Inspirational Quote of the week!

"You may be deceived if you trust too much, 

but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough".
~ Frank Crane 

Tales My Mother Told Me Volume 2- Tale 7: The Farmer & The Fisherman

There’s a story that I’d like to share with you. You might have read one of my post about two years ago. The post was part of a marketing series "How to attract your Ideal customer or audience.

Here are the marketing series if you would like to learn more about it:

• Part1. Selecting The Best Sales Distribution Channels For Your Design Practice

• Part 2. The Farmer and The Fisherman
• Part 3. Selecting the Right Marketing Strategy for your Design Practice
• Part 4. Choosing the Right Marketing Approach for your Design Business
• Part 5: How could a customers' "lifetime value" benefit your Art & Design Business?

Now let's get back to this week tale my mother told me...

The tale "The Farmer & Fisherman " is an old Chinese folktale that my mother told me  when I was a young boy. 

I can recite it from memory because as a child I made my mother repeat this story over and over again. At the time it was just a funny story about a silly farmer that amused me. Now we can see the deeper meaning...

The story goes like this:

Under a the bright light of a new, full moon each month the silly farmer goes down the river foreshore and starts digging and scrounging around the mud like a crazy man. Each month at the same time a local fisherman passes him by and wonders what on earth this farmer is up to.

Filled with curiosity one month the fisherman lands his boat near the farmer, who is still madly scratching way in the mud, and says “Hello farmer, I’ve been seeing you here in the same spot for the past three full moons and I wondered what you’re doing here.”

“I lost my gold coin.” the farmer replies.

The fisherman nods and smiles. “Now I understand” he says. “I’ll help you look, and together we can find your gold coin.”

So together they dig and scrape in the mud, getting quite dirty, but still come no closer to finding the gold coin.

After about an hour they’ve managed to cover the whole area... And again, they’ve found nothing.

“We’ve found nothing here” the fisherman says, quite exasperated. “You’ve worked this area twice before, and together we’ve just dug everywhere all over. Are you certain that this is where you dropped your gold coin?”

“Oh no, I dropped my coin way over there near the water” the farmer replies as he points to a big rock in the shadows about ten metres away from where they were both standing.

Now the fisherman is standing there covered in smelly mud having just wasted an hour searching in vain for the famers’ gold coin. So he’s naturally a little puzzled and upset. “Then why do you keep looking here month after month?"

“Well” says the farmer, “I like it here, it’s nice and bright under the full moon. Plus I’m comfortable with soil and mud, I’m a farmer. I understand dirt and mud. Over there could be dangerous, it’s dark, it’s near the water, and I can’t swim... I’m nervous near water... I’m not a fisherman after all!”

So you might now be thinking what does this story have to do with you in your creative practice?

Well, think about yourself in your business. Where are you looking? Are you looking in the same places repeatedly because it’s safe and comfortable?

No matter how hard he looked, the farmer was never going to find his precious gold coin. The same applies to you in your business too.

No matter how much money you invest, or how much time you invest, you are never going to attract your ideal customers to your business unless you are looking for them where they really are.

Yes, you can stay where it’s bright and safe, doing the things you know and are comfortable with - Stay in your comfort zone - but that’s not going to change your circumstances.

If you are not good with marketing your business to your ideal clients then get out of your comfort zone and learn how. Or get someone else who is good at marketing to help you.

Start by mapping out where you think your ideal customers may be, and then you can decide on some your strategies to better attract them.

Want to learn more about marketing for your fashion & design business the ArtSHINE way?

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1: Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2: Come along to the next “How to attract your ideal customer” workshop.

    E-mail Quantum Compass: ideacustomer@QuantumCompass.com.au  for details of the      

    next half day session near you.

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coaching session: 

    www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Decoration + Design, Sydney Exhibition Centre 6-8 February 2013

"Decoration + Design is Australia's premier interiors event showcasing the latest interior products & furnishings from leading companies. This fair provides the opportunity to see and buy hundreds of NEW products, learn the latest industry developments and network with peers all under one roof".

