Zen Chick

Zen Chick

Slow down. Simplify. Love your life.

“There is more to life than increasing its speed. Slow down, breathe and enjoy. “

Is “Good” Enough?

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“For, in the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.” ~ Jim Collins, Good to Great

Don’t get me wrong, I like “good” as in good friends, good food, good conversation and so on. Good is not bad, it’s well… good but what happens when good is replaced with great?

A whole new world of possibilities opens up and you are presented with GOOD on steroids! 

For me good to great went like this; I had a corporate job, making good money with good benefits and had worked very hard to move up the corporate ladder. As a woman I was making a top salary and had moved into a management position as the only female on the management team. All of this without a college degree.

I was living the American dream, secure corporate job, had recently remarried and was raising two kids. Things were good.

One morning though all of that changed when I realized that good wasn’t good enough for me anymore. I was ready to work hard for my dream of owning my own business and good had to move out of the way for GREAT to enter. So I left behind the security of the good job to pursue great and never looked back. Scary. Yes it was but with an overwhelming sense of this is where my life needed to be going.

When you decide to move from good to something great, the people close to you will not see your change as a good thing. They will think you are crazy for giving up that really secure job, relationship or opportunity that was good for something they can’t even envision as great.

This is where you have to remember it’s not their “great” it’s yours. Smile and keep moving toward great.

Great takes work and making that move toward it isn’t for everyone, sometimes good is where you need to be. But if the tug of something better and greater keeps nagging at you, are you going to walk away?

What I saw in my decision was the dream of owning my own business, helping people through my massage work and working very hard for myself and my dreams, not someone else. And 21 years later that is exactly what I have done and continue to do, loving each great moment.

But does it stop there? Nope because once you move from good to great, things keep happening that challenge you to keep moving into greatness. Once you are there you won’t look back, I promise!

Each journey from good to great is personal, unique and a choice. No one says that you have to quit your job and start your own business, good to great may be as simple as:

  • Making serious changes to your eating habits and working with a nutritionist.
  • Taking your exercise to the next level by hiring a personal trainer.
  • Stop the “I’ll do that (write, take an art class, etc.) when I have time” and just do it!
  • Show up for the time you set aside for yourself every day and honor it as if you were giving that time to someone you love. (you are that someone)
  • Decide what and who really needs to be in your life and start setting better boundaries.

Great has big rewards along with the work even in the simple things in our lives. Are you ready to move from good to great in one area of your life? Even when Resistance comes knocking? I would love to hear your comments in the comment section, on what area of your life you are ready to move to greatness and what will be your first step? Share the love of this post with someone who would also like to move into great and be each other’s support system. Your life is calling!

 

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Emotions. Don’t Judge, Just Flow.

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“Let your feelings flow freely, accept each one of them, know that they are your feelings and no one is to blame for them. Live from your essence and watch your feelings flow; only when you accept them can you understand the story of your life.”~ Patricia Selbert, The House of Six Doors.

Don’t you just love those Emoticons? You can put smiley faces all over emails, text messages and your Facebook updates. Even when you are not feeling so “smiley” you can hide behind those cute little faces.

Every day we are faced with a whirlwind of emotions; anger, joy, fear, love, jealousy and the list goes on. Some of these emotions we acknowledge and some we try desperately to push away.

Why do we want to push some away? 

For various reasons, the biggest one is out of shame for having an emotion that we feel is inappropriate at the time.

Imagine this, your best friend calls and tells you about a super exciting thing that just happened to her or him. You of course are excited too but lurking in the background is a little jealousy or even envy.

Now you feel terrible because “shame” has walked into the picture and the conversation in your head sounds like this: “How dare you feel that way when your friend has such good news. Don’t you know you are not supposed to?”

This type of conversation now begins the patrol of the “emotion police.”

The emotion police get their rules from lots of different places; what society dictated as acceptable, what your parents told you growing up, other authority figures in your past or even a close friend. Their job is to make you think that having some “unsavory” (their word not mine) emotional reaction will doom you to the far corners of shame and remorse hell, leaving you feeling terrible and overanalyzing the whole emotional thing way too much.

Let’s look at how to change this pattern and decide that this game with the emotion police has got to stop!

First remember that we are all human beings, who make mistakes and have emotions that sometimes feel out of our control. The thing we can control is the ability to recognize our emotions and call them by their names.

