“As long as there was coffee in the world, how bad could things be?” 
― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

All of my friends know that I love my coffee and a good conversation always goes better with a cup of that wonderful aromatic brew.

This is your invitation to pull up a chair with your favorite brew and join me for a series of Sunday Chats. (hat tip to Chris Brogan for letting me run with his idea.) We will be chatting about breaking through some barriers, simplifying your life and moving toward the life you love for 2013. This is going to be a very positive year and I want all of you to get the best out of it.

I hope you will join me on Sundays, spending a few minutes reading, reflecting and commenting on how you want your life to move forward or how you may be stuck and need help getting out of your rut.

If you are already one of my fantastic members in the Zen Chick Community then you will receive the Sunday Chat series by email. If you are new to the community join us by subscribing in the subscription box above this post.

You can add your voice to the chat by replying to any email and letting me know what subject you would like to delve into that will help you move forward in your life. For a more open discussion you can comment here on this post or on our Zen Chick Facebook page and interact with other members.

Last but not least the series will run every other Sunday which will give you time to digest the information and apply it to your life. Cluttering your inbox is not the purpose of this series so if  you find that the timing or content is not right for you, feel free to opt out.

I hope all of you find value in this series and I’m looking forward to connecting on a more personal level. So grab your cup of coffee, slow down and spend a few minutes on yourself and the life you want.

 *The series will begin on Sunday December 16th. 

 

 

photo credit: Belopa via photopin cc

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst”~William Penn

The challenge was offered by Joshua of The Minimalists, “What are you willing to give up for 30 days?” 

I had been toying with the idea of 30 days of no personal Facebook time but his challenge gave me the fuel I needed. The one exception to this rule was only updating my blog and business pages once every few days. To make this challenge even more interesting I added giving up the morning news.

I never considered myself a Facebook addict, I did what I considered the “norm” checking in 3 or 4 times a day. What started happening during these daily visits though is more and more of my precious time was getting sucked into the Facebook vortex.

Then it became a habit, something I did every day whether I was updating my pages or not and I knew it had to stop!

So the challenge began and little did I realize what an incredible effect this 30 days would have by teaching me the value of my time and my life.

The first few days were a little tedious mainly because when the home page comes up you want to scroll down and see what is happening with all of your friends. I didn’t and once I moved past those first few days my momentum kept growing. I started noticing that I felt lighter and my mind was moving into a more creative mode.

In the absence of the morning news, my husband and I were eating our breakfast together at the table and talking. Yes, talking and enjoying the start of our day.

When you totally devoid yourself of all current events you will always have someone to keep you updated. My clients and friends would do just that, tell me about all of the happenings of the world with details and drama included.

Here’s the first amazing thing I noticed: By being Facebook-less and without the news my emotional response to any news I heard was diminished greatly. I didn’t have it thrown in my face over and over on Facebook or repeated on the morning and evening news. I could hear it from a third party, talk about and move on instead of being absorbed in the situation.

Day 9 produced the next amazing observation: There was space in my mind for other things to filter in and  the creative ideas poured in like pouring water into a bowl. The writing and creating started happening so fast that I had trouble getting all of these ideas down on paper.

This really started me wondering about what happens to all of our creativity when we fill up space in our minds with mindless things, like Facebook and other social media, too much news, reality TV and so on. What would this world be like if all of that collective creativity was released instead of suppressed?

Personally I think it would be awesome!

After day 9 each day became easier and easier. I lost that feeling of missing out on what was happening in the world and with my friends. I allowed my new found space in my mind to be taken up with things of my own choosing and have found that even now after my 30 days are up I’m more guarded about how I spend my time. Yes I can still fall into the Facebook trap or get back into watching the news so there is no perfect solution but there is CHOICE and I have chosen to spend my time on the things that I think are more important in my life, one of which is my writing.

