By Mary Jaksch

Do you have a calling? By ‘calling’ I mean an abiding passion that shapes your life. Maybe it’s something you are still waiting to discover. Or maybe you already know what it is.

It’s important to find your calling. Because life becomes more meaningful when you align it with your passion.

My calling is to teach. I stumbled upon that truth by accident. Here’s what happened:

Between school and university I did a stint as an instructor at an Outward Bound School in Hirschegg, a mountain village in the German Alps. They were about to run a course for girls, and I was asked to help out as an assistant ski instructor. The Director, Frau Ther, summoned me and offered the choice of two different groups to work with. I could either choose Group A (the group of top skiers), or Group D. These were the girls who had never skied before, and looked like they would never learn it. She asked me to work with each of these two groups on the first day before making a final decision which one I would focus on during the next three weeks.

I agreed to work with both groups, but privately I was sure I would finally choose Group A.

So I first took Group A down the slopes. We zipped along and it was great fun!

Then I went over to Group D. I could see that these girls had already given up. Most of the girls were overweight, ungainly,  or lacked confidence. They had been told that the D group wasn’t allowed to go on the 3-day ski tour – which was the highlight of the four-week Outward Bound course.

I stood in front of the sad little group. Suddenly something within me snapped – and my life changed for ever.

I said, “You – as part of Group D – won’t be allowed to take part in the ski tour because experts say that you can’t learn to ski well enough, right?”

They nodded glumly.

“Well, you can either believe that and give up. Or – you can prove them wrong. If you work hard and do exactly what I say, I promise that I’ll take EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU on the ski tour!”

Their jaws dropped, their eyes lit up, and they began to stand a little taller.

For three weeks I worked them hard each day. I made them groan, cry – and laugh. But I wouldn’t let up. Finally, on the day before the tour, I asked Frau Ther to watch my group ski. You can imagine how nervous all the girls were. But they skied well enough – and were given permission to join the 3-day ski tour. Smiles all ’round!

Next day we donned backpacks and started climbing with skins strapped under our skies. It was a hard slog up the mountains. Soon my group fell behind. Some of the girls got so exhausted, I had to haul them up to standing whenever they fell over and lay sobbing in the snow. Others asked me every five minutes, “How far is it now?” It took us seven hours to struggle up to the first hut. I must admit that a small cloud of doubt formed in my mind: was this really a good idea?

The most difficult time was on day three, because we had to get my group off the mountain again. Skiing downhill on virgin snow can be tricky at the best of times. The other three groups had no problems, but my girls struggled – and fell. Over and over. Finally we managed to get them down. Uninjured.

You should have seen the wrap-around grins the girls sported as we returned to base! For many of the girls – as well as for me – this tour was a game-changer. It shaped my life, and I forged friendships that abide to this day.

Ever since then I’ve been passionate about bringing out people’s hidden potential. It stirs me; it touches my heart; it warms my soul. Yes, it’s my calling. For sure.

What about you? What is your calling? How did you discover it?

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Check out the A-List Blogger Club that Leo Babauta and Mary Jaksch run.  It’s where we help people to discover their hidden talent as bloggers. Join this week and get a special BONUS!

By Mary Jaksch

Our lives can change abruptly from one moment to the next. At such times, it’s difficult to imagine that what may seem like a catastrophe may turn out to be an opportunity. Look at the ordeal that a caterpillar has to go through in order to become a butterfly: the chrysalis is trapped in a cocoon, where everything disintegrates. Then some cells cluster together as discs that carry a genetic blueprint for a new structure. And finally the butterfly emerges.

Ordeals can bring out our full potential as human beings. My five tips will help you to re-emerge from the ashes stronger and happier.

I recently shared my story with you of how I ended up in debt after a financial melt-down due to trusting the wrong kind of people. Looking back now, that terrible experience was actually an amazing opportunity. It is the reason why I turned into a blogger and started a successful online career. I’ll share with you what helped me to rise from the ashes.

Here are 5 crucial tips on how to start over:

1. Let go of the past

When we’re going through hard times, we tend to go over and over what happened in our mind. It’s important to stop those thoughts because they keep us trapped in the past, and unable to move forward.

Tip: wear an elastic wristband. Whenever you notice a negative thought, move the wristband over to the other arm.

2. Learn new skills

In order to rise from the ashes, we need to acquire a different set of skills from what we had before. Learning new skills gives us our confidence back, and opens up new opportunities. We don’t necessarily need to go back to school. These days there are many ways to learn new skills, especially on the Internet.

3. Start something new

When our life is shaken up, it’s a chance to start something new. Maybe there is something you’ve always wanted to do, but never ‘got around’ to? Now is the moment to take it up in order to fill our life with new meaning. And in order to re-discover confidence and joy.

4. Keep on track

Every new endeavor needs a lot of energy to get it going. The difficulty is that there is always a lag time between initial work and results. For example, the first year of blogging is hard work because there are many new skills to learn and nothing much happens in return. That’s why most blogger give up in the first year. It’s only when you grit your teeth and keep going that success finally happens.

5. Be grateful

It’s difficult to be grateful when things go awry. But it’s important in order to heal, and find a new direction. There is so much we can be grateful for. But we tend to take it for granted. If you practice gratitude, you will be a much happier person.

