When the world conspire to help you

Whether you listen to the faint sound of desire from the deepest corners of your heart and choose Feng Shui as a way to trigger Earth luck, or ignore it, may not be a free decision after all. It is your destiny.

This is why I understand Suresh well when he laughs and says, "What seemed a little silly at one time and therefore not acceptable to me has today become the most important aspect of my life."

Yes, Feng Shui has become a way of life with him.

If I review Suresh's story, I see several episodes, each pushing him further towards his often-changing goals. He was frank enough to say that achieving a goal is not half as much fun as chasing it, and he smugly quoted Paulo Coelho in The Alchemist, "When you want something, the entire world conspires in helping you to achieve it."

And every time Suresh wanted the world to conspire in helping him to attend his goal, he returned to Feng Shui.

The corner to focus on this is the Helpful Friends & Patronage...but I have digressed.

Let's begin from the time Suresh first approached me. This was over five years ago.

The company where he was a middle level executive was manufacturing nuts, bolts and fasteners. The business was flourishing and his responsibilities were increasing. The hours were long and work was tiring, but there was virtually no appreciation for his efforts. Three brothers owned the business and there was a lot of dirty politics among his colleagues.

Partner Troubles

Except for the elder one, Jeetubhai, who had struggled along with his father to establish the business, no one was bothered about the business. The youngest brother had almost become an alcoholic and the middle brother was a womanizer. Some joker among the staff had referred to them as ‘nut' and ‘bolt'! The names have stuck. Some of the company's executives played ‘nut' against ‘bolt' for their short-term gains.

But Suresh's biggest worry was his career.

He wrote to me and later sent me a rough diagram of the floor plan of his house. The diagram was rough but the measurements and directions were accurate. He wanted Feng Shui for a single corner and did not want to spend too much. He said, "I do not know whether Feng Shui works like people say, but I want to try it."

A bamboo plant, a water fountain and a silver wind chime was all that I suggested to him, besides other Feng Shui corrections which had more to do with directions, the placement of desk, timings and colours.

The results were instant! Our record shows that it was seven weeks after doing Feng Shui that Suresh got promotion and of course, a hefty increment. "I must admit that Feng Shui works like magic," he wrote in an e-mail. Jeetubhai, the big boss (as he was described by the staff), had been observing his intelligent decisions and his tact while dealing with customers as well as distributors. He also encouraged Suresh to open up, and implemented Suresh's ideas. All this happened without any effort on the Suresh's part to draw attention to himself. Unlike his brothers, Jeetu was a shrewd employer and recognized talent in his staff.

Six months later, Jeetubhai gave him one more raise. Earlier, Suresh had a two-wheeler, but now he was given a car. "It is a Maruti Zen. I am thrilled," he exclaimed. Now Suresh wanted Feng Shui for his home and requested me to visit it.

Marriage of children

Suresh's father had retired and was not keeping good health. His mother was concerned, saying, "My main worry is the marriage of my children. I want both of them Suresh and Daksha to marry soon. Do something about that." She had many other concerns but her top priority was the marriage of her children besides, of course, the health of her husband.

Suresh confided that he was keen to start his own business but didn't want to take a risk till his sister got married. "My marriage is not a priority, but I will feel better if Daksha was married."

Feng Shui does not present a menu like in a hotel, where you can choose the blessings, but still, one can focus on various life corners. I focused on the Marriage & Relationship corners, but I suggested some corrections and enhancements for the other areas of life too. His dad's health, the family's fortunes, relationships, harmony, social standing and his career were certain the areas of concern.

His mother observed everything quietly but, unknown to Suresh, again phoned me, worried about the marriages. "Can you suggest something special so that marriage is expedited?" she pleaded. And I added a painting of Moon Energy (Dragon & Phoenix blended with the holy symbol of Double Happiness) to the list of cures.

Instant gratification

Again, it was instant gratification. And again, proposals for both the children came effortlessly. A long-forgotten, distant aunt rang their door bell with what seemed a ‘just right' match for Daksha. The proposal for Suresh's marriage too emerged in the course of social interaction related to his sister's marriage.

Within months, there were two marriages in the family of the Jains. "I was not too keen, as I want to establish myself before taking the plunge, but my parents have pressurized me as this is a good match within our community."

What he left unsaid was that the dowry that he got came in handy for his sister's marriage, but that, like it or not, is a way of life in India. What was important to them was that both siblings married, within the community, in two respectable Jain families.

Mrs Jain did not have any more expectations from life, except a harmonious relationship with her son-in-law and daughter-in-law, grandchildren and good health for her husband and herself. But months after his marriage, Suresh was still uneasy.

He dropped into my office.

"You may feel that I am greedy, but your Greedy Dragon of Ambition has inspired me to return to you," Suresh smiled. He added, "I want to work for myself now. I want to be successful. I do not want to spend years working for someone else. I want freedom. Economic freedom is the real freedom. Even after spending twelve years in the company, I am still virtually where I started. Okay, I got promotions and raises and thank you for that. My earnings are more but so are the expenses and debts. I have learned the ropes of business. I have developed contacts and in fact, I have a list as long as my arm, of the possible buyers if I go into the same business. I want to resign from my job."

I advised him not to take the risk of resigning, especially because he was married now, but to wait for the right time. "In the meanwhile, you may start a parttime business," I suggested.

"But I will need an office," he said.

Wants Greedy Dragon of Ambition

"Forget about an office. You are going to work for yourself. You shouldn't have too many overheads. All you need is a laptop and a mobile which you already have," I told him rather sternly though having an office is always better. "But you must sit in the Money corner of your living room and sit facing your Sheng Chi."

"Okay, but I want your Greedy Dragon of Ambition," Suresh grinned.

I was looking forward to see how life changes for Suresh. Will it?

For a long time, big boss Jeetubhai and his two brothers were at loggerheads. Jeetu believed that he was running the show alone and his brothers were liabilities, while his brothers suspected that he was not giving them their due share and due credit.

They split.

Suresh was the direct beneficiary. Jeetu elevated him and appointed him the CEO of his business with a fat packet of salary and perks! "It was as if your Feng Shui conspired to help me achieve my dreams," Suresh Jain repeated his favourite quote again.

But this is not the end of our association. Now both, Suresh and more important, Jeetu, want me to check the Feng Shui of their company!

*****