Zen Chick

Zen Chick

Slow down. Simplify. Love your life.

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

Tiny Action Steps = The Wake-Up Call For Your Life

By Leave a Comment

“Baby steps count, too, as long as you’re moving forward.”

~Chris Gardner

I have been struggling with something, and maybe you can relate. A couple of years ago, I declared lots of white space in my calendar after hitting the wall, HARD, and burning down and out. 

Last year, I still set no goals or agendas, letting things free flow and waiting for something to drop from the sky: a project, an agenda, a reason to focus and work. 

Nothing! 

Okay I thought, I will still allow white space and time, letting the Universe tell me what I need to do.

Still Nothing!

Let me stop right here and say, I’m not a proponent for busy just to say I’m busy because creativity and ideas do need white space and time for things to take form. But what I have discovered this new year, is you need to take action in the form of movement for the Universe (aka Muse) to take you seriously. 

Baby steps to let the Universe know that you are ready to move forward, that you are welcoming what it may bring your way and you are ready to receive. 

During my morning meditation the message I received from my Sacred Path cards, was Warbonnet, which means Advance. Here’s one of the questions from the card’s description:

“Am I willing to be a pathfinder and to explore the possibilities of my future creations by boldly taking action now?”

Small steps, revisiting some creative ideas, tweaking some projects, setting a simple agenda to start working on some of these things I’ve started dusting off. Showing the Universe that I am here and I’m ready once again.

So I ask of you, “Are you ready to take that action, to move forward with baby steps, and explore your future creations?”

I hope you will join me in not being busy for the sake of doing something but moving toward that project, idea or thought that keeps dogging you. See if it is worthy of your time and energy or if there is something beyond that old idea that needs more of your attention. 

2019 is our year of putting things out in the world that the world needs. That “need” is YOU, your ideas, energy and how you show up for others.

Peace, Love and Tiny Steps!

P.S. I was interviewed Monday by a local writer, here is the article.

If you are on FB, you can find it here. Feel free to share and show this writer some love by following. Thanks!

My Independence Day – One Year Later

By Leave a Comment

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~ Mary Oliver

(disclaimer: this article is not intended to “shame” anyone who is still on FB or Twitter, it is about my journey and what I have learned this past year.)

My Independence Day is actually on July 19th, 2017, when I declared my independence from Facebook and Twitter by deactivating both accounts. As I celebrate my one year anniversary, I want to share with you what I have learned.

Let me begin by being completely honest, I still have an Instagram account that I visit maybe every 4 or 5 days, sometimes less frequently, so I do have a social media connection, but Facebook was my biggest addiction, with Twitter jumping in from time to time.

One year later and yes I documented the day to see how long I could go without the lure of FB and Twitter, life continues to go on, the world is still turning, and my ability to connect is stronger than ever!

What???? You can connect without social media (yes you know this already but let me remind you)

I have had lunches, dinners, and coffees, catching up with people who I have not seen in years by reaching out with emails, calls or letters and been more “social” in the last year since ditching social media than ever before.

I am doing more reading and writing, even starting a series here on Zen Chick called Spirit Moon Notes, delivered before the new and full moon of each month. Each note, explains the energy associated with those moon phases and gives a journal prompt to help you process that energy.

My creativity and intuition are better because I have more time for them both and I can listen more closely to them. I’m more connected with nature and the natural rhythms of life.

Now, before you think that its all been rainbows and unicorns, it has not, the first week, I got itchy, wanting something to distract me, like social media. There are still times when I get my addiction other ways, like the news feed app, which I recently deleted from my phone and iPad. And I do catch myself reaching for Instagram too often at times so again; I deleted the app.

My “monkey mind” is a busy little thing and I have to direct that cute little monkey to things that are worthy of my attention. It’s a process, and as long as I have a phone, iPad, and computer, the temptation will always be there.

But the difference I see in my life right now and the fact that I don’t miss FB or Twitter, keeps me moving forward with my “independence.” And for me, that feels good.

Let me hear from you in the comments; is there something in your life (not necessarily social media) that you have let go of that has given you a new sense of freedom or independence?

Sharing is caring, so please share because we all learn from each other.

Peace and Love!

 

 

Trending Now: Simplicity

By Leave a Comment

“It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease.