At Decoration + Design you will discover industry leaders and exciting new players, all presenting their very latest products including fabrics, soft furnishings, wall decorations, lights & lamps, outdoor decorations & furnishings, furniture, objects, art, artwork and so much more.

What's On Show

At Decoration + Design visitors will discover industry leaders and exciting new players, all presenting their very latest and best products including:

Fabric	Soft Furnishings
Rugs & Floor coverings	Wall Decoration
Lights & Lamps	Decorative Accessories
Artwork	Homewares
Objets D'Art	Window Dressing
Outdoor Decorations	Furniture
Manchester	Plus Much More

Keep up-to-date with who will be at the Fair by visiting Who's Exhibiting

Who Should Visit

Decoration + Design is not to be missed by:

Furniture Retailers	Furnishing/Homewares Retailers
Interior Designers	Architects
Interior Decorators	Lighting Specialists
Furnishing/Homewares Buyers	Furniture Buyers

Decoration + Design is a trade only event, therefore entry is restricted to qualified trade visitors.

DATES & VENUE

6-8 February 2013

Sydney EXHIBITION CENTRE

FAIR HOURS:

Wednesday   6 Feb 10am - 5p.

THURSDAY  7 Feb    9AM - 5PM

FRIDAY    8 Feb    10AM - 4PM

TRADE VISITORS MUST REGISTER TO VISIT »

How To Plan Your Fantastic Year 2013

New Year 2013- Pyrmont
Photographed by Henry Lam

Last week we talked about setting purpose goals & your New Year resolutions. 

Today we would like to share with you our strategies for setting your purpose goals. So that, 2013 is a year full of real purpose and is the year for you to focus on executing those tasks that will get you to where you want to be. 

So what can we do to make the New Year a fantastic one?

The answer is....it's entirely up to you! You can choose to go with the flow, whatever happens happens (que sera sera!) or you can choose to make a big difference this year and be the key driver and steer the direction to where you want to be. 

There are things we can and can't control and we don't have a crystal ball to understand what our future holds. However, if you really want to have a purposeful & fulfilling year, you can certainly set purpose goals and strategies to take you where you intend to be.

So what ever you do, don't delve on the past as last year was history. Right now you have the power to do something about it and do something meaningful for your life.

Here are the OPIC steps to making the most of 2013.

1.  Set your Objective or Goal area using the nine priorities in life

Using the 9 priorities in life will help you to set goals that are important to you. Although there are 9 areas, some may not be appealing to you or relevant to you right now, so just choose the areas that you want to focus on.

Once you have selected the areas, it is now for you to priortise the areas. List the one that is most important to you first and then the rest.

This year we set goals in all nine areas. We have already assigned goals we would like to focus on in the particular months. There is no right or wrong way to assign your goals. You need to be honest to yourself and set a realistic time frame for you to do. Some of our clients prefer to just focus on one area at the time this way they can give more attention to each goal. Other clients focus 2 to 3 areas at the time. At the end of the day you know how you like to work and so make it fun and exciting and reward yourself once you reach the priority areas.

Here are the 9 priorities in life

1. (MBS) Mind, Body, Spiritual (Health & Fitness)
2. Relationships
3. Family Connection
4. Business & Career
5. Financial Competency
6. True Wealth
7. Gratitude  
8. Fun & Refresh
9. Leveraging Time

The 9 priorities in life are just a great way for you to get started, so you can add more or remove some; it's entirely up to you. Focus on the areas that matter most to you.

For each of the life areas you've selected, choose one or two goals that you'd like to achieve in 2013.

2. Plan your Steps & Tasks

Once you are happy with your Life areas (select at least 5 areas) you can plan sequential steps to help you reach your goal. If the goal is too big then you can chunk it down into sub goals so it is easy for you to implement the tasks. At these stages think about what you want to accomplish in those areas during this year.