When you try to run away from envy or jealousy or anger, that emotion only becomes bigger and harder to deal with. Once you call anger, anger instead of being a little upset, you are no longer fighting that emotion. Instead of rationalizing or beating yourself up, sit with it and watch it flow by.

Saying hello to that unwanted emotion just means that you know it is present but you are choosing not to dance with it. It takes two to tango and without a dance partner the unwanted emotion will move along.

On the flip side, there will be times when that emotion needs you to take its hand and move around the dance floor, knowing that you are leading the dance and can quit whenever YOU feel ready.

You are always the lead dance partner in the emotional tango and you can watch from the sidelines or take a spin around the dance floor. The emotion police can no longer break into YOUR dance because you are calling the shots.

The more you practice, the better dance partner you will become and when those unwanted emotions come charging at you, you will be able to watch the show acknowledging each emotion by name and letting them slip out the door.

I would love to hear your comments below on how you handle letting emotions flow in your life. (you may have some juicy tips to share and we would love to hear them!) And as always share the love of this post with someone in your life that might need a little help getting rid of the “emotion police.”

 

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What Are You Willing To Give Up To Get More?

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“A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time.”~Mark Twain 

More what you may say? You can insert anything into the answer, more time, more focus, more space to create. The list can become never ending.

The “giving up” I want to talk about today is something that may seem easy until you choose to do it. Ready?

Bad habits and negative thoughts. Not too scary, right? Wrong!

These can be our most secure security blankets ever and as uncomfortable as they can be they do provide comfort and security. Crazy right?

For example, we all have our favorite go-to comfort food when life has handed us some heavy crap to deal with and I’m willing to bet that it’s not carrot sticks and yogurt. Comfort equals security. See where I’m going.

Now for the nitty gritty of this. Maybe you would like a little less stress in your day to day life. Which in turn would open up the possibility of more focus, which would lead to more time and in turn would allow you to create space for the things you truly want to do in your life.

See, getting more!  (this is not a rabbit hole I promise)

When you want to create something in your life, like less stress, more focus and more time then you have to be willing to sacrifice something to get it. Old habits out, new habits in. Old negative thoughts out, new positive ways of looking at things in.

A great exchange but oh boy what it takes to make it happen.

Let’s look at one way to give up something to get something better from my own personal experience. 

I wanted to make more time for writing which seemed impossible but I knew I had to make an exchange, give up to get more. For me, doing something that really spoke to my heart and what really needed my time, meant I had to stop thinking that 20 or 30 minutes was not enough time to spend on writing or anything of importance.

I would look at the clock around 8:30pm and think, “Oh it’s only 30 minutes before I need to start winding down for the night so I don’t have time to write.” So what would happen? I would fritter away that 30 minutes on Facebook, checking email, watching TV or doing something that truly wasn’t necessary. (see old habits and negative thoughts)

Then when I truly started searching for the time to write, guess where I found it? Yep, in that little 30 minute window that I didn’t think was enough time to accomplish much. Now it has become a new habit and I value that time because it allows me to do something that adds value to my life. Plus I am sharing my writing with you which is much more fulfilling than the other stuff I was doing.

Giving up those negative thoughts of not enough time and the habit of wasting time gives me so much more in return.

What are you willing to give up to get more? Start small, think about what you have been wishing for (even if it’s only an extra 30 minutes to call your own) and figure out what small habit or thought is preventing you from doing exactly what you want to do. Then share your ah-ha’s in the comment section below, I would love to hear your story.

Share the love of this post with someone in your life that would like to” get more ” in their lives too. 

* Feel like you don’t know where to start with this process or maybe you know what you want to change but not how to get there. I would love to help you! My Work With Me page is now up and running with 3 different ways to achieve your goals. Let me be your best cheerleader along your journey, helping you to achieve living a life you love. 

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What Are You Expecting From Your Expectations?

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“Expect a lot, accept a little and reward often” ~ Pat Parelli, Horse trainer

There are many differing opinions about expectations, some say keep them low and avoid disappointment. Others say to aim high and exceed them. The final consensus is to let go of them all and simplify your life completely. No expectations, no worries, mon!

So who’s really right?

High, low or no, what matters is your expectations and what you are expecting from yourself and others.

For example, when you start to make changes in your life or start moving toward your passion, you may expect everyone else in your life to be on the same page and feel exactly as you do. When they don’t you feel hurt and rejected because your expectations had you looking for acceptance and support.