Hack away at the inessentials.” ~ Bruce Lee

There’s a new trend happening on the internet, and it’s been catching on like wildfire. It’s called, “Simplicity” and it’s making a come back in the digital world.

At the beginning of 2018, there was chatter among some of the well-known bloggers/writers that I follow, saying they wanted to take their businesses back down to a more simple format, less tech, less social media, more service to the people on their lists. Less fuss, more time for themselves and more service to the people that follow them.

Tear it down, rebuild the empire and take it back to old school “simple.”

With the more recent news of data breaches on Facebook and other social media outlets, even more, bloggers/writers/online businesses are ditching their social media accounts, going back to basics, only serving their tribes and feeling good about knowing people will find them without all of the “social fluff.”

Can I say I love all of this!

I ditched Facebook 9 months ago, along with Twitter and now only have an Instagram account that doesn’t see a lot of activity. Have I missed being less connected through social media? The answer is a resounding “No!”

What has happened to me personally, without social media, is more of a desire to connect face to face with friends and family, to teach more workshops and to share more through my writing. I don’t worry about the number of subscribers or people finding out about my workshops; I’m of the belief that people will find you when they need what you have to offer.

To some this may sound lame or a wrong business model, but it gives me the ability to change, tweak and take my time building what I want to develop without worrying about posting on FB, tweeting it out on Twitter or keeping track of  “likes” and tags.

Simplicity is where Zen Chick started, and that is where I will stay, making my life and hopefully yours a little more simple with my words and suggestions.

So ditch social media? That choice is yours, and I’m not here to make you feel guilty, but ask yourself how much simpler your life might be if you have a little more of your time back? Try a short sabbatical from social media and see how that feels, if it feels good then go a bit longer.

Connect with your friends, face to face more often, make dinner plans, go for coffee, get with your tribe. We are all herd animals, we need our peeps, and we need to connect on a physical level. Having a little more time in your life can make that possible.

Now, let me hear from you, how else could you simplify your life, what is one other little change you could make to add more time and less stress? Sharing is caring, and we all need to learn from each other so please share in the comments and share this post with someone in your life.

Peace and Love,

Gay ~ Zen Chick

 

Shifting My Thoughts, Changing My Year

By Leave a Comment

Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world,

Today I am wise, so I’m changing myself.

When 2018 started, I was completely determined to make it MY YEAR! I turn 60 this year and with the beginning of each new decade of my life, I like to start it off with a bang! Some dramatic change that adds simplicity and peels away all of the layers of living that I have accumulated. (you can only carry around so much emotional baggage!)

So this year I was determined to stay focused on the positive, every day, regardless of what else is going on in my world or the world as a whole. I set a few intentions for this year, one was to continue to maintain my daily meditation practice, listen to my intuition more and let go of worry, doubt and overwhelm.

In the last two weeks, the Universe decided to put the shift in my thinking to the test, delivering me a series “what else could go wrong?” antics. What I found when I shifted and focused on as much positive as I could, was angels disguised as humans.

Angels who helped me navigate my situation, no questions asked. Who remained calm and kept my problem in their sights and worked with me. Angels who, when I became frustrated, empathized and once again remained calm. And even a “coffee angel” who gave me a much-needed cup of that wonderful brew. (most of you know how I feel about my coffee LOL)

As I write this and look back on these last two weeks, I see and appreciate the blessings that these angels gave to me and how even in the face of lots of frustration and stress, focusing on the positive made things easier.

I know this year will be filled with more of these challenges, I fully expect it because life is a bumpy, rough journey with smooth edges thrown in to temper the path. But knowing that my journey now is the beginning of a new decade, I’m more determined to make more smooth edges and smile often over the rough parts.

How about you? Can you join me in this new way of thinking and together we can be wise enough to change ourselves? What a beautiful impact we could make on the whole world.

Leave a comment and tell me what shifts you have made in your thinking. And please share this post with a friend.

Peace and Love!

How Will You Shape Your 2018?

By Leave a Comment

“You will always belong anywhere you show up as yourself and talk about yourself and your work in a real way.”
― Brené Brown, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone

I don’t know about all of you but 2018 can’t get here fast enough! 2017 has been an emotional roller coaster with the political front, the news front, personal front and everything in between. Whew!