3. Implementing your Steps & Tasks

The key to this step is to execute your goals within a time frame. Look at ways on how to implement the tasks you have set in each goal. Who else can help you to do the task and by when would you like to complete those tasks. It's a good idea if you could get help too such as, outsourcing the task to other experts who can help you reach your goal.

Remember to look at your goals and see if you are hitting the target. Good goals leads to tasks that keep you moving forward to your dream and not just going in circles and achieving nothing.

 4. Make a Commitment to your goals

To be able to achieve what you set out to do, firstly you need a big commitment from yourself. This is to frame your mindset so you can commit to those tasks. For example one of the commitments is that you could set aside 5 hours a week to focus on executing the tasks you set out for the week.

Now let's look at some of the goals we set out for the 9 priorities in life you can too use it as a guide to start your goals:

1. (MBS) Mind, Body, Spiritual (Health & Fitness)
•  Mind- Learn:  photoshop-1 Feb  and video workshop-1 June
• Body- Hire a Personal trainer- 14 Jan
• Spiritual-Visualisation for 10 minutes every morning
2. Relationships- Spend quality time with my partner. Romantic dinner once a month, 2-3 holidays together this year. Our engagement in  6 January.
3. Family Connection- Visit mum & dad every two weeks and spend quality time with them.
4. Business- Launch new ArtSHINE website in March, ArtSHINE branding products in April, Launch Ebook in June and ArtSHINE creative magazine in November.
5. Financial Competency-  Pay off one credit card, set up self manage Super in Jan. & purchase an investment property by June.
6. True Wealth- Fund raise to support Lymphoma Australia.
7. Gratitude- Thank and respect people around me and do my  gratitude journal daily
8. Fun & Refresh- 4  holidays a year and spend time with friends & family
9. Leveraging Time- focus on the importance things, recruit an intern to help with ArtSHINE and invite more creative guest posts.

Want to learn more about how to set purpose goals for 2013? 

It’s as simple as 1... 2... 3...

1. Like  ArtSHINE's Facebook page

2:E-mail Quantum Compass  Goalsetting@QuantumCompass.com.au or contact vinh@quantumcompass.com.au  or  +61 410 636 138

3: Contact Vinh for a no cost, no obligation coachingsession:

 COaching  Discovery Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ArtShineDiscovery

Close Up Interview with Roseline Delu International Feng Shui Master

Tell us a little about yourself and your business?
Hello everyone, my name is Roseline Delu - I am an international Feng Shui Master, best-selling Author and happy (human?) Being enjoying life 
I have chosen to live my truth and turned it into a business beneficial to all.

• Feng Shui is my passion and it is part of who I am and how I live today. Feng Shui originated in China and regained some popularity the last two decades. It is an ancient art of placement that I chose to make easy to apply and understandable to all. http://www.fengshuisteps.com
• Another facet of me is that I created 800+ unique vibrational designs that I use during Readings & Counselling sessions available though phone or Skype http://www.fengshuisteps.com/psychic.html

What are the five words that people would use to describe FengShuiSteps.com?

Dynamic – Inspiring- Thought Provoking – Life Changing - Informational

What was the purpose on starting your Feng Shui Steps business and how has the concept come about
As for many of us… situations occur by ‘coincidence’.
The first time I heard about Feng Shui was reading an article in a newspaper that a passenger had left on a train going to London. It captured my interest. Once back home I did a few changes around my home and my life started shifting quickly.
A few weeks, books and a training later… I started my first lectures in Belgium.
I then migrated to Australia where I continued to develop, consult and teach this ancient art of placement adapting it to the Western world – by this I mean that I very seldom use any Chinese items, I favour using what people already own and have in their décor.
Stepping away from Chinese items, made me very different from the usual Feng Shui Consultants; as Feng Shui Master, I demystify and feel the vibration surrounding colours, objects and art, I show Chi (energy) flow inside people’s homes and help them achieving their dreams by moving items, furniture and adapting their décor accordingly. Always with taste and good intents!