“Don’t they understand what this means to me?”, becomes your battle cry and your distress builds leaving you angry and even more rejected.

How is the best way to deal with repeated hurt and rejection when others in your life do not meet your expectations?

First understand that you (and all of us) are human beings with differing perceptions and opinions. That’s what makes us all unique and what I call “the human factor.”

The thing that you were so fired up about may have sparked something different in the people closest to you, leading you to the disappointment of not getting the reaction you expected from your support system.

The best way to deal with expectations that leave you flat is to always add “the human factor” into the equation. This will take your expectations to a different level allowing you to view the situation through another’s eyes.

For me, I can set the expectations bar pretty high and will project it onto others. (love my sweet husband for usually pointing this one out) Doing this leaves me all ramped up and the inner critic becomes a very loud voice in my head who won’t shut the hell up! This is how the leap off the ledge of high expectations begins.

I have two choices, be mad because someone didn’t meet my personal expectations of what they should have done or not done or add the human factor into the situation and try to see things through their eyes.

Adding the human factor never means that you change your personal honor code of expectations (your morals), it just moves things to a different level so that you can step away and look at the bigger picture. When the bigger picture comes into view, you might see a reason to lower or release that expectation all together.

What about you? Are you willing to release some of your expectations or start adding the human factor into some of them for yourself and others? I would love to hear your comments and as always share this post with a friend.

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“Don’t Fence Me In” – The Truth Of Why You NEED Boundaries In Your Life

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“No” is a complete sentence.” ~ Anne Lamott

BOUNDARIES.

This can be a dirty word to some and a confusing word to most. Boundaries are associated with the victim, as in “I’m a victim and you can’t talk about this or that” or just being rude, as in “this is my line in the sand and you better not cross it.”

Neither of those two scenarios are the truth about the boundaries I want to share with you today.

These boundaries are all about adding more “Zen” in your life, creating space for the things that are important and “weeding out” the things that are less of a priority. Looking at what you really want to do with your life instead of standing on the sidelines wishing you had more time to do it.

Sound interesting? Then let’s look a little closer at what’s involved in changing some things in your life by adding boundaries.

First let me say that I have discussed boundaries before in a previous post but some of this is worth repeating. We all know to change anything in your life you need to hear it several times to make it stick.

  • Truth #1: The word “No” is truly a complete sentence just like the quote says and using it allows you to free up time and space in your own life. This revelation came to me when I turned 40 and I quickly discovered that using the word “No” really did get easier to say when you used it more often. Was there guilt involved the first few times of using it? Sure but after that came a sense of empowerment that I was staking a claim for me and what I really wanted to do in my life. The wisdom in this truth is, “When your cup is full it is much easier to give to others in your life.” 
  • Truth #2: Schedule your “free time” and use it wisely. You can check on all of your social hangouts and your email but do it in short time bursts. Save the big chunks of time for yourself to read, exercise, write or whatever makes your soul sing. Even if it’s taking time to sit in your backyard, you are replenishing energy that you need to fill your cup! (try this truth for just 24 hours and I promise you will feel different)
  •  Truth#3: “What you let into your life will define you.” Everyday we are bombarded by the latest this and that so ask yourself before you buy, “will it change my life for the better?” What I mean is this, will it give you what you truly want and need or is it just filling a void? Don’t define your life with stuff and wasted time, define it with what’s important to you. (side note: I have nothing against new stuff and if a new iPhone, iPad or Tablet makes your life easier then buy it. The truth here is that too much stuff can take up and waste your precious time.)
  • Truth #4: Age changes everything, older and wiser is very true so adjust your boundaries accordingly. For me the beginning of decades do amazing things and at 50 my boundaries really shifted. What was important before really started taking a back seat to a new set of priorities in my life. Make sure that you re-evaluate your life and boundaries on a regular basis.
  • Truth #5: (one of the biggest) Once we gain our life experience wisdom call upon it to deal with all of the relationships in your life. Decide who needs to stay in your inner circle and who needs to be on the fringes of your life. Who is sucking up your time and energy and who is easy to be with. Moving people in and out of your life does not make you a bad person it makes you a smart one. And this will make everyone wonder how you live your life so well and want to learn your secrets. (and share those secrets with them)

Add these truths, minus the guilt and worry, slowly and deliberately to your everyday life. Boundaries are NOT about “fencing you in” they are about reclaiming parts of your life just for you!