Tip: Each night, when you lie in bed, think of five things that you can be grateful for.

The five crucial tips will help to boost resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back. This doesn’t mean that your life will regain the exact shape it had before the crisis or abrupt change. After all, when we throw a rubber ball it doesn’t bounce back on exactly the same trajectory. Resilience means rising from the ashes, dusting ourselves down, and taking a new direction in life.

When I started Goodlife ZEN, I was still in the grip of the financial disaster that had befallen me. In response, I wrote my Ebook “Overcome Anything” which shows how to come through difficult times and find a new beginning.

Now, two years later, I’m in a new place in life. I’ve created a whole new career and my life has taken an amazing turn. That’s why I’ve decided to rewrite and enlarge my original Ebook. It’s as if I’ve now experienced a new chapter in life and have a new, positive perspective to share with you all. I would like to include your stories in my new eBook.

Please tell YOUR story of rising from the ashes in the comment section.

A guest post by Katie Tallo of Momentum Gathering.

All my life I’ve had bucket loads of energy. As a little girl, that energy earned me the labels bold and bossy – as a woman, focused and driven. It’s just my nature. I’m an ‘A’ type personality. I’m that annoying person who jumps out of bed and hits the ground running. This intense drive has helped me change my life, stick to my goals and discover my purpose. It also makes me insanely productive. Sounds great, right? Wrong.

What’s wrong with insane productivity?

The more insanely productive I became the more my energy began pulling U-turns on me. It would steer me off course, without warning, and send me crashing into a brick wall. Completely burnt out, I would rest, recover, then go hard again – each time, vowing to slow down and do it differently, but inevitably I would crash again. After two years of this repetitive cycle, it only took two days of feeling like I couldn’t breath to realize enough was enough. My energy was becoming too much for me. I needed a change.

What’s right about serene productivity?

I might have needed a change, but, how does an energetic and motivated person slow down and still achieve their goals? How does an ‘A’ type settle for a ‘B’ type pace? Is it possible to be calmly industrious, to be peacefully prolific, to be serenely productive? I believe it is. All one needs is the right kind of fuel. I call it zenergy!

Here are 5 ways to zenergize your life and embrace serene productivity.

1. keep your tank full

Stop running on empty. Pull over when you’re feeling depleted and refuel. Refueling is really about getting back to basics – drinking water, eating fresh whole foods, moving your body, laughing, stretching, and getting plenty of rest so you don’t run out of gas.

2. give your tires a good kick

Be sure the foundation of what your working towards in life is solid and meaningful, not flat and lifeless. Undertake adventures you feel passionate about. Join partnerships you believe in. Live by your values. Stop saying “yes” to everything and, likely, you’ll get where you want to go faster.

3. make regular pit stops

I call these mini-rests and they really work for me. When I feel my shoulders beginning to tense up, when I’m not remembering to breath, when I’m hungry, thirsty, tired or overwhelmed, I take a pit stop. I step back from what I’m doing and take a breather. Even if it’s just for five minutes, sit with someone for a chat or go outside for some fresh air. Consciously focus on the idea of calming yourself and letting yourself take a moment for you. Know that pushing hard to the finish line, won’t get you there, but regular pit stops will.

4. stick to the speed limit

I’m not saying you should never break any rules, but racing to get ahead, cutting corners and moving too fast, just to move faster, be better or win some imaginary race, can lead to disaster. Mistakes will be made, care will be undermined and you’ll end up spinning your wheels. Going with the flow, practicing patience and allowing others to pass you if need be, will keep your energy and your progress steady, mindful and peaceful.

5. win your race

There is no finish line. There is no goal or dream or deadline that once you’ve reached it you’ll arrive at some magic destination. There is always more. So what’s the rush? I’m learning to put down work that’s not complete. I’m learning to allow for progress to come at an easy pace. I’m learning to worry less about to-dos and focus more on to-experiences. And I’m learning to be okay with winning my race and no one else’s.

If you’re like me, slowing down doesn’t come easily, but putting on the brakes and learning to zenergize your life can bring you peace of mind and a renewed sense of focus and purpose. Zenergy creates time to reflect instead of rush, time to revel instead of race.

I’ve gone from being insanely productive to serenely productive in just a few weeks by harnessing the power of zenergy. In fact, this post took me a lot longer to write because I needed to fill my tank, kick my tires, take a few pit stops, and stick to the speed limit and time limits that I had set for myself. I know in my heart that serene productivity will sustain my journey for the long haul. I encourage you to zenergize your life and flow peacefully towards your dreams.

Katie Tallo is a director, writer, motivator, runner, vegetarian and mother who writes a blog called Momentum Gathering where she encourages simple, positive actions for joyful and vibrant life change. She is also a Managing Editor for The Daily Brainstorm.

A guest post by Gail Brenner of A Flourishing Life.

“Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.”
~Oscar Wilde

What is the inner light? We know it when we see it in others – a genuine sense of happiness and joy, enthusiasm that emanates, confidence in one’s unique expression. We feel drawn to people who naturally glow because they reflect the potential for our own inner light to shine.

And we all have that inner light. Within each of us is the capacity to be fully alive, to be infinitely creative, to radiate openness, availability, and love, to look forward with great interest to whatever the next moment brings. We can know ourselves as this light, but sometimes we get in our own way.

