“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

As I look back to January of this year, I’m reflecting on “My 10 things for 2021”, which were things I wanted to do and stand for, in place of goals and intentions. Looking back, I see what things I want to carry into 2022, what needs to be tweaked, and how well I accomplished these things on my list. So I thought I would share my end-of-year ritual with you…..

Here’s my list:

#1 – To stand in my truth as much as I can, this means not giving into someone else’s truth, I can listen and learn but I don’t need to sacrifice my truth for theirs.

#2 – To get very clear on that truth, through my meditation and writing.

#3 – To do a better job of staying in touch with my friends, yes I do well, but I think the physical act of writing notes and letters is even better, including phone calls.

#4 – To make sure my health and well-being (both physical and mental) are a priority and to safeguard that above all else, fill my cup first so I can give later.

#5 – Be bold enough to put my dreams and ideas into action. I proved to myself in 2020 by finally painting that I can do it and I just need to do more.

#6 – Be as open as possible to change, which could mean a different career or something else. Big or small.

#7 – LET SHIT GO, quit worrying and chewing on things, the past is truly the past and it can’t be changed so why replay it.

#8 – Enjoy the moments with my hubby and our girls, live each day as it is the only one I will have.

#9 – ENJOY LIFE DAMMIT, it may not be perfect but live with no regrets of not living it fully.

#10 – Share the love!

So how did I do?

#1 & #2 – I feel I have done well in standing in my truth and listening to other truths. My daily meditation and writing practice have helped so much and are such a part of my well-being.

#3 – I still feel I want to write more notes and letters (written words are things that you can read again and again which is very important) Also, it means a lot that someone took the time to write to you!

#4 – Doing better because the anxiety I was feeling had lots to do with not using my time well (yep sounds a little crazy but doing things that didn’t deserve my time caused the anxiety – Thanks Marie Forleo and Time Genius!)

#5 – I’m a little behind the curve on this one, yes I’ve made some strides, like working with my horse again and teaching her a new technique, taking a month-long course, and completing it, but I feel there is more to do so will stay open to what comes my way.

#6 – This I got, change is ongoing and I always strive to be open to all possibilities.

#7 – Oh yes, another anxiety-induced issue that I have learned gets you nothing so I have been so much better at letting shit go!

#8 – Covid helped show me a lot about this but it is always a work in progress and something I always want to strive for improvement.

#9 – Once I realized what little things I was doing to myself and getting anxious over, that reality made my life so much more enjoyable that now I am living my best life, even when things go south.

#10 – We all want to be loved and I try very hard to tell my peeps that I love them on a regular basis. (this includes all people in my life because love grows in lots of ways)

As I look back on my list and now evaluate how well I have done, yes there may be a few things I may change or tweak a little but overall this list is very evergreen and I can see it becoming my “thing” to revisit every December. To me, these are lessons in living my best life, which is what we all strive for, isn’t it?

What about you, my friend, what will be your list for 2022? Remember not every list has to start at the beginning of a new year, it can start on your birthday year, or you could do a mini version every 6 months, either way, make it about how YOU want to live your best life!

Let me hear your thoughts or one item from your list in the comments. I love hearing from all of you!

Peace and Love!

“Joy is the ultimate reward in life.”
― Sunday Adelaja

January is almost gone and with the month ending, reflection begins on the New Year’s resolutions, intentions or goals. Am I still doing what I set out to do or do I need to look for ways to keep the momentum going?

Just like the quote says, “Joy is the ultimate reward in life”, so when the resolve starts wavering the joy gets lost. Would more time or a different way to do things help?

Here are my thoughts…….

Knowing there was a reward waiting for me when I finished an extra workout, write an extra blog post, clean out a drawer/closet, would help my momentum but not necessarily my joy.

So I decided to switch it up and get the reward first……you know the saying “Eat dessert first.”

For me, I have found if I rewarded myself first, “I’m going to take a walk with the dogs and then I will sit with my project for the next 30 minutes,” my 30 minutes would last longer before my attention span hollered for the next reward/break.

Now I know for some this may seem like a bad idea, you may wander down a rabbit hole and never get your work done, which may be true unless you set a time limit for your reward too.

And that’s the key, your reward has to be on a time limit to balance out the benefit of reward first then work.

Tiny steps will move you forward in both reward and work balance, giving you the ability to get more done without feeling like you have to put your nose to the grindstone before you get to take the reward break.

Give it a try, switch up your reward system and see if there is more “joy” in your life, the joy in knowing that your New Year’s resolutions will survive in the long run.

“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!

“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!

“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!