I would love to hear your comments on how boundaries have helped you reclaim parts of your life and the differences they have made. As always please share this post with someone who needs to learn the truth about boundaries too.

 

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How To Overcome Hitting The “Wall” When Pursuing Your Dreams

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“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” ~ Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

You have found it, your dream, your passion and now you are in high gear to pursue it. You are off to the races making strides, moving forward all the way and suddenly….

BAM!

You just hit the WALL, that solid surface that slams you hard and begs the question, “Why are you doing this?” or “Are you sure this is the right thing?” To which you will probably answer with a shrug of the shoulders, scratching your head saying “I truly don’t know.”

Ah, but you do know and this is just your first test to see if the path you are on is the right one.

Welcome to the journey, it’s going to be a great one!

I have a theory about the wall based on the fact that I too have hit it numerous times. There are usually two things that happen when you hit the wall, it is either temporary or it becomes a more permanent fixture that you can’t navigate around.

What does this mean? 

In the quote above, Randy says it beautifully, “The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” In other words when the wall is temporary it’s asking you “how bad do you really want this?” When your answer finally comes which will take some serious soul searching (and ice cream) then it comes with a resounding “Hell yes, I know I’m on the right path and I’m willing to do the work.” The wall will then disappear.

If there are more questions than answers and you are not getting that “hell yeah” clarity then the wall is there to help you find other directions or different ideas that would not have been brought to light without this intervention. This doesn’t mean not to pursue your dream, it just means that you need to look at all of the options.

Many times this is where people give up, throw their hands up in surrender and walk away. But the ones that keep their eyes focused on the dream, that don’t get discouraged and know that there is a path out there waiting to be taken are the ones that will defy the odds.

Don’t you want to be one of those people who will move past the wall?

Often we have a “pre-packaged” notion of how our dreams or passions should unfold, neat and tidy, ready for us to open and consume. When the wall makes us look beyond that notion and we do the work then the reward is moving to the next level of your dream.

The message to take away here is this; “Don’t let the wall stop you, know that it can be temporary or a detour sign pointing to a better way. Push on and defy the odds.”

 You have a purpose to fulfill and a life to live to it fullest. Do the work, stop listening to the naysayers and move Resistance to another state.

I would love to hear from you in the comments section below about how you have handled hitting the wall and how your life has been different since you got past it. Share the love of this post with someone you know that may be trying to get past the wall in pursuit of their dreams!

 

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The Invisible Force That Can Stop You From Getting What You Want.

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“Resistance will reason with you like a lawyer or jam a nine-millimeter in your face like a stickup man. Resistance has no conscience. It will pledge anything to get a deal, then double-cross you as soon as your back is turned. If you take Resistance at its word, you deserve everything you get. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.”

“To yield to Resistance deforms our spirit. It stunts us and makes us less than we are and were born to be.”~ Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

I just finished reading “The War of Art” (for the second time) and Steven Pressfield has Resistance pegged at every wicked twist and turn.

I was truly amazed at the ability of this “invisible force” to stop all of us in our tracks, to damage, delay and truly derail us in the pursuit of our dreams or even to improve our lives.

Even though Pressfield’s book was written about the pursuit of writing (mostly) and working through creative blocks, it truly applies to any aspect of our lives that we would like to improve. From simplifying your home, losing weight, breaking bad habits, or making that leap of faith to follow your dreams.

What does Resistance look like? Pressfield gives some great examples:

  • FEAR
  • self-sabotage
  • sabotage by others (usually those closest to you)
  • procrastination (this is the most common one)
  • self-dramazation
  • addiction (drugs, alcohol, internet, gambling, etc.)
  • trouble and cruelty to others
  • victimhood
  • criticism of others who are beating resistance

You are starting to get the picture of Resistance, right?

Resistance is the invisible force that can (not will) keep us miserable and searching for what we know in our heart and soul that we need to be doing. To beat it you must stay on your game at all times and be vigilant in your task. Pressfield calls this,” turning pro.“

Pressfield also refers to “calling on your muse” for help also. Your muse is your allies, angels, genius or whatever you may call the unseen helpers in your life.

Turning pro means that you are willing to do the work, nose to the grindstone and embracing every aspect of the work. You are not waiting for success to find you, you are making it happen!

When you make up your mind to view yourself as pro the will to do the work follows.This is true whether you are following your dreams or wanting to lose 20 pounds.