We unknowingly enact strategies and defenses that leave us hanging back in the shadows rather than allowing our gifts to shine. We lose our way and forget who we are.

Is it time to come out of hiding? Are you ripe for liberating your luminous, true, unobstructed self?

We dim our lights by taking on identities that mask our full potential. See if any of these sound familiar, and experiment with letting them be. Stop diminishing yourself. Pretend you are who you really are, and watch the masks fall away.

People Pleasing

Some of us betray ourselves by the need to seek approval from others. We don’t feel worthy of love on our own merits, so we morph ourselves – our precious lives – to conform to others’ expectations instead. We find ourselves in jobs and relationships that are a clear mismatch out of our need to be accepted. We abandon our happiness to keep the peace.

Do you want your light to shine? Stand in your own truth. Fess up to what you want, and risk the disapproval of those around you. Keep it simple, and stay close to what fires you up. You may not please everyone, but you can’t imagine how the possibilities for your life will open up once you decide to align yourself with the truth.

Victim Mentality

If we blame others for our problems, we are denying ourselves the clarity and groundedness that are rightfully ours. While we are stuck in a grudge or waiting for others to change, we passively let the moments of our lives tick away. “Poor me” just doesn’t cut it if we want to shine.

Instead of torturing yourself with endless stories of what should or shouldn’t have happened, use your most precious resource, your attention, to explore those places inside yourself that you have been avoiding. Be supremely kind as you open to painful feelings. Make the decision to take responsibility for your well being. Do this work no matter what it takes, and you will be surprised at how much positive energy is revealed as the mask of victimhood falls away.

Self-Criticism

Maybe you have convinced yourself that you are not good enough. Whatever form self-judgment takes, it keeps us boxed in and limited. Every time our inner light tries to glow, our minds react like a sledgehammer, with harsh thoughts that inhibit us from moving forward. How can we possibly express ourselves fully when we are shot down every step of the way by our own minds?

The inner critic is a jumble of thoughts that are propelled by fear. Learn to identify the fear, then look beneath it to discover your natural resilience, every time. Find the courage to let your whole self shine.

Neediness

Some of us live in a state of lack. We think we need what we don’t have – a relationship, a quality, a life circumstance – and we spend our time looking outward for fulfillment. This is an “if only” life, and it ignores the treasures that are already here.

Take an honest look at this very moment. If you stop buying into stories that run in your mind, is there anything missing? The universe is so abundant, giving us exactly what we need. When we realize the peace that comes from wanting what we are given, we surrender our ideas of lack, making space for our natural selves to shine.

When we recognize how we hold ourselves back, we have stepped onto the path that takes us back to ourselves. No matter how you feel in this moment, your inner light is shining. Pull away the veils, and let your whole self light up the world.

What holds you back? What has happened in your life when you let your light shine? I’d love to hear…

Gail Brenner is a psychologist with special expertise in untangling self-defeating habits and guiding people to live conscious lives of intelligence, fulfillment, and joy. She delights in offering inspiring articles and guided audio meditations at her blog, A Flourishing Life.

By Mary Jaksch

This is my story of how I went from bust to boom. I was reluctant to write about all this, but people urged me to share it, so here goes …

Have you ever been dealt a devastating economic blow?

Maybe you lost your job, or your business went under. It’s a dreadful moment, because suddenly the future looks bleak and you have to pick yourself up and start again. And no matter what happened, you blame yourself.

But how to pick yourself up again, and what to do next?

I stumbled upon a solution quite by accident after I lost my mother’s inheritance through trusting the wrong kind of people. My journey as a rookie blogger and accidental entrepreneur led to a six-figure online business in under 19 months.

I’m quite a private person and am reluctant to talk about all this. But many people have begged me to write about my experience because they need to find a solution. A solution that works whether you’re a man or a woman, and whatever age you’re at. So I’ve decided to speak out and describe what worked for me. It may not work for everyone – but my story and the 10 tips I’ve put together – may well change your life.

Here’s what happened….

The year 2007 was bad. I lost all of the inheritance my mother had left me. My son Sebastian and I had decided to build a house and then sell it. But the plan went horribly wrong when the builder escaped to a South Sea island with a big chunk of my money, leaving our property half built and steadily degrading in the winter rains. In the end it had to be demolished and I ended up with debts, instead of with an inheritance. I’ll never forget the sense of shock and dread.

It took me a while to pick myself up after that debacle, and I started to think seriously about how to produce an income, and still retain my creative freedom.

Finally Sebastian came up with an idea. He said,

“Mum, I’ll make you a website. But you’ll have to write a blog.”
“A what?”

I had no idea what he was talking about. Then I started to research blogs on the Internet. It seemed like an amazing opportunity. I settled on ‘Goodlife ZEN’ as a blog name, bought the domain, and started with a free out-of-box WordPress theme. The start-up cost me $119 hosting fee for the year.

I know it sounds strange, but the moment I bought the domain was when my life turned around. But I didn’t know it at the time.

Tip #1: Just do it!

Nike is right. What counts is getting started. An idea stays just that without action. Even the smallest action allows the idea to materialize. Most people fail for one simple reason: they never get started. Luckily it’s no great deal to start a blog: hosting is cheap and you can get free blogging software.

Tip #2: Focus on your passion.

