The Reality Of Abundance

I am currently participating in Deepak Chopra's 21 day meditation challenge.  I thought I would share with you my journey of new awareness as I cultivate abundance consciousness. 

Deepak says true abundance is when all our needs are easily met and our desires are spontaneously fulfilled.  We feel joy, health, happiness, a sense of purpose and vitality in every moment.

He urges that we don’t seek abundance, but notice whats already there.  I reflected on nature's gifts like sunrise, a star lit sky, the warmth of fire, the soothing sound of rain, clouds over the mountains, birds singing in morning.  Witnessing examples around me leads to abundance consciousness.

I am beginning to see that the perfection in nature is also seen in me...I am a reflection of the universe.  It is absurd to think that I see the perfection in nature but do not recognize it in myself. 

When I understand that there is no such thing a scarcity or lack in the universe, I can recognize that there is unlimited abundance, provided I am open to receive them and sharing my gifts with the world.

Abundance to me means a life of ease, health, love and joy where every moment of every day has a sense of purpose. I see that I am a reflection of the universe, perfectly imperfect. I believe that when I am open to the abundance around me the universe sends me exactly what I need.

Abundance is all around me, I don't need to seek it, but simply become aware of it. When I'm focused on all that is and all the I am, I realize in that moment I need nothing more, I am content. I am a reflection of the universe, perfectly imperfect, and everything I need will be provided if I am open to receiving it. Pay attention to the beauty of nature and focus on what I have rather than on what I don't.  I will feel joy when I share my talents with others, giving to

Eat And Be Happy

Do you often feel rushed in the morning and skip breakfast to make up time? Are you cutting out meals to try and lose weight but finding that those stubborn pounds don't come off? I often get so busy through the day that I forget to eat and find myself reaching for unhealthy snacks or over-eating at dinner because I'm so hungry.  When I eat an unhealthy snack my belly triggers an unpleasant roller coaster ride of a sugar high and then a sugar low! I feel grumpy and unhappy.  This is not exactly a great habit to get into it.        

Did you know that prolonged periods without eating can make you crave fatty, high calorie foods over healthy, nutritions foods?  When you starve your body of nutrients, it protects you from starvation by hanging onto every calorie you have previously consumed and slows down your metabolism.  

What if I told you that eating regularly throughout the day could contribute to healthy weight loss?  Eating a balanced breakfast is a fabulous tactic that can help you avoid the call of unhealthy snacking. According to a new study out of Imperial College London, researchers found that subjects who passed on breakfast showed actual brain activity that led to temptations for fatty, high calorie foods later in the day. “One reason it is so difficult to lose weight is because the appeal of high calorie food goes up,” explains study author Dr. Tony Goldstone in a press release. In the study, 21 normal-weight subjects were shown pictures of food while they were positioned in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which takes scans of brain activity. Subjects were fed a 730 calorie breakfast an hour and a half before the scans on one day and then given no breakfast the second day before the scans. The researchers focused on changes in the part of the brain that is thought to be involved in food appeal—the orbitofrontal cortex. They found that skipping breakfast created a “bias” in the brain in favor of high calorie foods. In other words, participants who did not have breakfast had an increase in brain activity in the orbitofrontal cortex when fatty, calorie dense foods were shown.

If you are trying to lose those stubborn pounds, start by eating a nutritiously balanced breakfast and having healthy snacks between meals.   Not only does this keep your blood sugar stabilized but maintains the happy chemicals in your brain.  Lets set ourselves up for success by regularily feeding our digestive system the nutrients it needs throughout the day. The secret to a happy body is by eating - who doesn't like the sound of that?   From someone who LOVES food, i'm off to make a snack! :-)

Bon a petite :-)  

Lifetime Financial Security

I was speaking to a friend of mine the other day about healthy aging, who is approaching age 55.  She interestingly responded to me by saying, “but why would I want to live longer, how will I afford to live to over 100 years old when I’m already retired?”.  That’s when it hit me, like a cartoon character with the lightbulb over it’s head.  The only way to support ourselves in today’s economy is by building residual income, and that’s when I felt so grateful that I have started a business in network marketing.