I want to open your mind to a different way of shaping your life as you move into 2018. Astrologically speaking, according to Jennifer Racioppi, this year will be about moving in the direction of your soul as Saturn animates your life lessons. Sounds a little deep but now is the time that the world needs the real you to step forward.

For me, this brings up a lot of questions about choices versus obligations and living more authentically as my true self.

Let me clarify about choices versus obligations, from my last post about my adult kids, where they made a conscious choice to take an emotional timeout for the holidays, obligation did not come into play which was a wonderful thing. They changed what would be an obligation to a choice.

Now before you start ticking off your “obligations,” and yes we all have some that we have to do, ask yourself could some of them change into “choices?” For 2018, ask yourself first, “Could this obligation be a choice instead?” and if the answer is yes, then you get to decide whether it will fit into your new life.

Now, let’s look at living and showing up as authentically as you possibly can in 2018. We all wear “masks” in our lives, the faces we show certain people or use in specific situations. What if we slowly started revealing our true selves in all situations, basing our “choices” on what our authentic selves would want to do instead of how it would fit the “mask.”

“You are only free when you realize you belong no place—you belong every place—no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.”-Maya Angelou

When you start to live authentically, you will feel that you belong no place which can be very lonely at first. Then slowly and trust me this is a s-l-o-w process which may not even be completed in quite a few years, you will realize that yes the price is high, people won’t like the new you but in the end the reward is great! Living a truly authentic life, freeing the chains that may have bound you could not be a better way to start 2018.

To start this journey, ask yourself, what roadblocks stand in my way for me to make more choices instead of obligations and for me to live my life as authentically as possible? Write them down and be as honest as you can.

Then with the arrival of the Full Moon on January 1st, 2018, it is the perfect time to let go (burn or tear up your list) of what is standing in your way, what you don’t need in your life anymore and what your true intentions are for this beautiful New Year.

I wish you the best for 2018 and together we will slay some demons and create a space for all of us to live our lives authentically. Please share with someone in your life that needs to reshape their 2018.

Peace and love

Stress Is NOT A Badge Of Honor

By Leave a Comment

“You pay for stress all the same way, no matter how good the reasons.” ~ unknown

I’ve been a massage therapist for 25 years and I see stress up close every day in the work I do with my clients. Stress is something we all experience, some days or weeks more than others and it’s called “Life.”

Here’s where my issue comes in with stress and women (sorry guys this is all about the ladies) is when I hear a woman that is “proud” of how stressed she is, saying things like “See I knew my shoulders were so tight, didn’t I tell you!” or “I knew I had all of these knots that I can’t get rid of and I don’t have time to take care of myself.”

The response I feel these women want is, “Good girl, I’m so proud of you for carrying that stress around like a real trooper and I want you to continue piling it on because it will prove you are a really tough girl!”

Society teaches us, as women, that we should “put on our big girl pants” and take everything on ourselves while the rest of the world marvels at our tenacity. That mindset translates into a warped sense of a job well done, a job that will kill us if we don’t stop holding it up as a badge of honor!

So how do you stop?

Start by listening to your words around stress, listen to your girlfriends’ words around their stress, remind yourself and them that “doing it all” is not a worthy merit badge to work toward nor to brag about.

Ease up, (I promise the world won’t stop revolving), take a little time to reflect on why you think you need that badge of honor. Is it guilt? Or a sense of duty? Or is it the way things have always been and the fear of change is standing in the way?

Taking time out for YOU is a much better badge of honor to earn and by working toward that badge, you are also teaching each of us that it’s okay to have that time.

PLEASE, we need the power and beautiful energy of women now, more than ever before. The more you take care of yourself and diffuse the stress, the more your light shines brightly on Mother Earth.

And that can heal a lot more than just tight shoulders!

Peace and Love to you all!

The Break-Up

By Leave a Comment

“Because I know that at the end of my life, sharing pics & quips & LOLs & emoticons & working diligently to create a “presence”  on social media networking platforms & eagerly seeking “likes” & “shares” & “hearts” and so forth is not a time investment that I will feel proud of. To the contrary, it’s one I will probably regret.”

