing ability to find the common threads and weave them together to create new relationships and last but not least, have a Murphy-Goode sweatshirt to take with me when I report to work as a member of their new crew, on August 15,2009.
So I have submitted my application and video. Now I am asking everyone I know and even those that I don’t know yet, to go online to www.murphygoodewinery.comand vote for me. My video is one of the new ones listed. It is “Lita A Loesch-Cox from Cottonwood, AZ”. Keep your fingers crossed, see me getting the job and have a glass of Murphy-Goode wine for me as good luck!
Cheers!
EcoLita...who is the Ecodiva
Kung Hay Fat Choy!! Happy New year to everyone!
Feng Shui Predictions for Ji Chou, Year of the Ox.
by EcoLita, who is the Ecodiva!
My how time flies when we’re having fun..or at least I hope you are doing the best you can in an otherwise challenging environment, both from an economic perspective and a global one.
Along with my work as a designer in green, Eco-friendly and sustainable design, I also use and practice the art and science of Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese philosophy that has been in existence for over 3000 years.
While living and working in the Washington DC area, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture at the Smithsonian in 1994 called “Feng Shui Made Easy” by William Spear. Bill became my first teacher in the learning of this powerful science and philosophy based on the five elements of Chinese medicine, Taoist philosopy and the IChing. From there I sought out the best teachers I could find on the planet and have spent the last 15 years, studying, teaching and learning everything I could about how to apply the principles and teachings to help myself and others with creating interior spaces that are auspicious, harmonious and supportive to people and their environments.
There are several schools of Feng Shui that have been translated from ancient Chinese texts into English and about a dozen are being taught in Asia, Europe, US and other parts of the world. Most people who pick up a book on Feng Shui will find themselves learning about the “Black Tantric Buddist Sect” school that was started here in the United States by Professor Lin Yun, called Black Hat school. The schools that I use and give me the most successful results are the, Form School, Flying Star School, Compass School, Xuan Kong Da Gua and the Eight Mansions. I also work with clients on their own personal eastern astrology charts called Four Pillars of Destiny and the 9 Star Ki readings.
Like anything in life, everything is always evolving, transforming and moving, so we must work with the elements of Feng Shui the same way. There are some schools that once they find the auspicious and inauspicious locations, they never make the changes necessary to deal with the constant changing elements that exist all around us. The schools that I listed above address the seasonal affects, monthly, yearly and sometimes daily changes that can have an impact on us. I tell my clients that nothing is ever absolute and just like the “yin/yang”, the goal is to find the balance whenever possible.
So now that we have just changed over to the Year of the Ox, I want to give you some information that may help you with creating a successful, happy and prosperous year. Like everything, we as humans have free will to choose our life path and the decisions we make will determine the outcome.
Feng Shui is about the “Potential” of possibilities, so when it’s all said and done, the ultimate decision to “do or not to do” is all yours.
My predictions are based on the teachings of my very dear Feng Shui Master/Teacher, Peter Leung from Toronto, Canada. I have studied with Peter for many years and he is my favorite and absolutely the most knowledgeable among his peers. He teaches Feng Shui schools that other teachers do not even use. Everything I use in my work, comes from his teachings.
This year, the Ox will be with us from February 4,2009 to February 4, 2010. The yearly hexagram from the IChing associated with this is the 20th hexagram, Xun on top of Kun, ” the wind breezing across the surface of the earth and will affect everything in it’s path. The policy from the top will affect those below. A gentle breeze will be of comfort and a hurricane could be devastating”.
This hexagram indicates a downward trend following extreme prosperity. In 2009, our government officials need to establish trust from the citizens of our country who are struggling ,by being respectful, honest, serious, just and compassionate with the people who elected them. Paying attention to their actions and promises, along with monitoring and assessing their results are of the utmost importance. It is also important for the senior staff members and officials with backgrounds and experience to share their wisdom and knowledge which will be valuable, especially to our new
President, Barrack Obama.
The Guan Gua is about looking into, to show, exhibit and demonstrate with respect and compassion, in order to gain trust. Last year, we lost trust in our government, our financial institutions and in our leaders’ abilities to make decisions that would be for our best interest and welfare of the people.
In 2008, the prediction was about being cautious and not lose ourselves in over indulgence, being addictive to extreme gains financially and not keeping our belief in balance is the best approach. Their was a hidden danger of corruption in business and between government and businesses.
Well, we saw the effects of that unfold with the Bernie Madoff scandal, greed from the sub-prime mortgage loans and lack of accountability from big business and government.
2009 is the year of “change”, with a new President for the United States and a newer generation of world leaders emerging that will have to face and deal with a possible worldwide recession. It will require all the world’s leaders to come together and deal with the crisis we are now experiencing, or we may plunge into a devastating depression worse than the 1930’s. Based on Peter Leung’s predictions of the world wide stock markets, they should reach bottom by September or October of 2009.
Since “Ji Chou” is “yin earth over yin earth”, this will be a good year for infrastructure projects and other social projects that will create jobs for the construction industry and their suppliers. This will also be a good year to invest in agricultural commodities, farm equipment and food commodities.
