When I decided to become a Feng Shui consultant four years ago, I wasn’t sure how my leap into the unknown was going to translate into “success.”

Feng Shui inspires and nourishes me, so I hoped to bring those uplifting feelings to others, changing their lives for the better as mine had been changed by this ancient art.

My mission would be to offer a clear, uncluttered and easy-to-understand approach to Feng Shui, because I sensed that there was a huge untapped market of people who were fascinated by it, but a bit skeptical and/or unsure about how to apply its principles.

As a former corporate executive with an MBA, my traditional definition of success included things like awards, promotions and other accolades, most of which were unlikely to be measures of success in my new field.

Any success I achieved would need to address the goals I’d identified in my mission: to reach as many people as possible with a clear way to work with Feng Shui, and help them enhance their lives by creating a nourishing, inspiring environment.

At first I thought the fastest path to “visible success” would be to focus on one aspect of Feng Shui, such as teaching or consulting.  But it soon became clear that a narrow path restricted my ability to reach the untapped audiences I felt sure were out there.

And after all, in terms of Feng Shui, it’s all about flow!  A limited approach just wasn’t going to fly.  Making another leap of faith, I finally decided to loosen up and focus on two things I really enjoy – writing about Feng Shui, and participating in social media.

Would this definitely lead to “success?” I didn’t know – but I had taken a big step away from the traditional way of getting there.

As it turns out, after a year or so of steady focus, my strategy of writing a thrice-weekly blog and distributing my Feng Shui tips and insights via social media have brought success on my terms:

• I reach a large audience and now receive so much traffic on my site that I plan to earn revenue via advertising.
• I receive consulting inquiries from around the world, most recently from Chile (!).
• I am constantly approached with guest blogging and other media opportunities from formerly skeptical folks including interior designers (yay!), getting the word out to an even wider audience.
• The greater my visibility has become, the more I am regarded as an expert, and the more consulting and speaking opportunities flow my way.

For me, the rewarding discipline of writing and distributing the blog has ended up building my reach and reputation in a competitive field more quickly than anything else I might have done.  A careful examination of my original reasons for becoming a Feng Shui consultant created my definition of success. I hope it can do the same for you.

-Ann Bingley Gallops
Open Spaces Feng Shui
@annfengshui

 ***This was Best Business Tip #32. Read the other 99 Best Business Tips.***