What about you? Is there something in your life that you have been wanting to give up and needed that little push to do it? It doesn’t have to be something big, more to the point sometimes it can be something small that can have the biggest impact. You won’t know until you try.

To “pay it forward” I would like to offer up the same challenge to you, my wonderful readers. What are you willing to give up for 30 days? 

Love to hear your comments on what you would like to give up and report back after 30 days to hear how you did. Remember we are all here to help each other and what you learn along your journey may help someone else. I hope my journey helped you!

 

 

photo credit: Fiduz via photopin cc

“A year from now you will wish you had started today.” -Karen Lamb

To help you start I want to give you a chance to win this great book, “The $100 Startup” by Chris Guillebeau, and because I truly believe that everyone has the ability to be a “micro-entrepreneur” I have decided to giveaway two books instead of just one.

All you need to do is add a comment saying “Count me in.” Also in your comment I would love to hear what future post or helpful ebook you would like to see me write to help you live the life you love! Comments will be numbered in order, for example, if you comment first then your number is 1. The winner will be picked using random.org. Deadline is Sunday October 14th at midnight.

Take that idea off the shelf, dust it off  and together let’s find a way to move it into a micro-business. Looking forward to hearing from all of you!

(If you are a member of the Zen Chick Community and receive this by email, click on the Zen Chick name to deliver your comment. Thanks for being a part of our community and your thoughts are greatly appreciated.)

** Congratulations to Brenda, Melody and Marcelle! They were the winners of the book giveaway and I’m so glad to see them making the first step toward “living the life they love.” **

Oh happiness, why do you elude us? We want you to jump on our backs like fleas on a dog and bite a bit of cheer into our every day. Once bitten, we try so hard to rid ourselves of you, scratching and clawing to get you out of our lives. Where does this vicious cycle end?

Every day we search endlessly for happiness. We look for happiness in objects, in people, in our jobs and in different locations. While we might get a glimpse or a whisper of happiness from time to time, it still refuses to stay with us for very long.

Or is it the other way around?

Once we have happiness and start enjoying the presence of its company we start trying to find ways to sabotage the feeling. We feel guilty because we are happy and others are not or we don’t feel worthy of that happiness feeling. So off we go to make ourselves unhappy and shake happiness out of our very souls.

Happiness is a choice, a conscience choice that needs to be nurtured and stroked like a cute furry puppy. When we want that puppy to lie still beside us, we cuddle and rub its belly, speaking softly and gently. If you want happiness to stay and be your constant companion you have to make room for happiness to grow. To do this you will have to make the choice of letting go of some old ideas that conflict with you being happy.

From my own personal experience, one of the biggest things that will stand in your way of happiness is the desire to always be right. Sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud doesn’t it but it’s true. The more you try to be right the harder you have to work at being right instead of just being happy.

You deserve to be happy!

Make that choice to put the same effort into happiness as you do at always being right. Work at being happy, make a mantra out of “Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?” Be willing to make the effort to change just one thing about being right and see what happens. Then do it again and see what happens. Each time it will get easier and you will find the company of happiness more often.

Clear out some space in your life and stop your search for happiness. It is as close as warm puppy breath on your cheek, always there…..just waiting. Tell happiness to stay and tell yourself it’s okay if it stays. There’s always room.

 

photo credit: rkleine via photo pin cc

“I have created a life by stepping out of the box of people’s limitations. I call it zigging when others are zagging.” ~Oprah

You have spring cleaned your closet, put some of your past to rest and realigned the priorities in your life, so now what? What would happen if you “stepped outside the box” and did something that you really didn’t think you could do?

Sometimes when we do all of “life’s housekeeping” we stop the momentum in mid-stream, thinking that we are done, sitting back and waiting for good things to happen. But are we really done?  Why did we create all of this space if not to pursue something we crave and never had the courage to do?« Continue »

“Think about any attachments that are depleting your emotional reserves.