~ Alexandra Franzen

It happened once again but this time it was expected, the signs were there and I had been ignoring them for a while. The lost time, the anxiety, the dilemma of what to do or not do, the anger and frustration.

Now it’s done and it was simple, to the point and not really messy at all. (okay it was a little messy)  It’s only been a few days but I feel free, light and my new life resides in the “clueless” realm.

My break up was with Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, with Instagram hanging in the balance. I also broke up with all of my news feed apps and right now am living mostly “clueless.”

What pushed me over the edge? A single email from a beautiful soul named Alex that arrived in my inbox, asking these questions: “Do I have to?”, Do I need that?”, Could there be another way?” and my all time favorite, “What would happen if I just stopped?”

You won’t find Alex on Facebook, Twitter or any social media sites, she doesn’t run her business or life that way but is a powerful writer and has been hired by some of the best, besides writing her own books.

Okay so back to me and my choice, once I asked those 4 questions, I knew that my time, (which I could easily lose on one of those sites), the ease and joy of my life, and my creativity were all suffering from information overload. Simple is what I want my life to be and complicated is what it had become from too much information.

Which leads me to clueless. You see for information that I need or want, interactions with my friends, a lunch date or Saturday morning trip to the farmers market, does the work better than clicking on an app. I am making a conscience choice of whether or not I want to ask the question about what is happening or choose to be clueless.

Let me stop here and say, I’m not putting anyone one down for being on Facebook or any social media sites if it works for you, rock it on! But this is my third round of going off and I wanted it to really stick so I went for broke by deactivating them all.

So if you are already a part of my fantastic Zen Chick community, I will still be here, listening to and writing for all of you. If not and you are reading this, please join us by subscribing below this post. I will be around on my farm enjoying the beauty of nature, my hubby, and our animal family or at my business helping people feel better about their bodies and possibly their lives.

Peace and big love!

What To Do Next……

By Leave a Comment

This is a follow up from our last post about moving a little clutter out of your life.

You have found a couple of things that you need to move out of the way so you can get very clear on the things you want to do in your life. And the next question is, “Now what?”

Here are a few of suggestions:

  • Write down your reasons for leaving those things behind. Why do they no longer serve your life? Then write down how this “new thing” will enhance your life. Even if it is as simple as, “I want to read more books to help me reduce my stress”, making that statement in writing gives it “legs” in your life.

 

  • Okay so writing down your ideas is not your gig, then call on a good friend. Say out loud why you need to move one thing off your plate to add something you really want to be doing. Have your friend listen until you have pled your case because once you start that stream of consciousness you don’t want it interrupted. Then your friend can play “devil’s advocate”, listing pros and cons to your choices.

 

  • Sit with your decision and listen for that inner voice to give you guidance. When we shut down the external world (and that includes all technology) your inner guidance will speak. Getting closer to that voice again will make future decisions easier.

 

  • Make a plan! Maybe the thing you need to get out of your life involves other people so plan ahead on how you want to deliver the news. And don’t feel like you need to apologize but instead offer a simple explanation, “Things are changing in my life right now and I’m rearranging some things on my plate.”

 

  • And last but not least, sometimes you need help from someone completely out of your tribe. A neutral third party who doesn’t know you (or knows you a little) that can help guide you through the obstacles. This could be a mentor, business coach, counselor or someone else that can see the big picture. Go for it! Anything that can move you forward, clear that clutter and move you into the things you really want to be doing is well worth your time and effort.

These are just a few ways for you to change things in your life so you are truly making room for the things that bring you joy. Stop putting these beautiful things on the back burner because your soul is calling for you to make them a priority.

Let me hear from you in the comments, have you found another way to help you remove some clutter from your life? Remember sharing your wisdom may help someone else.

Peace and Love!

It’s Spring! Time To “Dust” Your Life

By Leave a Comment

“Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow” ~unknown

Here in the South spring is in the air. Warmer days, nights still cool, more daylight and the call to plant, clean and clear clutter has a strong draw on all of us. Putting your hands in the cool earth to plant, taking a box of stuff to Goodwill or just sitting in the sunshine, lifts your heart and makes your life feel a little lighter.

Have you ever thought about clearing, cleaning and planting your life on the inside while doing all of the physical stuff on the outside?

