Simple Joys...

Here's more Zen living...I really love how easy these ideas would be to incorporate into your life.

"Understanding what is important in our lives allows us to rid ourselves of the rest without remorse. As Cal Newport recently wrote in a guest post here on Zen Habits, “ … when you know what your life is about it’s easy to sidestep all that threatens to clutter it.” Time, attention, and most especially, the ability to go deep into our experiences—all gifts of minimalist and smaller living—are the critical ingredients for a life to be rich with simple joys.
So how can you create and enjoy more small joys in your life?
1. Allow some breathing room in your schedule. When we rush, we barely acknowledge what is happening around us. I can’t remember ever hearing someone say they had a joy-filled day because they were rushed and stressed, running from one thing to the next.
2. Be present. Being present, a common theme here on Zen Habits, is absolutely essential for experiencing and appreciating the small joys of life. Instead of always thinking of the next thing on our to-do list or itinerary, being present allows us to recognize and enjoy those small moments of joy as they arise.
3. Stay with the moment and fully experience it. Pay attention to the details.
4. Remember this. Remind yourself at the time of how it makes you feel and what about it you want to treasure. Think of these moments like little GPS way stations, points in time and space that you want to commit to memory."

For the entire post, I'd highly recommend clicking HERE. Enjoy!

Good Enough

Hello, September!  Welcome to the unofficial beginning of the New Year. (Who picked January first, anyway? It's dark and cold and often icy and I'm inspired to do nothing more than snuggling under blankets and sip hot cocoa.) Time for resolutions, new habits, closet cleaning, out-with-the-old...unless the old is working for you. Many times, it is.

But then, sometimes not.

So when you google things like "new habits", you'll receive all sorts of helpful advice about sticking with any changes you want to make in your life. Having a concrete goal, breaking it down into daily steps, deciding if you're working toward or away from that goal (interesting, yes?), and removing temptation crop up in many articles. (Removing temptation? Eh. What are you going to do, lock yourself in a closet?)

I happen to like this piece of advice: Be Imperfect. I really, really like that. Expect slip ups, assume all will not go well as you pursue whatever it is you are pursuing. Because if you don't demand perfection...then you can't use it as an excuse to quit.

What would you like to accomplish while enjoying this beautiful fall?