What are the most common issues that people who come to see you for advises?
Love – Money – Health – Life Path – Finding their life purpose

Tell us more about your services that you provide to your clients?

• I share my wisdom and knowledge with my clients and students as well as through my Feng Shui Steps BLOG.
• I Feng Shui consult for homes, business
• I train new practitioners, consultants & masters
• I wrote 3 Feng Shui books that have been translated in different languages.

Even though Feng Shui takes me worldwide for trainings and consultations, I have a lot of contacts through my emails and work online through Skype.

Tell us about your process for working with clients?
Feng Shui can be a life changing experience.

When I walk into your home it reveals your life. Every object has a meaning, where they are placed tell me what is happening with you. The colours, textures and finishes tell their story too.
A consultation with me starts with a good conversation where you tell me what you wish to attain in your life today. Based on this, together we move furniture (when possible) and frames so you can see the result immediately – we can consider this like a Feng Shui Make-over.
Wouldn’t we be able to move anything at the time of the consultation then you write your TO DO list and get onto it with a strong helping and handy hand in the next few days.

What advice can you offer to creative people who are just starting out?

The best advice to start you out today: take a look at the frames displayed in your home.

• How long ago did you purchase them?
• Are they still your taste today?
• How old are the photos of you and/or your family hanging on your walls?

It might be time to update all this.

What we liked and who we were 10 years ago might have changed…
Reflect who you are today.
Food for thought!

Do you have a book that you would like to recommend?

1. “Your First Easy Steps to Feng Shui” by Roseline Deleu - available as E-book
2. “Feng Shui Steps for your Career” by Roseline Deleu
3. CARTOON illustrated guide “Easy Feng Shui Steps” by Roseline Deleu – a UNIQUE and easy to understand!
4.  
   1. E-book only
5. A 5 size Printed version
6. A 4 size Printed Version

Where do we find your services?



Roseline Deleu, Director @ FENG SHUI STEPS
P.O. Box 5155
KINGSTON ACT 2604
Australia

WEBSITE www.fengshuisteps.com
BLOG http://fengshuisteps.wordpress.com/

YouTube channels – RoselineDeleu & FengShuiSteps http://www.youtube.com/user/FengShuiSteps
Facebook in English https://www.facebook.com/roseline.deleu
Facebook in French https://en-gb.facebook.com/roseline.deleu.FRANCAIS

Inspirational Quote of the week

"Ideas and inspirations are only dreams 

until you take action and make them real"

                                                                       ~ Vinh Van Lam

Tales My Mother Told Me Volume 2- Tale 6: Bore a Hole in the wall in Order to Get Some Light from the Neighour's House

My brothers and I first heard this tale when we were young children.

I still remember that day. We were all doing our homework and started to complain about  our text books being old. If we had brand new text books we decided, we would study harder. Thinking back, we were just little kids and we were very lucky that our parents provided all the  things we needed as we grew up.

"You are very fortunate to have text books and a nice home to live in. Unlike the scholar Kuang Heng who was so poor. He did not complain like you naughty ones." Mum said with disappointment.

"We are sorry mum." I said in a shamed tone.

"Who is the scholar Kuang Heng anyway?” my little brother asked curiously.

"Yeah mum, who is he? Is here famous?” I asked.

Mum sat next to us and started to tell us about Kuang Heng; a poor young man with clever ways of leveraging the things around him.

Here’s where the tale begins...

During the Western Han Dynasty (206BC - 25AD) there was a young boy named Kuang Heng. Kuang loved to read books, but his family was very poor and could not afford to buy any books for him. So at a young age, in order for him to continue to read more books, he found himself a job working for the rich families and asked for nothing but books in return.

As he grew the young man also needed to work hard to support his family. In the daytime he worked on the farm with little chance to read. This situation caused great concern to him as the only time left that he could read would be in the evening. His other concern was that he could not afford to buy the oil to light his lamp at night. These concerns were constantly playing in his mind and he kept trying to think of ways to get some light into his room so that he could read at night.