Financial literacy activist, Robert Kiyosaki says “ The days of lifetime job security and your mutual funds going up by 20% per year are over. If you think your mutual funds will carry you after you retire, I think you had best make other plans.”  Kiyosaki recommends network marketing because it is the business of the future.

I’ll bet you’re reading this and thinking, like my friend, that your looking for new answers and new ways to find true long-term financial security! Kiyosaki states that “a network marketing business is one of the asset classes. It is a business. If you work hard and build the business, that business will give you the excess cash to acquire the real estate and stocks that will give you true long term financial security…security you can pass on to your loved ones. You can’t do that with your job, no matter how secure it is.  Your J O B keeps you Just Over Broke! Network marketing is an asset, not a job.

Network marketing is the business of the 21st century.  What i’ve learned is to find a company that I am passionate about, to be commited to helping myself AND to helping others, and to never quit!  Just like I studied Massage Therapy for 2 years to become a health care professional, then practiced in the field for 2 years to build a clientele before I had a stable income.  I will allow myself the time to learn to become a professional network marketer, only this time I won't have the massive student loans to pay off!

Join me in saying good-bye to trading time for dollars and working hard in a job that has a ceiling on how much I can make!  Be your own boss, work part-time or full-time and create the income you desire, become a network marketing professional by earning while you learn!

I have found a network marketing company that I feel passionate about because I'm not only helping myself become physically healthy, I'm looking after my financial wellness too.  AND I get to help other people become healthier and afford to live longer.  I get to live a life of purpose by helping others find health, wealth and happiness!  

AND I can let go of worrying about my financial future and cordially invite you to my 100th birthday party on our island in Belize where I’ll challenge you to limbo  :)

LIFE BY DEZYNE

MY BUDDHA BUDGET

This past week I was feeling like I had a 90 year old body and was experiencing head aches, back pain and fatigue. So I visited my chiropractor, who first told me that "age is a state of mind" (shame on me) and then suggested my symptoms were the result of stress overloading my nervous system.  Ah ha! I thought, because at the beginning of each month I 'conscientiously' review my budget and after this months review, I have reason to be stressed!

But when I was completely honest with myself, I realized I did not tell the chiropractor that I just returned from 3 weeks holiday in Bali splurging on jewellery, amazing food and 'important' nick-nacks.  That when I returned home, I spent three consecutive nights staying up late, catching up on the wine we didn't drink in Bali and became a couch potato watching movies with the kids.  That niggly feeling of anxiety around my finances is truthfully, only a small contributor to the toll I'm putting on my nervous system!

How do I design life I want without feeling 90 years old and stressing about how much it costs? Well, my chiropractor answered the first part...I am only as old as I think I am.  And my professional opinion recommends getting more sleep and exercise! Now, how do I find Zen when managing money?

"Gymnast Jen", the old me who was an Elite gymnast throughout her childhood, tried to be perfect at everything and was a tad bit hard on herself when she wasn't.  Gymnast Jen would worry about everything and would wallow in misery while focusing on the problem, rather than on the solution!  Becoming "Zen Jen" means letting go of fear and staying present in order to find clarity!  So today, as ZenJen, I'm applying the Yoga principles of CONSCIOUSNESS AND COMPASSION to how I think about my finances!

"WHERE EVER I PLACE MY CONSCIOUSNESS, CHANGE TAKES PLACE!"

According to a recent article in Yoga Journal, in order to change money habits for the better, we shouldn't force ourselves to stick to a "spartan budget", but instead, they suggest we identify our most important values and understand how money serves them.  Our values will pull us in the right direction!  And a budget will help us observe our spending habits and cultivate an awareness around them.

