The first rule of thermodynamics tells us that what isn’t growing is dying and if we stop evolving as human beings or entities, we are nearing our end. Taking this principle as a starting point, we can better understand the concept of Feng Shui, an “art” that can offer us a better life, without doubt.
Who better than Sofia Lobo Cera to tells us a bit more about the values of Feng Shui, the art of harmonizing spaces with the aim of enhancing the vital energy of beings and environments, whether private or corporate. We set off to get to know our interviewee, Sofia Lobo Cera, a professional Feng Shui consultant who embarked on her namesake project – Sofia Lobo Cera, Feng Shui Consultant, in 2009. This was, according to her “the best decision I ever made in my life”. Sofia is renowned internationally as a consultant accredited by the Feng Shui Society and she has vast experience in all types of Feng Shui projects.
It may seem odd, but our interviewee’s adventure began with engineering, specifically chemical engineering. And how do these two fields, which seem so far apart at first glance, cross over? “They really aren’t that different. Oftentimes, people associate Feng Shui with more esoteric or spiritual fields, but in fact, the study of Feng Shui looks at how energy flows and that same energy is what we learn in physics and chemistry,” she highlights, recalling that her journey through this art began when her mother bought an encyclopedia on it and she literally devoured it. This was the moment when the flame of passion was ignited in our interviewee. “I had a feeling that I’d already studied all of it and that it made complete sense”, she notes, remembering that this was when she concluded her degree in engineering and began her career “in which I felt I wasn’t fulfilled and I didn’t think this was my path”, she states with certainty. And so, our interviewee decided to hire a coach to understand what she wanted to do with her life “especially because life is too short to stick to what doesn’t bring us any value and it was in this process that I realized that one of the things I wanted was to have my own business, something that caused a few doubts. What? Where? Normal questions, but which led me to the conclusion of what I was looking for, i.e. this was the path I wanted to be on, with my own schedule, run by me. I already felt I was helping so many change their life through Feng Shui at a personal level, so why not do the same for myself?”. These were the questions Sofia Lobo Cera was asking herself at the time, when she kickstarted her business in 2009, with great results. “These 11 years have been filled with achievements and, naturally, I’m truly pleased to know I’m contributing by helping other people improve their lives through Feng Shui, and it’s important to note that I never stopped studying. We need to understand that Feng Shui is an immense world with abundant information and detail. People think this art is something that relates to decorating alone or that it’s general stuff. That is not the case at all. Feng Shui is much more than this, because when we study energy, we work with precision and that is what leads to a difference in results in a person’s life or a company”.
PANDEMIC? WAKE-UP CALL
And is there still some stigma associated with the values of Feng Shui, or lack of knowledge of these? Sofia is adamant that the current panorama is quite positive when compared with the end of the 1990’s, for instance. And what is the level of acceptance today? “In Portugal, it is more developed and more readily accepted, but it’s far from the more developed countries. If we go to the UK, for instance, the major corporations, the people who hold any power, who are successful, well-off and highly regarded all have a Feng Shui consultant and always invest in learning more about the subject”, acknowledges Sofia Lobo Cera, recognizing that in Portugal there is still a long road ahead, “especially at corporate level”, a reality that can be changed faster with the new wave of entrepreneurs that is making its way in.
“I believe this reality may be a lever, namely because they are more aware of these practices, i.e. the importance of the workers’ well-being, a balanced working space, as they understand that well-being and harmony leads to greater productivity, with evident results in terms of turnover and consolidation of profits”, she states.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is currently experiencing a new “normal” that led to a series of changes in everybody’s lives. But how did this new reality change the panorama? According to our interviewee, “people have started to wake up and, while not talking about health issues, of course, I can see that this pandemic has helped people stop and think about where they want to go, what they want from life. People have become much more available and open to accepting alternatives to save their companies and also improve their personal lives. When someone works from home, they realize just how important their home is in influencing their mood, well-being and comfort. This has opened up a huge window, especially for corporate customers – I can claim to have had an increased workload because people and companies are starting to become aware of these factors, where Feng Shui plays an essential role”.
FENG SHUI MAKES AN OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCE
Our interviewee admits she likes to lead and enjoys addressing all the challenges she sets on herself or those that are set by others. “A woman of all trades” is a moniker that suits Sofia Lobo Cera well. She wrote the book “Change your Home Enrich your Life” and set up the online project “Organized Home Balanced Life”. “I love challenges and overcoming them. Striving towards excellence and helping more lives, corporate or personal. I want people to have a better life on all levels”, she states, certain of her words.
What is there left to reach? Quite honestly, Sofia Lobo Cera admits she would like the setting to change with regard to construction and architecture, especially the first. “People should be more aware of Feng Shui and of building or designing homes with good Feng Shui. We need to assimilate and understand that when we design a space with good energy, this will make an outstanding difference in society and we will be able to shift the paradigm”, she assures us. Sofia began her professional studies at the National School of Feng Shui in Portugal and obtained her first professional certificate in 2010; she reminds us she plays this role on a daily basis: “I try to bring people over to this subject and fortunately, I’ve seen a few changes, I see houses being designed with these concerns in mind, but we need to keep going, especially when it comes to companies from the ground up, where I don’t see many with this type of awareness or concern”.
FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW ABOUT FENG SHUI. WHAT DO I STAND TO GAIN?
Your business’s health and balance, your workers’ and clients’ well-being and, with all of this, a greater potential for consolidation, both in terms of growth and financially, while also gaining renown from those outside and inside the company
in Publico Newspaper - Pontos de Vista Magazine published on October 2020