To Resistance it doesn’t matter which dream or goal you choose, the minute you stop doing what you know you need to do then Resistance dances across the goal line and scores.

Doing the work is not easy and with Resistance nipping at your heels it will be tedious but you owe it to yourself and the rest of the world the effort it will take. Once you do turn pro then your work will take on a different feel and the things that were a big deal no longer appear that way.

Let’s look at the qualities of turning pro: (see if you like these better)

  • Patience, the pro is willing to wait for gratification instead of jumping in head first with a level of intensity that cannot be maintained.
  • Eliminates chaos and demands order in his/her life.
  • Acts in the face of fear instead of trying to overcome it.
  • Accepts no excuses for not doing the work every day, regardless of what Resistance has conjured up.
  • Is prepared each day to confront his own self-sabotage.
  • Dedicates him or herself to mastering the technique and learning as much as he/she can.
  • DOES NOT HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP (do I need to say this one again)
  • Distance him/herself from failure or success, in other words, doesn’t take either one personally.
  • Self-validates
  • Knows his/her limitations and hires other professionals if needed.

Resistance is something that will always haunt your pursuits, how you handle it is up to you. I hope you choose to kick its ass by approaching everything you pursue by turning pro. Regardless of how small you think the job is do it like your life depends on it.

Now I would love to hear your comments about how you have beaten Resistance by turning pro or how Resistance is really kicking you right now and how you plan on turning pro to beat it.

Thanks for reading and please share the love  of this post with someone in your life who might need help battling Resistance. We are all here to help each other!

 

 

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Simple Isn’t Always Easy

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“The greatest step towards a life of simplicity is to learn to let go.” 
~ Steve Maraboli

We all wish we had an “Easy” button to push when we want to make changes in our lives, press the button and change happens magically.

When I finished writing the “5 Steps To Put More “Zen” Into Your Life” for the Zen Chick community members (not a member yet? Sign up and receive it for free) it all sounded so easy. But I knew regardless of how simple it all sounded it would take real work to make it happen.

Once we commit to the task of change and the work it involves, we are then faced with our nemesis, resistance.

Resistance steps in, and reminds us that we can’t change and why would we want to. Things are good just the way they are and haven’t we heard this same old tired pitch before. It didn’t work for us then so why should it now.

And the big one…….it’s just too simple to really work.

Now simple has become very hard to do.

The minute you hear the battle cry of resistance, which is “I have heard this all before“ this is your turning point. This is where you need to tune in instead of tuning out because there is some new bit of information in this simple change that will help you along your path. Once you tune in, resistance will weaken and you have the choice to move forward.

Or go back to the “same ole same ole” and wonder why your life still sucks.

Everything that is worth anything will require some work especially if it’s moving you toward your dream, your passion or even the thing that makes you dance in your living room with sheer joy.

Simple changes can provide the biggest rewards in your life if you start slowly, one baby step at a time, not expecting an overnight miracle. (or that instant gratification thing)

For example, let’s say one of the changes you want to make is organizing and uncluttering your life starting with your house. You can look at the big picture, the whole house and it’s just too overwhelming. So you start with one drawer, one closet or one counter surface and you move slowly one step at a time.

Every day you make progress, step by step, slow and steady. Then when you have completed let’s say one room, you have freed up more time and space in your life and your house for what you really want to do.

Was it work? Yes.

Was the change concept simple? Yes.

Was the payoff (more time for you) worth the effort? YES!

You deserve to live a life you truly love filled with time for the things that truly mean something to you. So take that simple first step, welcome change into your life and do the work it takes. And kick resistance out the door! You will be so glad you did.

I would love to hear your comments on some of the simple changes you have made in your life and your method for making a smooth transition.

Share the love of this article on your FB page, Twitter or email it to a friend! 

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You Owe The World Your Gifts, Don’t Shortchange Us!

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“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”~Henry Van Dyke

Why you may ask? Or you may think, “I don’t have anything worth sharing or anything that anyone would be interested in.”

Oh but you are so wrong!

We look at all the other people around us and think they are more talented, smarter, or have it all together. They have a right to share their talents with the world because their work/gifts are so needed and they can really make a difference.

It’s so easy to get caught up in this thinking, to diminish our talents, our gifts because they don’t measure up to what someone else can do. But that thinking has to stop right now!