As you leave Fall and Winter behind, which are months of introspect and taking stock of the past year, Spring presents us with the opportunity to open ourselves up to new ideas, get rid of the stagnant stuff that has us weighted down and decide how to shape the year ahead.

“To get clear on where you want to go, you have to move clutter off the path.”

Just as I have learned, if you keep piling stuff on, the voice you need to hear (the one that speaks your truth) can’t get through all of the crap in the way. The idea you thought was a good one gets left behind because the confirmation you were looking for got tired of talking over top of the clutter piled up in its way.

It’s simple really, think about the things in your life right now that are truly clutter. The things that bog you down because they don’t serve you any more or you are afraid to stop doing them. Or the little things that occupy your mind so you can stay just “busy” enough not to explore that idea you had.

If you dumped some or at least one of those things, what kind of difference would it make in your life?

I’m going to make a guess that after reading that question you immediately knew the one thing to get rid of to make room for the things you really want to do that would bring much more joy to your life.

And Spring is all about the joy of starting anew, planting seeds and growing ideas. So grab that mental feather duster and start clearing the dust off of your life. Slow and steady a little bit at a time and soon your path will be clutter free.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

 

 

Finding My Way Back To Meditation

By Leave a Comment

“The thing about meditation is you become more and more you.”

~ David Lynch

For those of you that have been in this community awhile I have talked about my failed attempts at meditation and how my true form of it was on my tractor mowing my pastures. All of that changed this past month when I attended a meditation retreat and truly learned what I had been missing.

First you have to know that the big “lure” of this retreat was, (a) to get away with a good friend and have some girl time and (b) to get my continuing education credits for my licensure as a massage therapist. The rest was going to be some much needed R&R.

But what I received from the retreat far exceeded my expectations and allowed me to move into a deeper level of understanding of myself and my life.

A little backstory first; coming into this retreat I had just lost my Mom after 6 months in hospice care, spending my weekends with her so as I like to say I was still trying to “find my footing” again. My life up to this point had been my work and my Mom with everything else taking a backseat. That time was precious to me and I was blessed to have it right up to the time of her passing on from this world.

Coming from all of that I was going into this retreat still exhausted both mentally and physically which proved to be the best thing I could have done. All of my defenses were down so I was able to be open and ready for anything.

Arriving at the retreat center was an experience unto itself, the place was nestled in my mountains, the beautiful Blue Ridge with a breathtaking view every morning from the window of our room. And it was so quiet, the absence of  “city noises” along with the sounds of nature immediately brought you into a more peaceful space.

Walking everywhere, eating only vegetarian food, smiles and true southern hospitality put both of us into another world.

Then there were our amazing teachers, Sharon and Tracey, who quickly dispelled my thoughts of meditating one way….sitting cross legged, breathing deeply and emptying your mind. Don’t get me wrong we did a lot of just that but it was intermixed with movement meditation, walking meditation, coloring mandalas, drumming and chanting meditation that sent you on a magic journey and learning the art of deep listening.

What started to happen to me was an amazing transformation of seeing what was really important in my life, what needed to be given up and truly appreciating the gift my Mom had given me which was a new found freedom, the freedom to regain a different balance in my life.

That gift of freedom meant letting go of so much control which had been heightened in those 6 months with my Mom which I fought all weekend. The fear of just being instead of controlling was scary and intriguing at the same time.

Two things happened that changed it all for me, a mantra that came up while I was walking the labyrinth (“All is not lost”) and on a separate walking meditation feeling the presence of someone walking so close behind me I could hear footsteps crunching the gravel.

Letting go and dropping the control thing for me translated into a feeling of not being supported since I always needed to be “in charge.” The mantra and the presence during my walking meditation (which I know was my Mom) showed me was that I would have so much more support if I just showed up, trusted and let go.

 Now here I sit, 6 weeks out from the retreat, doing my 5 or 10 minutes of meditation every morning and working very hard at dropping all control.

What have I learned? That meditating just 5 minutes every day does make a wonderful difference in how I start my day and when I feel stressed the “control issue” comes flying back full force. And when it does I breathe deeply, forgive myself and move forward, knowing that once I recognize the triggers I will be able to let go even more.

And that is a very good feeling!