First of all, I’d ask you to start by enlightening us on the Feng Shui techniques and the advantages of practicing it.
Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese art that is around 4,000 years old, studies the way in which energy flows in a space and, when this is balanced and in harmony, represents greater well-being and comfort for those who use and who move in that space. People, that’s what we’re talking about, feel better, are happier and more stable at all levels. When we refer to energy, this has nothing to do with esoterism, rather the concept of energy in science, which we know in terms of physics and chemistry.
Any space where these techniques are implemented in a studied, professional and conscious way will be more positive on all levels. At a corporate level, economic agents become stronger, they grow, consolidate, and their teams are healthy and tick together to meet their goals.
Is this concept implemented in Portugal or is it still unknown?
When I started talking about Feng Shui 21 years ago, at ISEL (Lisbon School of Engineering), where I was studying at the time, my colleagues almost doubted I was mentally sane, that I was talking about things that they didn’t understand and for some this theme seemed like something taken from a Medieval witchcraft book! However, for me, engineering and Feng Shui have always been tied, as astronomy and physics are part of Feng Shui’s structural bases, where the bodies and particles that make up space and matter are studied. The exact same thing happens in homes and companies, placing people and furniture or equipment in certain positions, acting as reagents for a physical-chemical reaction, causing chemical reactions which result, in a simplistic manner, in the circumstance of a person feeling well or not, in a given space. Who hasn’t felt well or badly immediately when walking into a space? Or how do you feel when you arrive at your workplace every day? When people feel well in a certain space, they breathe in more comfort and as such, work and live better. Today, there is increasingly more knowledge and dissemination of what Feng Shui is and it’s quite interesting to see that more and more companies take this up. In fact, the world over, there are few leading companies who don’t have a Feng Shui consultant on board. The logos of major corporations are designed following Feng Shui principles to make sure that success starts with the first impression.
Many companies now design their products following Feng Shui, selecting the colours and materials and the way in which these combine, according to the Creative Cycle of the Five Elements (you can find out more about this subject in my book “Change your Home Enrich your Life”).
Although a few companies are now implementing Feng Shui in their spaces in Portugal, there is still a long way to go. Housing wise, especially in the Greater Lisbon area, more and more families are investing in Feng Shui for their well-being.
What is the feedback you’ve been getting from the clients who have already implemented these techniques?
The feedback has been very positive, especially at corporate level. Generally, and when dealing with goals that cut more or less across the board, that is, growth, business consolidation, profits, employee productivity (more and more companies worry about their teams’ well-being) many companies have now realized that one of the keys to success is having happy and satisfied employees, not just in terms of their job but also their workplace. For the most part, in companies we have two types of situation: either companies that are already working out of a given space and want to achieve these goals with the help of Feng Shui when faced with a threat of stagnation or decline and we achieve new impetus; or they are projects from scratch, that is, when a company moves into a new space (new for it or new construction wise) and the entire space is organized, laid out, decorated or even built using thorough classic Feng Shui calculations. In these cases, we set up a team with all those in charge, ranging from the CEO to the architect, designer and others, and the Feng Shui consultant. Of all these projects from scratch I’ve been on, and please excuse my lack of modesty, the results have been excellent, which gives me great satisfaction.
When was Sofia Lobo Cera – Feng Shui Consulting set up as a company?
It was set up in 2009, although it wasn’t until 2012 that I left engineering and focused 100% on Feng Shui with consultations, lectures, conferences, teaching at Feng Shui courses and writing my monthly newsletter which will celebrate its 100th edition this year. I also write articles for several magazines.
Women leadership is a pertinent subject given the growing success stories. As a businesswoman, did you come across any difficulties on your professional path due to being a woman?
Yes and no. No, because I’m very driven and focuses, so I never let myself get caught up in “judgement” and have always worked towards my goal. However, as a woman, I feel we have to make more an effort, as in addition to being an entrepreneur, I’m a mother, a woman and wife and am in charge of the family logistics. At the same time, as I am my own boss, it isn’t always easy to manage what other people impose on me, people who are close, who assume that since I have my own business, I have all the time in the world and can stop as often as I please, which is completely wrong. Within the Feng Shui “circle” in Portugal, I haven’t experienced any barriers to date, but in the East it isn’t quite so easy, as society is still more conservative.
What is there still left to do at a professional level?
So much! In fact, I’m constantly thinking and creating my next steps. What I can tell you is that stopping is not part of my aims. I want to continue to do more and do better. I have a few projects on the pipeline, which will come out in due time. At the moment, the project “Home Organized Life Balanced” is running its course to reach more people with the goal of helping them find a better and happier life. “Organized Home Balanced Life” is an unprecendented project in Portugal, that consits of a series of YouTube videos on my oficial channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/SofiaLoboCeraConsultoraProfissionaldeFengShui),
with tips and practical suggestions, and I invite you all to follow it.
in Business Portugal Magazine, Público Newspaper published on march 2019