You never know what an impact you can make on someone’s life with your written word, a song, a drawing, a listening ear or a hand to hold. We often think that our gifts have to be tangible things but sometimes the greatest gift is the gift of just being present when someone needs you.

In Native American culture, there isn’t a word translation for artist because they believe that everyone in the tribe has a talent, a gift that they are revered for within the tribe. That talent or gift is neither looked upon as lesser or greater, they are all seen as equal. If one person is a great warrior and another is a good listener, they are revered the same because their talents/gifts are what makes the tribe a cohesive community.

Aren’t we all looking to live in a community that is filled with people who give their talents and gifts openly? 

So how do you find your talents/gifts if they are not obvious to you? How do you find the truth to your hidden talents/gifts?

Your secret weapon for uncovering the truth…….your friends.

Your really close friends will surprise you with their insights. They already know your talents/gifts and will quickly point them out to you. Once you uncover the truth, use it! Don’t shrink back into hiding, don’t shy away from compliments. Be proud of what you have to offer us and quit making excuses.

And please don’t wait for someone else to “do it better.” Your gifts/talents are unique to you and no one can do it the way you do so quit fooling yourself.

Ready to change the world? Give us your best stuff and the world will be a much better place to live.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what gifts you have to offer the world! Be brave and share with all of us. Also I would love for you to share the love of this post with someone who you feel has some “untapped” gifts/talents to share.

Plant your flag proudly and fly it freely. The world needs you!

 

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Are You “Stuck” In Your Life? How To Get Out Of The Rut!

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“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”~Steve Jobs

We have all been there.

Feeling like we are in such a rut that it would take a steam shovel to dig us out. Once we are there we can’t see a way out even though the answer might be very simple.

We are always looking for the most complicated reason we can find of why we are stuck because we believe it has to be complicated or we would have fixed it already!  We then miss the truly simple reasons that will allow us to get “unstuck” and move forward.

Being stuck is a part of life’s journey and we find ourselves there for lots of reasons usually when we feel like we are on a dead end path in our jobs, relationships or when we are really trying to change our lives.

But how do you get “unstuck” once you get there?

 My answer: Keep it simple! And here’s some suggestions:

Time management~ mismanagement of your time can easily put you in a deep rut that sounds like “I don’t have enough time to pursue the life I want to live.”  We all have the same 24 hours in a day (thanks Marie) to pursue that new job, your dream or new relationship but we can waste all of our precious time spinning our wheels. Do you really need to check Facebook , Twitter or email every hour? What if you set aside a part of your day, yes block it out on your calendar, to find out what would light up your world,  or research the job market, or cultivate a new relationship. Would that not be a better use of your time?

Organizing~goes hand and hand with time management and being disorganized can also stick you in the same rut. Paying attention to the little things, like organizing your time, which leads to your schedule, which leads to your calendar (do you see the theme here?) can bring your life back into focus and get you out of that rut. Also organizing your environment, your desk, house and car will clear your mind and expand your time.

Now a side note here: these two simple changes are easy if you take them slowly. You cannot wake up one morning and decide that you are going to change your time management schedule and organize your whole existence in one day. Take one area of each and apply them daily. Baby steps will get you there with your sanity intact. 

Shake up your daily habits~which will reengage your brain. Choose a different route to work, take your lunch at a different time or do your morning routine in a different order. Shake up those brain cells so you can “unstick” your thoughts. Changing those patterns makes you more open to receive new information coming into your life and help you with the first two suggestions, time management and organization.

Trust your intuition and your heart~(so true Steve Jobs) they will move you forward if you trust the direction they take you. We are always challenging these two with the “I can’t’s and I really shouldn’t” monologue. So stop those mantras and try just listening to what is truly being said. The answer you need to “unstick” your life might be whispered in your ear.

Stay focused~ on where you are right now. Being stuck can also be the way to deal with a past issue that really needs your attention. Sit with the issue if it presents itself and see what it can teach you. Try to stay focused on today and again use baby steps to help get you out of your rut!

I hope these simple steps WILL help you start the process of getting “unstuck” and moving into a life you love. Be gentle with yourself during the process and remember it will take time so breathe and trust where you are right now.

I would love to hear your thoughts on how these steps helped you and what other things you have found that works for you in your life. So leave a comment in the comment section and share those thoughts with all of us.

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photo credit: 2-Dog-Farm via photopin cc