One summer evening, Kuang Heng was resting on the bed and reciting what he had read. Suddenly, he noticed a beam of light coming from the wall. He quickly got up and investigated. To his surprise, there was light emerging from the neighbour's home through a crack in the wall. He was so excited. His eyes lit up, and he said to himself "I’ve got an idea! I can leverage this light from the neighbours to do my reading. But first I need to widen the crack so there will be more light slipping through the crack in the wall".

So Kuang Heng used a little knife and bored a large crack in the wall. The minute he began to widen the crack the light grew brighter.

From then on Kuang Heng finished working in the fields to return every evening to leverage the emerging light  from the neighbours to do his reading.

With his hard work and dedication to his study Kuang Heng later became a well known Confucian scholar of the Western Han Period.

So what this tale really telling us?

My Mum used to tell this tale to us when we whinged about what we had and what we didn't have.

Mum wanted us to realised that we should be grateful for everything that we had, and we should not take things for granted. She encouraged us to look around and recognise all the things that we could be grateful for.

There was Kuang in a situation where he was so poor but never complained about anything. Instead he found solutions that helped him achieve his goals. He had a passion for reading, and was keen to study hard so that he could have a bright future. With focus, he achieved just that.

The moral behind to the story demonstrates to us how a person who works hard, works smart, and who knows how to apply leverage even under difficult or harsh conditions, can triumph.

Now, how does this apply to our Art & Design practice?

There are many ways to leverage that we can start to apply into our businesses. The first one is TIME.

Leveraging Time

In business, whether a new startup, or an existing business, you need to master the "art of leverage".

Sometimes (most times?) we feel like we don't have enough time in the day to do all the jobs we need to do to run a business.

In reality, you can't really manage time or control time. That’s because we've all been given the same 24 hours in a day. No more. No less.

When your 24 hours is gone, you’re given another 24 hours the next day. And so it goes...

The real secret to success is what you do with those 24 hours!

Once you master in leveraging time you can focus on the tasks that really matter, and those that make you happy. That way can head forward to complete your tasks and achieve your goals.

We’d also like to share with you the meaning of GRATITUDE.

The Power of Gratitude

Look around you. Look at where you are, and what you have. Being grateful for what you have, and showing gratitude is an important aspect in creating a successful Business Lifestyle.

It’s important to think about all the things that you have to be thankful for everyday, and to appreciate what you’ve got. Your family, supportive partner, friends.

When we thank others for their actions they immediately feel like doing more for us too.

Expressing gratitude calms the emotions. Expressing gratitude brings us into harmony. It’s good for the heart and for the soul.

Expressing gratitude opens so many doors to happiness, serenity, and good health.

Expressing gratitude is one of our tools for enhancing and increasing the good things in our lives.

So.

What are you grateful for?

Tune in next week tale " The Farmer & The Fisherman"

More Tales My Mother Told Me...

Volume 2:

Tale 1: Pulling Up the seedlings to help them grow
Tale 2: Grind an Iron Pestle into a Needle

Tale 3: Talking about army on paper.

Tale 4: Being Persistent

Tale 5: A Poet’s Writing Skills Decline

Tale 6: Bore a Hole in the wall in Order to Get Some Light from the  Neighour's House

Volume 1:

Tale 1: "When You Help One, You Help Thousands"

Tale 2: "Your Mind is Powerful"

Tale 3: "The Importance of Self Understanding"

Tale 4: "Being Compassionate"

Tale 5: "Finding the Inner Calmer In You"

Tale 6: "The Magic Pen"

Tale 7: "Here comes the Fair- Weather Friend"

Tale 8: "Confidence & Competence"

Tale 9:"Being Present"

Tale10: "Chicken scratches for what it gets"

Tale 11:"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done"
Tales12: "Frog In The Well"

Image:

Weigo