If you want to taste success – without getting burned out, it’s important to build your blog around your passion. What is it you would like to tell people about? What is the message you want to convey?

It doesn’t matter what it is you are passionate about. The Internet is huge and there is an audience out there for you, no matter what your passion is.

I was happy with my blog name, Goodlife ZEN, and was soon writing a weekly post. At first, people laughed at me because I put so much effort into something that didn’t show any results. For months I only had three subscribers, my best friend, my son, and my cat Sweetie (whom I subscribed out of sheer desperation). I was definitely not a ‘wunderkind’ blogger!

Tip #3: Be determined

Most people give up when the going gets tough. And with every endeavor things get tough at times. Have you got enough stickability to keep going? Calvin Coolidge, a former President of the USA, had something to say about determination:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
~ Calvin Coolidge (1872 – 1933)

When I first started blogging, I checked out other blogs in the personal growth field and came across Zen Habits. I liked Leo Babauta’s style and thought, “I’d love to get to know him.” But to make contact seemed an impossible dream. Zen Habits already had over 50,000 subscribers (now over 200,000). And I was still a rookie blogger.

In January of 2008, Leo Babauta started WritetoDone.com, a blog for writers. I was excited and subscribed right away. It quickly became one of my favorite blogs.

I could see that Leo was struggling with writing for two blogs, as well as writing an Ebook. I was concerned, so I decided to offer my help. I asked Leo whether he would like me to write a guest post for Write-to-Done. When Leo emailed back with a friendly ‘yes’, I screamed so loudly that Sweetie fled under the bed, and my partner David came running in alarm.

Tip #4: Help others.

Yes, helping others is the most important thing you can do. Be helpful not as a strategic move, but because you truly care.

Some months down the track, I began to think creatively about Write to Done and how I could maybe work with Leo Babauta to rescue the blog. That was a crucial moment. Because teaming up with others who are successful is a great way to advance.

Leo Babauta had a huge readership and a reputation as a super-blogger. What I had to offer was ‘sweat equity’ and vision. That is, I was willing to do all the hard work and create something we could both be proud of.

The most important thing here is that you need to build a relationship first, before you ever suggest a joint venture.

Tip #5 Team up.

You can be successful on your own. But it’s much easier if you team up with others. Because then you reap the benefit of synergy. Synergy means that the combined effect is greater than the sum of individual effort.

If you team up with someone else you need to focus on your potential partner. Here are questions you need to ask:

What does he or she enjoy doing? What’s a hassle for him or her? What benefits could your partnership bring to her or him?

After long deliberation I emailed Leo with a suggestion of how we could work together. Here are the benefits I listed:

• You retain an interest – both creative and financial – in WTD,
• You don’t have to kill off a beautiful brainchild,
• You get ongoing income from WTD,
• You can delegate all the drudgery of running a blog, whilst still retaining some enjoyable creative work.

I sent off the proposal and sat around, biting my nails. When Leo replied enthusiastically, I was beside myself with excitement.

When I first started as Editor in Chief, Write to Done had 4,500 subscribers. I was nervous about running a blog that was seemed so huge. But I soon hit my stride and subscriber numbers started to climb.

Meanwhile I was busy gathering new skills. I enrolled in Teaching Sells, an amazing course by Brian Clark on how to set up and run online courses.

Tip #6 Learn new skills

For every new venture you need a new set of skills. I did quite a few courses in order to gain the skills I needed. I think it’s good to regard education as part of the startup cost.

I began thinking about how to use my new skills. I could see that people on the Internet don’t want to pay for information, but they are willing to spend money in order to gain new skills.

In October 2008, I emailed Leo and suggested that we create a training program for bloggers. He replied with, “I’m in!”

Tip #7: Don’t wait for others to have good ideas – create them yourself.

I felt elated about the opportunity, but I was also secretly terrified. Because setting up a course – with it’s own website and content – seemed like a huge undertaking. Actually, every step on my journey as a blogger has felt like climbing a huge mountain. My response to the challenge has been to create an overall vision, and then to walk forward, step by step, learning as I go.

Tip #8: Learn on the job

As bloggers, the best way to learn is to struggle, to ask for help, to research how others do it, and then to go ahead and do it yourself. Don’t wait until you think you have enough knowledge.

Back to my story…

When we finally ran our first A-List Blogging Bootcamp in August 2009, it was a great success. We had a bunch of great students and I loved every moment of the Bootcamp, even though it was hard work. Afterward, Leo and I immediately planned the next one.

To my surprise, I had created an online income!

Tip #9: Create learning opportunities.

A blog is a perfect platform upon which to build a business. The reason is that your subscribers provide a customer base for whatever product you want to sell. There are some strategies that make this easier, such as building an email list, and staging a launch in order to create a buzz about your product.

What product can you offer?

I recognized early on that information doesn’t sell well on the Internet. That’s because most people expect to get information online for free. But what people are willing to pay for is new skills. That’s why I focused on producing quality learning opportunities. I love teaching and mentoring – so it was a natural progression to start doing that online.

The great thing is that you can do this while your blog is still quite small. In fact, creating a course can help your blog to grow. And you’ll start to earn some money while your blog grows.

But gaining new skill is not the only thing people are prepared to pay for on the Internet.