4 STEPS TO CREATING A HAPPY BUDDHA BUDGET

Here's how I'm creating a no worries budget by using the principals of meditation and Yoga:

1.  IDENTIFY MY VALUES  (Identify what I want in my life, not what I don't want in my life)

• Safety  
• Connection 
• Passion  
• Purpose  
• Balance 
• Freedom  

2.  IDENTIFY MY HABITS (Notice my repetitive thoughts and behaviours around money/budgeting)

• I'm a money hoarder and fear accumulating bad debt.
• My current budget habits are focused primarily on paying down debt as quickly as possible 
• When I spend on play or travel before paying off debt, I feel guilty and worrisome.

3. OBSERVE WITHOUT JUDGEMENT  (Notice, without beating myself up)

• I focus most of my attention on managing debt rather than on income generating activities. 
• When I put money towards splurging on adventures or travel I feel guilty that I didn't put it towards paying down debt.
• I often have buyers remorse when I buy things for myself.
• My current budget is focused on surviving rather than on thriving.
• I hoard my money because i'm afraid of becoming broke and this fear keeps me attached to my J.O.B., where I have a false sense of security.

4.  IDENTIFY ACTION STEPS - (Find clarity and generate transformation - aligning my finances with my values)

• Safety - Create multiple income streams in order to secure my financial future.
• Connection - Feeling connected to the people I work with and having time-freedom away from work to spend with friends and family. 
• Passion - Design a career around what I love to do.  Work because I want to, not because I have to.  
• Purpose - Work because I want to help others, not just to earn money to my pay bills.  
• Balance -  Balancing paying down debt and saving for the things that bring me joy.  Focus on   generating income rather than on working harder to eliminate debt .  
• Freedom - Focus my attention on generating residual and passive income streams so I can leave my J.O.B. and stop trading time for dollars and instead earn money while I sleep.
• In order to attract more of what I want!, when ever I see a penny on the street I will pick it up, put it in my pocket and say "Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you, I am a money magnet!" 

So how do I afford the life I want?  I may have some guilt around splurging on a trip to Bali, but one of the lessons I brought home with me from the Balinese is to always focus on gratitude.  I'm finding that the more I focus on what I do have, rather than what I don't have, the richer I feel.  As I focus on generating money, rather than on my debt, the more abundance I attract into my life.  What I focus on expands, and being clear about what I value and my habits around money, I am choosing to focus less on my debt and more on the money coming in.  

My Happy Buddha Budget will be realistic in order to protect my financial future and will buy my happiness by focusing on gratitude.  And if I have a bad week...I will remember that the past is history, there is no sense worrying about things I can't change!  The only safe place is in the here and now, this moment is where I can make a difference.

WIth gratitude for this new awareness, let the journey continue!

Woo Woo!

Zenjen :)

Bali Bliss - June 2012

I'm sitting in a cafe on the Gili Islands, overlooking the turquoise water and white sand beaches.  The server here noticed I was on facebook and immediately ran to get a pen and paper so she could add me as a friend.  As I reflect on our trip this gesture sums up the Balinese people - kind and generous they wish to be friends with everyone they meet.  You can ask for anything here and their response is always "no problem".  Even though a Balinese kilometer is about 100 feet and an hours trip is 90 minutes, its hard not to fall in love with these smiling, shinny happy people.

The majority of people in Bali are Hindu.  The Hindu culture and belief system is portrayed in Yoga Philosophy, and having the opportunity to experience a culture that lives and breaths these beliefs has taught me how your thoughts truly can become things.

As we near the end of our trip, David and I have been discussing what lessons we have learned from our adventures and from conversations with locals.  For me, three things come to mind that make up Bali Bliss - Karma, contentment and gratitude.  It is these three things that I understand keep the Balinese smile so bright, at all times, no matter what the circumstance.

