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What if the reason you’re not getting what you want at work has nothing to do with your talent and effort? What if it has everything to do with where and how your actual workspace is set up?
Maybe you want more money. More growth. More work-life balance. More freedom. More stability. More belonging. More meaning.
Most people try to close that gap by doing more. More special projects to prove your worth. More networking to meet the “right” people. More closing of the skill gaps to remain relevant. More soul searching to figure out “what the heck am I doing?”
Well, what if the issue is that your literal environment is stagnant and needs an upgrade? Welcome to the ancient Chinese wisdom and practice of feng shui: arranging space to direct energy toward specific outcomes.
What Is Feng Shui, Really?
Feng shui means “wind” and “water.” Movement and flow.
At the center of feng shui is the concept of chi.
Chi is life force energy. Think of it as the vibe moving through you and everything around you.
In feng shui, chi either flows or it stagnates. When chi flows, opportunities circulate. When chi stagnates, things stall.
This isn’t just mystical language. This practice has been around for thousands of years and is widely used today by everyone from interior designers to architects to entrepreneurs.
How I Used Feng Shui
After it became clear in 2020 that working from home was not going to be a two week thing, I applied simple feng shui principles to my home office since it was no longer temporary. I saw my space declutter and my mind had a kind of spring-cleaning. From there, I made a decision to pivot out of my long career in the entertainment industry into being a full time career strategist and grief coach.
Here’s the thing: Your environment shapes your nervous system. Your nervous system shapes your decisions. Your decisions shape your career.
From an energetic lens, chi attracts what you circulate.
If your space feels heavy, cramped, chaotic, or stale, that is the frequency you’re reinforcing every day.
What Stagnation Looks Like
People talk about how their careers have “stalled out” or “plateaued,” which is another way to say stagnant. Or there’s a general sense of malaise, it’s all fine, I don’t want to rock the boat, I’m lucky to have a job in this economy. Or there’s a real sense of fear and anxiety, what if this is it?
Before you go deeper into that rabbit hole, consider that your environment may be under-supporting you.
Here’s the part most people miss. Stagnation is not just a feeling. It has a physical footprint. It shows up in what’s around you, what you keep postponing, and what your eyes have gotten used to skipping over.
Stagnation shows up as: • Piles you keep meaning to sort • Objects tied to roles you’ve outgrown • Broken items you’ve “learned to live with” • A workspace that feels dim, cramped, or forgotten
If you want to attract more money, more visibility, more recognition, more stability, clear what isn’t moving.
Energy needs circulation before it can compound.
Three Feng Shui Shifts to Move Career Energy
While I’m not a feng shui expert, I’ve tried these three feng shui shifts when I was pivoting and leveling up and they worked really well for me.
1. Remove One Stagnant Object: Choose one item in your workspace that represents:
• A job you resent• A rejection you’re holding• An identity you’ve outgrown• Something broken you’ve ignored
Get rid of it. Stagnant objects hold stagnant chi.
One of the objects I removed was a lame ring light I bought for the endless zoom meetings I’ve been on since 2020. I wanted to keep up appearances while I watched the entertainment industry stall out, in an attempt to look like I was weathering it fine. Once I removed it, I felt more like me and that gave me confidence to make some hard decisions.
Psychologically, stagnant objects create identity friction. Energetically, they trap movement.
Clearing stagnant objects creates space for fresh circulation. And honestly, sometimes the “stagnant object” isn’t a thing. It’s a professional relationship that’s run its course. Not in a vicious, mean way. More like an honest assessment that you may have outgrown each other.
I had an actor client who parted ways with their agent and booked more jobs after that, without a new agent. They felt freer to pursue opportunities the former agent never went after on their behalf.
2. Activate Your Money Flow
If you’re trying to attract more money but your environment signals neglect, there’s a mismatch. Take a look at the space where you spend most of your time working. Let’s say it’s a desk.
When you’re seated, the far-left corner represents wealth and self-worth. Place something living there. A small plant is ideal. Living things grow slowly and steadily. They require attention. They reflect investment.
In feng shui terms, you’re signaling that money is welcome to grow here, and that you have the capacity to tend what you earn.
In addition to a lot of fancy MBA techniques I use to figure out how to earn more money like tracking ROI and KPIs, SEO optimization, and paying attention to funnel metrics, I do have a small plant on my desk.
While I can’t say for certain that the financial success of my coaching business is correlated to the Cyclamen plant, I feel happy when the flowers are blooming. When I’m happy, I have the energy to do the sales things I need to do to feed my company.
3. Use a Mirror to Expand Stuck Energy
In feng shui, mirrors are used to redirect and expand chi. They bounce light. They create the illusion of space. They shift the flow without requiring structural change.
My client Jess was in the same role for five years and literally felt boxed in by cubicles and a lack of opportunity for advancement. So using feng shui, she placed an art deco mirror that belonged to her grandmother on her desk to gather good energy. The mirror was from the 1930s and it reminded Jess of just how strong and brave her grandma was, and it gave her a little more courage. She placed the mirror where it could capture light from a window and send it back into her workspace.
In what some might call a fluke, her boss’ boss noticed it, asked about it, and they ended up talking about feng shui. Turns out he dabbled in it too. He was intrigued not just by the mirror, but by why Jess brought it in.
While no magic promotion came about to alleviate her being in the same role for years, he did assign her a handful of special projects over the next six months that gave her two significant wins and more visibility. She was able to use that to revamp her resume and found a great job outside the company and left with his blessing and endorsement.
That mirror was not for decoration. It was an energetic amplifier.
When chi hits a wall, it stops. When chi hits a mirror, it moves.
One rule. Don’t aim it at clutter. Mirrors expand what they reflect. Reflect light, order, and something that feels like the version of you you’re becoming.
What to Notice
Feng shui is a rich opportunity to look at your environment and how it affects your state of mind and your well-being. Remember, your environment shapes your nervous system. Your nervous system shapes your decisions. Your decisions shape your career.
So after you make one shift, observe. Do you feel clearer? Less irritated? More decisive?
Energy shifts are subtle before they’re obvious.
What we’re doing here is not passive, waiting for feng shui “magic” to get you more money, growth, balance, freedom, stability, belonging and meaning.
It’s about developing a practice to be more aligned so that energy flows freely.
Want To Go Deeper?
If you’re as excited and intrigued as I am about feng shui and have questions and comments, I got you. On Thursday, March 12 at 12pm PST, I’m hosting a live conversation with feng shui expert Dorena Kohrs about how to apply these principles intentionally to your work life.
We’ll talk about what “chi attracts” actually means in real life, and how to get things moving again. We’ll cover what to tweak when your career feels stalled, even if you’re doing everything “right.” And we’ll share practical shifts you can make without a perfect office or a big budget.
If you’ve done the mindset work and the strategy work and something still feels blocked, this conversation is for you. Mark your calendars and bring your questions or submit them here!
If someone came to mind while you were reading this—please send it their way. You never know the impact a well-timed message can have.
Related Content
* Five Reasons You May Be Stuck
* Are Smart Career Moves Hiding In Plain Sight?
* How Can You Stay Calm Under Stress?
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