I noticed after the first Bootcamp that people didn’t want to leave. They loved the conversations on the forum and the connection with each other and with Leo in the live online Masterclasses.

I emailed Leo and suggested that we start the A-List Blogger Club, a low-cost, ongoing training program for bloggers. It turned out to be the best idea I’ve had on my blogging journey.

People are willing to pay for being part of a supportive community.

We started the A-List Blogger Club with only forty-five members. But we soon began to grow, and we now have over 500 members.

Tip #10: Create a community for ongoing success.

Everyone wants to belong. If you create a community where members feel welcome, supported, and appreciated – you are on to a winner. And if you can incorporate a training component as well, people will be happy to pay – and stay.

Within 9 months, A-List Blogging grew to a six-figure business. I was gobsmacked…

Learning new skills, working hard, and dreaming big finally paid off. I’m still not completely debt-free, but I hope to pay of the last of my last debts within the next six months.

These days I help other bloggers to succeed. And even those who laughed at me when I first started, come to me for help. There is one important piece of advice I give everyone: be trustworthy and loyal.

Your main asset on the Internet is trustworthiness. It’s not hard to find mentors online who will lend you a hand, or even team up with you. But the crucial thing is how you treat those who help you. If you treat them well, and are helpful, friendly, loyal and trustworthy – you’ll thrive. However, if you pull a fast one, the online relationship will not recover, and you will lose your mentor’s crucial support.

My story shows up some simple truths:

• You can recover from adversity if you are willing to start over.
• Creating a blog is one of the fastest ways to create a new, successful career.
• An online business has super low start-up costs and high earning potential.
• People pay for skills, so creating online courses is a great way to make a living
• Create a warm, welcoming community and people will flock to it – and pay for membership.
• Be helpful and decent, and others will lend you a hand.

Was I just lucky?

My ‘lucky’ strategy is to meet good fortune half way.

What made me successful is hard work, creative thinking, a desire to learn, and the courage to say ‘yes’ to seemingly impossible challenges. Along the way I made plenty of mistakes. But I tried to learn from them. I’ve really got no special skills for this venture. But I’m like a little terrier who just keeps on digging to find the rat.

I hope my journey will inspire you to try something similar. I can’t promise that it will work for you. But if you have the courage to become a blogger, learn new skills, and create a business on the back of your blog, you’ll have a good chance of success.

I don’t want to blow our trumpet here, but the reason Leo and I created the A-List Bootcamps and the A-List Blogger Club is to create a short-cut to success for bloggers. Because we know how hard it is to find all the knowledge you need, and then to put it into practice. And we know what a difference it makes to find mentors along the way.

But all the help in the world won’t work if you don’t take action. A simple first step is write down three things you are passionate about. And then to think about how others could benefit from your experience and knowledge.

Don’t worry if the start of your journey is slow. Everything worthwhile takes time to grow.

As you know, I was reluctant to break my silence and write about my journey from bust to boom, but I hope my story helps you to continue walking ahead, even when the journey gets tough.

A guest post by courtney carver of be more with less

If you have ever had a hard time putting down a bad book after chapter 4, or stepping away from an ongoing obligation, even when you knew you were wasting time, you will find value in the following recommendations.

Many of us grew up with the message that winners never quit and quitters never win or that an unachieved goal equals failure. But if we really understand that letting go is not the same as giving up, or quitting, we can move forward and experience a more genuine life.

Instead of holding onto guilt, things you don’t care about, and projects that exhaust you, grab on to intuition, love and gratitude. Really think about how you want to invest your time and energy. Looking at the big picture, you only get one chance to have a great life. By choosing to live life on purpose, you can calm down, open yourself up to new opportunities and create more time and space to discover what you love.

Top ten things to let go of today

1. Clutter – Instead of focusing on clearing the clutter from your entire house, focus on one drawer, one closet, one room, or one surface at time. Being free from clutter allows you to see what’s important in your drawers, and in your life.
2. Obsession with numbers – Letting numbers on a scale, in your bank account or even on your google analytics dictate your mood for the day, is no way to live life on purpose. Instead of checking your weight every morning, choose one afternoon a week, or every two weeks to check your numbers. Use the numbers as markers of progress, not indicators of who you are, or how you feel.
3. Fear of not being good enough Feeling like you don’t measure up, may have come from your childhood, or a bad relationship, but now, that feeling is just a voice in your head. It’s your voice and your life. Recognize all that you have accomplished, and all you have to give and quiet that voice, for good.
4. A toxic relationship Holding on to someone that always brings you down, may be good for them, but not for you. The time you spend with others should inspire you, not depress you. Remember there is a difference between a friend that is going through a tough time and a toxic friendship. Once a relationship becomes damaging to the way you act, feel or think, it is time to let go.
5. Facebook friends Today, people often assess their value by their number of “friends” or “followers”. Instead, place value on your actions and character. Go through your list of connections and decide which ones aren’t useful to you. Un-friending and un-following is not personal. Ask yourself if you are connecting with someone via social media for business or pleasure, and make sure your list is in-line with your goals and values.
6. Regret Learn from your mistakes but don’t live in them. The choices you make every day shape your life. Looking back with more knowledge, you may have made different choices, but without a few bumps in the road or downright bad decisions, you wouldn’t be the person you are today.
7. Bad providers In most cases, doctors, investment bankers, auto mechanics and other service providers work for you. You pay them to help you. If they aren’t helping you, or you don’t like working with them, let them go.
8. Doing it all – Instead of doing it all, do all you really care about. Do what you energizes you and speaks to your spirit. Don’t feel pressured because you think everyone you know is doing 100 different, amazing things at once. Do what is right for you. When you redirect your energy in this way, you immediately become more effective.
9. Resistance to change – Change brings opportunity and uncertainty. While uncertainty can cause fear, excitement and new challenges, standing still and resisting change will leave you uninspired, more fearful and closed minded and that is no way to live life on purpose!
10. Goals that don’t fit anymore Letting go of goals and dreams can be the most challenging of all. As our lives change, we change, and things that seemed so important years ago may slowly fade away. Instead of beating yourself up for not achieving your goal, focus on your new dreams and develop goals that reflect who you are right now.