Financially, 2009 will be good for those people born in year of the Rat, Ox, Snake and Rooster and for those born in Jia or Ji years. This might also be a good year to buy a house. People born in year of the Horse, Sheep, and Dog may have challenges with money loss or moving could be a possibility this year. If your parents are still alive, pay close attention to them.
The Four pillars of Destiny is a form of Chinese astrology that is used in Chinese medicine and is similar to the western astrology charts, but with more depth and detail. When putting these birth charts together, we look at a person’s hour, day, month and year to give us the four columns or what we call the four pillars. Each pillar has one of the 12 Chinese animals associated with it and one of the five elements of either earth, water, wood, fire or metal.
People born during the hours of Rat, Ox, Snake or Rooster will have the strong potential for great success in their careers or studies and there is also the possibility of having a baby. For those individuals born during the hours of Horse, Sheep and Dog, it may be a tough year for career and academic
pursuits, so taking a trip this year if you can is suggested.
Beyond these predictions, there are other areas that we look at that deal with the Flying Star Feng Shui school, specifically addressing a person’s residence and business. Because Feng Shui is about the movement of “chi” or energy, each year we have certain directions that we look at for auspicious or inauspicious energy and how we deal with those areas.
This is specialized for each individuals residence or business. As an example, the southeast sector of your home or business is the most auspicious location for finances in 2009. You can enhance the opportunities and potential with placing a citrine crystal in this location.
As a consultant, I work with corporations, small businesses, and residences to enhance the beneficial areas and reduce the impact of the inauspicious areas, to create that balance and harmony. I am available and happy to consult with anyone who has a desire to tap into the powerful potential and
opportunities that the Art and Science of Feng Shui offers.
You can reach me by email at ecodiva@live.com for questions and inquiries. I hope this information has been insightful, beneficial and I wish you all a most auspicious and joyous 2009…this will be a great year!
Tonight, no matter where you are on the planet, you are being asked to turn your lights out, turn off the TV, the computer, the gas grill, sit in the dark and contemplate all the good stuff you are doing for one hour to help the planet…and the point is???
I will admit that I am a huge advocate and supporter of any idea, cause, purpose or activity that will positively affect our own Mother Earth, GAIA as she would like to be called. However, this activity tonight has me wondering if we, humans have lost our minds. Do we believe for one moment that turning off all electrical devices, with the exception of battery powered vibrators is going to make a long term, lasting impact on our planet?
I personally do not believe it is going to do a darn thing except keep us in the dark for an hour, increase the population of the planet in 9 months, burn some of the ugly candles laying around the house and put a huge surge on the power grid when we all turn our stuff back on at 9:30pm.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for doing what it takes to bring awareness to the masses that we are trashing our planet at an astounding rate, melting our polar icecaps at the speed of sound, depleting our natural resources in record time, however, I do not believe the planet needs saving, I think the human race does.
If you really think about it, Mother Earth, Gaia has done a fairly decent job of doing what she needs to do to stay around, for billions of years I might add, which is a heck of a lot longer than we have existed on this planet. Whenever Gaia doesn’t like something or she is tired of it, she just simply gets rid of it. She creates, ice ages, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamies, tornadoes, you name it she does it. Sometimes, we humans, are in the path when it happens and sometimes we escape by the skin of our teeth, so to speak.
Mother Earth is constantly eliminating species and creating new ones everyday and we humans are not above the elimination process. Look what happen to all of those humans that came before us..gone. Were they misbehaving like naughty children and Mother Earth was just ticked off at them or did they bring about their own demise? What really happen to all those dinosaurs, did the ice age really take them out or were they creating some sort of ”tipping point” on the planet and Mother Earth said, “That’s enough guys, you’re out of here!”
Whatever the issues were, Gaia took care of it, because she knows what to do to keep this planet moving forward and evolving. Sometimes transformation is necessary for survival on a grander scale. I believe there is a ”Universal Intelligence”, called it whatever you like and everyday we are given signs and warnings that tell us we need to ”Shape up or it will ship us out” and not by space craft, but by extinction.
Yes, we do need to pay attention to how we live our lives by not polluting our air, our water, our soil and by conserving our natural resources. We do need to reduce our ”Carbon Footprint”, use less oil, increase our alternative energy sources as means for fueling our homes, businesses and vehicles.
When we start living co-creatively with other animals and species on the planet, they won’t need saving, because we won’t be destroying them and their habitats. When we let nature do what she does best, by keeping the balance, then we won’t need to stick our noses in and try to take over. Have you noticed that humans are the only species alive that is always trying to “save” something? Why is that, when we supposedly have the highest level of intelligence of any species…or do we?
One thing I do know, is that this is the best time in the history of the planet to be alive. We have some unprecedented challenges before us, regarding the state of our planet and we have the ”opportunity” to transform and create a better world. We have resources, creativity and ingenuity to make it happen. If we put our focus on finding the solutions, which is why the problems show up in the first place, then we will succeed. It will take all of us, each day, consciously doing what we can to move forward and make a difference that benefits the entire human race. When we make a difference and save the human race, then the planet automatically wins, we are not separate from the whole, we are all connected.
As we sit tonight in our dark spaces for one hour, take the time to decide how you are going to positively impact Mother Earth each hour of everyday…don’t you think “now” would be a good time to start? If we all do it, then we can celebrate our planet with the lights on.