 Consider letting them go.” ~Oprah Winfrey

After last week’s post about letting go to move forward with your life, I thought I would continue with that theme of “letting go” and talk about letting go of your stuff. It’s amazing how stuck we get when we are trying to let go of not only the past but the physical things that might be attached to that past.

Case in point, a couple of my friends, who are also Zen Chick community members were upset about the subject last week. Their response, “Did you really have to write this now?” complimented with an eye roll or two.

Yes, it is hard but the more you pursue letting go the easier it becomes. So let’s keep that ball rolling by seeing what physical stuff we can get rid of too.

OUR STUFF! We become attached to it, want to buy more of it while it consumes time and space in our lives. So where do we draw the line?

For me over the years and especially after we moved into our 1000 square foot little farm house, I really started evaluating my stuff. With less closet space and less over all space (not that we moved from a huge house) I let go of a lot of things and have continued with the “letting go” process.

Here are some of the rules I live by:

1. If you haven’t worn something in a year then it gets recycled at Goodwill or a used clothing store of your choice. 
2. If you buy new clothes, shoes, etc. something old must leave. In another words you have to make it an even trade.
3. Minimize the amount of stuff that is sitting out for display. I’m not a “collections person” and don’t really want a whole lot of things to dust.
4. If there is something that you really think you have to have, don’t buy it that day. Wait a few days or weeks and see if you still “have to have it”. Also make sure that it fits into your life instead of just taking up space.
5. Rule #2 applies to household items, something comes in, something goes out.
6. Really get all of the “use” out of your old stuff. You don’t really have to have the latest technology, fashion or gadget. Buy a good basic model that fits your needs not the one with all of the bells and whistles.

These are my basic rules and I have found as I get older my attachment to my stuff becomes less and less. I don’t feel the need to keep boxes and boxes of stuff stored somewhere. Good memories serve me much better than boxes filled with things. 

Ask anyone who has “lightened” their lives of their stuff and they will tell you just that, they feel lighter. Wouldn’t you like to have that feeling along with adding more space and time to your life?

Start slow with one small project at a time. Maybe it’s going through your clothes closet or smaller still, clearing off your desk. Each thing you remove will allow you to feel lighter and the process will become easier with time. As with any change in your life it takes time, practice and diligence so stay focused on your task at hand.

Most important of all, you have to be gentle with yourself during this letting go process. Don’t let that little voice inside your head beat you up because you are not getting things done fast enough. 

I would love to hear your “rules about letting go of stuff” and your success stories. Together we will continue to move forward into slowing down, simplifying and living a life we truly love.

photo credit: Pete Hindle via photopin cc

“With each sunrise, we start anew” – Anonymous

This past week, how many sunrises did you see?  Yes amidst the endless to-do list, errands to run and an inbox that always overflows, did you add sunrises to your list of must dos? Or better yet do you remember the last sunrise you saw?

We all get caught up in “busy” and it gets to be a bad habit. Yes there’s always lots to do and yes that will never end unless you change the way you deal with your “busy” habit.« Continue »

 “Of all the people I have ever known, those who have pursued their dreams and failed have lived a much more fulfilling life than those who have put their dreams on a shelf for fear of failure.”  ~Author Unknown

 

Have you ever noticed when faced with a new situation, a career change or another life altering choice, you are plagued with the WHAT IFs?  What if I don’t make the right decision, what will happen?

We are all faced with what ifs almost every day and they can really drag you down. The mind doesn’t like change so what ifs are a great way of keeping you stuck in a rut, never to reach your true potential.« Continue »

Do you really listen when someone is talking to you? Or do you try to fix or solve the problem they are having instead? Do you hear what they are saying or do you hear what you think they are going to say?

We are ALL guilty of not listening from time to time. The excuses are many, “Oh I’ve heard this before”, or “I think I can fix this for them, so why listen”, or “I’ve really got so much to do I don’t have time for this.” Any of these sound familiar?« Continue »