Regardless of age or circumstance, understand that letting go is not the same as giving up, and give your self permission to hold on to things that are most important. Make decisions to let go knowing that it is your voice, and your life. Just as clearing the clutter from a windowsill will help you see the light, (literally and figuratively) letting go of counter productive obligations and emotions will leave you feeling lighter and inspired to contribute time and energy to your true passions.

What is one thing you can let go of today, to live better tomorrow?

Courtney is a writer and fine art photographer. She writes about simplifying and living life on purpose at bemorewithless.com.

By Mary Jaksch

Have you ever wondered what makes extraordinary things happen? It usually starts with one crazy idea. Maybe you too have had crazy ideas that seemed brilliant. But what happened next?

Did something amazing grow from that idea, or did you kill it because it seemed ‘too crazy’ or ‘just too hard’? Or did other people tell you that ‘it just won’t work’? I’ve now been involved in a number of ‘crazy’ projects that have come to success. One of which is the blogazine, The Daily Brainstorm.

Here are 7 tips on how to create a successful project from the first crazy idea

Tip #1: Share your idea with positive people.
A new idea is a vulnerable little thing. It can freeze to death in an instant. Make sure that the people you share your idea with are positive, and can be trusted.

When Geri Langlois first shared his idea of teaming up to create a blogazine (which finally became The Daily Brainstorm), I shot back an email, saying: “Super interesting idea!” That positive beginning meant that the idea could continue to grow in a sheltered spot. Note, if someone runs a new idea past you, make sure you don’t reply with the usual idea killer: “Yes, but …”

Tip #2: Act upon the idea.
An idea stays just that without action. Even the smallest action allows the idea to materialize.
What Geri and I did was to search for domain names. That led to an absurd situation ….

Tip #3: Don’t get too serious.
Get serious too soon, and your grand idea will wither away. If you remain playful, you allow your creativity stay in gear.

Geri sent me a whole list of domain names that were available. Amongst them was The Daily Brainstorm – which appealed to me at once. I emailed him back:

“I think TheDailyBrainstorm.com is a brilliant domain! Unfortunately it’s already taken…”
Geri wrote right back, all deflated: “I am so sorry — that was my favorite too. Oh well, I’ll keep thinking and keep looking.”
He couldn’t sleep all night because he’d missed out on a great domain name.
Next morning I put him out of his misery: “Don’t worry, Geri – the person who bought it was me ”

Tip #4: Create a team – don’t be a soloist.
If you really want to achieve something extraordinary, the easiest way forward is to form a team. Because then you can take advantage of the power of synergy. And you don’t have to do all the work yourself.

I was lucky because I could select team members from the A-List Blogger Club , the training program that Leo Babauta and I have created for the top bloggers of tomorrow. It’s turned into a breeding ground for excellence.

Tip #5 Express your vision in words.
In order to drive an idea further towards reality, you need to express your vision in words. This can be a struggle, because a fledgling idea sometimes resists being caught in words. This is where it comes in handy to have a team.

Tip #6 Create a brand.
If you create a brand, you get instant recognition. In terms of blogging, the place that expresses the brand most clearly is the tagline. And for The Daily Brainstorm we came up with: “A blogazine to rock your mind” Whatever your project is, make sure you express your brand in a succinct way. This helps you to be clear about the focus of your project, and the direction you’re moving in

Tip #7: Follow through to fruition
Many good projects get to a stage that looks promising, but then run out of steam. If things get difficult, hang in there. It’s the people in for long haul that finally get rewarded. In order to keep the momentum going, create small milestones that you can celebrate along the way.

Conclusion

As you can see from the tips above, there are two particular danger spots when you want to let something amazing grow from your crazy idea. One is right at the start when you first have the idea. It’s easy to kill off an idea at this stage. The other danger zone is when you have created a project, but it’s still in it’s infancy. Suddenly the crazy idea has turned into a crazy amount of work – and motivation can wane.

Here are three tips on how to keep on walking forward, even when it’s hard to see results:

1. is to set ‘baby-step goals’ that are easy to achieve.
2. Whenever you hit one of your mini-targets – celebrate!
3. Team up with others to share mutual support.

What are your tips that help to grow an acorn into an oak tree?

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

A guest post by Mark Owen-Ward of Energy Applied

Noise

It’s everywhere.

As sound it presents itself as constant traffic noise or as the television in the background. It’s the beeping alarm that wrenches us awake to start another day. Throughout the day we will be assaulted by our “really cool” ringtone, by text messages and email alerts.

