Zen habits

"Smile, breathe, and go slowly" - Thich Nhat Hanh

I've quickly discovered that timing this phase of the blog with the start of a new job was an, uh, interesting decision. (It can really be looked at one of two ways: it's either really badly timed, since I'm trying to find time, strategies and methods for incorporating more spirit-focused activities into my life at the same time that I'm also trying to adapt to a million other things....OR it's perfectly timed, since I need to connect with that creative, relaxing, stress-relieving spiritual way of life now more than ever.) It's definitely a greater challenge, but it's also teaching me really fast about how to be realistic. This is probably a good thing, since the rest of my life for the next 30 years will probably look more like this current schedule than the one where I woke up 7 days a week with nothing to do but, well, blog. And I am already feeling the effects of the full-time schedule, so it's probably good to get into the habit of being proactive about spiritual wellness needs now, so it becomes a natural part of my work-life balance, right? 

I just have to be creative about this. I look for inspiration from those many people around me who have successfully integrated a work and spirit-lifting lifestyle together and lead an awesome life as a result of it. I think about where to start. I remember this website I came across once, called "Zen Habits". It has some awesome articles, tips and personal advice about how to live a "zen" life amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday life...written by a guy who's really successfully done it. I start browsing around...and then I come across this poem, called "a brief guide to life":

less TV, more reading
less shopping, more outdoors
less clutter, more space
less rush, more slowness
less consuming, more creating
less junk, more real food
less busywork, more impact
less driving, more walking
less noise, more solitude
less focus on the future, more on the present
less work, more play
less worry, more smiles
breathe

Influx of instant peace. I swear, I read that and it's like it resounds with some wise, deeper part of me (it's in there somewhere!) that already knows that's really all there is to it. I can catch a glimpse just by thinking about it of how living by that philosophy would result in incredible inner strength, peace, and clarity. Of course, it's easier said than done. It's simple, yet that stubborn negative mind remains determined as ever to make simple things appear incredibly complex and not doable. Hmmm. As I read it again, an interesting idea hits me: this poem could become a measure of my progress on this journey. How am I doing in all of these areas? I can return to it, allow it to remind me where my head should be at, and where I could improve. YES. Okay! First I'll need to do a (painfully honest) evaluation of where I'm at currently with all of these so I know where I'm starting from. Here it goes...

less TV, more reading - Uhhh...well I've never been one to watch too much TV, but I spend WAY more than enough time on facebook to make up for it. Reading definitely takes a backseat (...unless reading status updates counts?)
less shopping, more outdoors - This is more challenging in the winter and especially impossible before Christmas. Generally, I am pulled towards both...but shopping honestly probably gets more dedicated time than nature at the end of the day.
less clutter, more space - My bedroom is epically cluttered at the moment. Somewhere between hurricane and cyclone level disaster. My desk at work, by contrast, is still nice and clean with lots of open space, and now that I think about it, the impact it has on my mood is palpable. Interesting.
less rush, more slowness - Hmmm. I wouldn't give myself a failing grade here, although certain things definitely get rushed through...like eating and getting to and from places, which come to mind immediately.
less consuming, more creating - This balance is probably hugely out of whack. I don't consume maybe as much as I could, not in terms of material things per say, but a lot still goes to luxury coffee/eating/entertainment stuff. And as for creating, that has especially recently gone by the wayside as I've been less involved in music than usual. Feel disconnected from my creative side. This needs remedying.
less junk, more real food - Ummmm...see past 3-month blog. :-p
less busywork, more impact - Hmmm. This is hard to evaluate too, although i must come back to the facebook point and say that my frequent online profile exploring probably does not exactly count as impactful activity.
less driving, more walking - This isn't too bad for me... I've always loved to walk. But I could always do better, like taking the stairs at work, for example....and also enjoying the walking itself rather than blaring ipod music the whole way.
less noise, more solitude - Uhhh...ditto what i just said about the ipod :-p Definitely too much noise in my life.
less focus on the future, more on the present - I have spent some time in the past studying and practicing mindfulness and the accompanying meditation, which is all centered around this idea. It's powerful stuff, honestly, when put into practice. Also probably the most difficult one of all of them to do consistently, but arguably the most important...drop the need for psychological past and future, and the rest takes care of itself. (That's a whole other blog entry though! :-)
less work, more play - Hmmm. This balance has been turned totally upside down in the past 2 weeks...gone from too much play to too much work! Need to find a balance here. Will have to incorporate "play" into the workday...
less worry, more smiles - Aha. Contingent on all the others, perhaps? I would tend to think :-)
breathe - Yep, that's happening. (Kidding). All related to mindfulness too. Becoming mindful of the breathe equals becoming mindful of the present moment equals removing all attachment to worrying or problems or stress, which are dependent on past and future to exist. Cool stuff.

Love it. This gets me excited. You better believe my next step will be to write out this lovely poem on my work whiteboard, and reflect on how I'm going to transform these philosophies into small but meaningful changes in my life. We'll save that for next time!

xo Janine