Visually, noise shows up as cluttered road signs, as the hundreds of magazines in the newsagent, or in the chaos of retail outlets where every square inch has been assessed and utilized to make us buy.

We are bombarded by smells and aromas from dawn to dusk, from exhaust fumes to petro-chemical based colognes and aftershaves, from the plastics in our cars to the air-fresheners in our homes. Most of the time, we don’t even smell these odours.

In our minds, as multi-tasking and demanding quick thinkers, we are drowning in a noisy torrent of our own thoughts, desires and emotions.

Noise is an indiscriminant pollutant: hypnotic but toxic. A life full of noise is a life without relief or space to simply be.

Silence

Breathe.

Stop for a while.

Give yourself permission to just sit down and be still for a few minutes.

Silence is so much more than “the condition of being or keeping still and silent.” We need silence to hear ourselves and make our own choices.

In the twenty first century we unwittingly choose noise at every opportunity, inviting it into our lives and into our heads; no wonder one third of the population needs anti-depressants at some time.

We need silence to bring us back to the present moment, to the here and now. We need silence in order to reflect on what has recently passed so we can avoid repeating mistakes. We need stillness to recharge and to relax and to free our mind from the constant stream of desires that propel us to a future where our life doesn’t yet exist.

We need silence to allow creativity to flourish and to realize our dreams. In crushing the necessary peace needed for imagination and recuperation, we crush our potential.

We need silence to know who we are. Enslaved to noise, we can only focus on escape and the future, looking forward to becoming the person we believe we might be.

Ten steps for bringing silence into our noisy world

Becoming aware of the dominance of noise is the first step to bringing more silence, stillness and peace into your life. The benefits of silence are real, no matter how small the periods you can manage:

1. Be aware that you need daily time for silence and stillness.
2. Start your day in silence by changing your alarm from a buzz or a beep to a radio and set it to a classical radio station.
3. Start your day earlier and give yourself twenty minutes with no agenda. Just wake early and be still and quiet. If it feels strange to begin with just relax and breathe with it – the rewards are worth the effort.
4. Leave the radio or TV off in the morning – there are many other ways you can catch up on the news during the day.
5. Pay attention to each thing that you do as you do it. For example, as you shower be aware of the sound of the water and the feeling of the water on your skin.
6. Go perfume free for the day – notice your sense of smell today. Without your own personal olfactory arsenal blitzing your delicate nasal passages you will notice more smells today (good and bad).
7. Listen on your way to work. If you drive, leave the radio off – if you take a train, try the journey without reading a newspaper or listening to your ipod. Instead pay attention to your surroundings and really see what is there. Why not try a different route?
8. Don’t eat lunch at your desk, go out instead and sit under a tree. Look up at the leaves and listen to the sound of the leaves moving. You only need five to ten minutes to commune with nature. Pay attention to the colour of the leaves and the texture of the bark; touch the bark and feel the roughness of it and contrast that with all the smooth textures that you are used to in your usual environments.
9. Do something different this evening; leave the TV switched off. Try walking around your neighbourhood on a route you’ve not travelled before – introduce yourself to some neighbours you’ve never spoken to before.
10. Clear the clutter from your bedroom and spend some time in there in quietness. Write down your thoughts from the day and reflect on what you have noticed. Sleep without reading first, even if it takes longer.

Making space for silence in your life is a choice that will reward you with a clearer mind, protection from stress and a good physical recharge. Find space for silence in little pockets throughout the day – you will find that the more mindful you become, the more space for silence you create.

Mark Owen-Ward is a wellness coach, personal trainer, minimalist, photographer, and father of three. His passion lies in helping people develop new habits for simple wellness which he writes about at his blog, Energy Applied.

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Note from Mary Jaksch: I’m proud to announce that Mark Owen-Ward is a member of the A-List Blogger Club where Leo Babauta and I shape the top bloggers of tomorrow.

By Mary Jaksch

From earliest years we learn to abide by rules. Parents and teachers expect us to abide by their rules. In fact, we carry this early collection of rules right throughout our life – often without noticing.

I remember a small but unforgettable incident that happened when I was fourteen. I slipped out of school one day, and was walking through town, puffing on a cigarette (all of which was strictly forbidden by our ramrod headmistress…)

As I was strolling along, a tall woman dressed in a swirling cape veered toward me. She stopped right in front, whipped the cigarette out of my mouth, and ground it under her high-heeled boot, saying, “Real ladies NEVER smoke on the street!” Then she strode on and I was left staring after her, agape.

I was impressed! After that, I never smoked on the street again (… and later gave up smoking altogether). This story illustrates how we take rules on board, and how they linger in our memory.

Luckily, as we mature, we can let go of fitting in and doing  the ‘right’ thing.

Here’s an example: a few weeks ago I was at a conference in San Diego. It was the kind of event where presenters try to animate and hype up the audience – a strategy that I’m allergic to. On day two a presenter I had never seen before got up and started speaking on stage. He raved about how wonderful the audience was and asked – rather like an evangelist at a fundraising meeting:

“Can you feel the luurve between us?”
Some people in the audience duly shouted, “Yes!”
I hollered, “No!”
Then I got up and asked, “Who are you?”
The presenter looked deflated, “Oh, didn’t I introduce myself?”
“No!” I said.

I later told a friend in his twenties about this incident and he disapproved of me, saying, “You should have played by their rules!”

What do you think about this?

Should we abide by other peoples’ rules? Or should we feel free to break them?

Abiding by rules has some upsides (like not going to jail…) – but rules can also take the fun out of life.

A Zen student of mine – let’s call her Susan – emailed me recently with a charming story of how freeing it can be to break rules. Susan went to visit her close friend Gisela who is suffering from terminal cancer. Because Gisela is unlikely to last until December, she decided to enjoy a mid-winter Christmas party. (This is in New Zealand where Christmas is in summer). Here is what Susan wrote:

Gisela and her husband organized a caterer for the event so that Gisela could enjoy the evening without any stress. The savouries and desserts were abundant and delicious. It was supplied and cooked by a lovely friend of theirs, called Vicky.

After the party, there was lots of food left over. The next morning I got up and went into the kitchen. Gisela was up.

“Did you have something for breakfast?” I asked

“Yes I did,” she replied, “I had cheesecake!”

It struck me that when you are dying, many of the rules of life just don’t apply anymore. It made me realise how my life is driven by ‘rules’ that we are suppose to obey. For example, one of the rules says that you should never eat dessert for breakfast!
It certainly takes the fun out of life when you feel you can never break the ‘rules’.

Maybe we don’t have to wait until we are about to die to let go of unnecessary rules. But it takes courage to ditch some of the rules our parents and teachers dinned into us.

What about you – do you carry old rules that you could ditch? Do you sometimes find that you are stifled by rules?

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few. ~ Shunryu Suzuki

Do you remember what it was like when you fell in love with someone or something? I’m sure you remember the glow, the excitement, and the joy.

Did you remain enthusiastic – or did the glow fade?

If we’re honest, something happens in time. And it’s not pretty. Love seems to peter out, and enthusiasm wears off.

If we focus on a particular skill, we become an ‘expert’ in time. That’s a worry. Because as Zen Master Shuryu Suzuki warned, in the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.

We can regain the excitement and love that we once felt through cultivating Beginner’s Mind

What Zen people call Beginner’s Mind, is a state of ultimate freshness. It’s a way of experiencing everything anew in each moment. Before I offer some suggestions of how to cultivate Beginner’s Mind, I’d like to tell you about an experience I had recently.

Some weeks ago, I decided to return to karate training, after an absence of 5 years. I talked my teacher, Grandmaster (Hanshi) Andy Barber, and we agreed that I would come back as a lowly White Belt (after leaving as a 4th Dan Blackbelt). I was delighted with the idea. It was fun training as a White Belt. In fact, it has been one of my most interesting life experiments.

Now that my status was wiped away, the challenge was to embody the essence of being a senior Blackbelt – without wearing any outward sign at all.

What I found was that starting over allowed me to reconnect with my Martial Art practice in a new way. Because I restarted as a beginner, I could let go of all the mind-baggage that had collected in my previous eighteen years of practice. It all became very simple and beautiful: just this punch, just this kick, just this block.

Starting over with Beginner’s Mind enabled me to train in a totally different way. I was able to drop all the ideas of how I should be. (Because when we function as an ‘expert’, we carry a lot of shoulds.) Without the commentary in my mind, I could gather myself in silence of body and mind, and then explode into action from within that deep silence. I would have happily stayed a White Belt for ever, and just worked hard to perfect simple things. But my teacher is now slowly stepping me up the grades again…

Imagine for a moment what it would be like for you to start over. What would it be like to be a complete beginner again? In our culture the word ‘beginner’ has a negative connotation. But, in fact, to be a beginner is the ultimate way to approach a task.

Beginners Mind is the pathway to true mastery

Here is how to access Beginner’s Mind:

1. Focus on one step at a time – without looking back or forward.
   So often our energy is sapped through the way we use dwell in the past or in the future.
   .
2. Lose yourself in action.
   Our full power only appears when we forget ourselves. The way to do that is to focus on sensations. Notice how your feet feel on the ground, how your heart beats, or how your breath flows in and out.
   .
3. Let go of stories.
   We all accumulate stories about our habitual actions or our relationships. These stories often come with a ‘but’. For example, we may think, “Yeah, I really love doing xxx, but …” Stories that include ‘but’ are joykillers. When you notice such stories, resolutely put them out of your mind and focus on sense experiences.
   .
4. Be willing to rediscover what you think you know
   As an expert we think we know something. And maybe we do. But if we approach this knowledge with Beginner’s Mind, we are able to see it in a new way. And that unhindered seeing allows us to be creative, to get out of our rut, and to grow in a new way.
   .
5. Let go of status
   Status is a hindrance. Because it creates stories in your mind. What others think about you is not your business. If you let go of ideas about your status, you’ll live a life of happy freedom. So many people live their lives yearning for a higher status, or worrying that they don’t measure up to the status they have. What a waste of energy!

As Shunryu Suzuki said, ‘in the mind of the beginner there are many possibilities’. If you allow yourself to start over – whether it’s with a skill, or whether its in a relationship – you’ll discover new possibilities and a new freedom.

You might even gain true mastery – which is doing what you love with Beginner’s Mind.

What is your experience of starting over?