Karma teaches that what you do in this life echos for eternity, and translates into good or bad luck when your spirit is reincarnated.  Believing your actions in this life affects your next life, we see the Balinese people kind to all others and this is seen in the almost inexistent levels of crime here.  Family and community is very important and the Balinese people live in compounds of 3 generations, and there will be 30-50 compounds in a village.  Each village is responsible for its people, supporting them in times of need, emotionally and financially.  You see very little poverty here as a result of this constant support and love.

Offerings are made to the Balinese Gods many times a day, showing gratitude for all that they have; from the food they have eaten to small and large possessions.  Outside front door steps you will see offerings of rice and sweets, flowers and incense to thank the Gods, and on the dash boards of taxis offerings for good luck.  We have seen that focusing on gratitude for what you do have, rather than on what you don't have gives the Balinese people a sense of contentment, no matter what their situation is.  From the fortunate cafe owner in Lovina who married into a rich Dutch family, to the young girls who massaged our feet on the street, everyone is happy with what they have.  When we asked the 15 year old girls who massaged us in Legien if they were always happy, they said with a smile, "yes, always".  Everywhere we go, people are laughing and smiling and when we chat to them they are eager to get to know us.  Even the young girls selling snacks at Padung Bai port as we sailed out to the Gili Islands, we joked and laughed as they playfully negotiated a price for water, crisps and Bintang at 9am.

Speaking to the Cafe owner in Lovina, we learned a very powerful philosophy from which he lives by. When we asked him about his love for his wife he said "until now I love her fully, but I don't know what the future will bring to us."  He explained that the future is a mystery and all that he can be sure of is the present moment, and in this moment, yes he loves his wife dearly.  As David explored this philosophy further he expanding the idea of "until now" to thinking that until now I have been a bad parent, friend or lover...until now I have been addicted to alcohol...until now I have been grieving, sad or frustrated...but in this moment, I can change and be a better person, I can be happy, content and positive.  Until now I have been afraid to step into my greater self, until now I have been afraid to open my heart fully and love fully.

Leaving Bali in only a few days, I will bring back with me many memories, many new friends in my heart and a new way of thinking.  To always have gratitude for the things I have and the people in my life and to be as supportive of others as they are to me.  To be content and focus on what I do have, rather than what i don't have. To know that the past is history and the future is a mystery so stay present in the moment as this is the gift of life.

If you wish to follow our adventures and meet the Balinese people we have met connect with us on twitter @livezensation or on tout.com/thekickasslife.  Or watch my facebook page where I will be posting our 15 second tout videos.


Trimakasi
(Thank You)

Bali arrival 2012

I have returned To Bali, June 1,2012 As soon as I landed in Bali and smelt the sweet,fragrant air I remembered how much I love it here. The man at customs looked at my passport and said, we should call you 'Newguy' (instead of Newman)then looked up at me and smiled in that gentle, Balanese way and chuckled. Only in Bali! I'm here to take part in my very dear friends wedding. I met nick and eve when I lived in Australia. They were my rock during a very challenging time in my life and I will for ever hold a special place in my heart for them. I'm honored to be here for them, and their wedding will be a union of two very special people. The taxi ride to the villa was typically Bali. Crazy traffic through winding streets, mopeds weaving between cars carrying pets, belongings and children without helmets. We dropped off the young German girl at her hotel in Kuta. I met her alone and scared at the airport so my driver was so kind to take her on the way, as long as I didn't tell his boss! After numerous turns down tiny streets, littered with stray dogs and cats we arrived at The Chandra. My welcome drink in hand, I entered our shared villa and stepped into the secret garden! An oasis amongst the impoverished Bali, how lucky am I?? And there they were, eve and nick wrapped in my arms after 2 years apart. Tears and giggles, I was so happy to see them and I just couldn't resist kissing nick's newly installed titanium head. (more on that later) Welcome to the land of the gods and goddesses...this Is going to be one amazing journey! With gratitude, zenjen

Satya - Truth

Tell the truth, all the time, with compassion." David Wood


Have you ever told a "white lie" because you were afraid that telling the truth would hurt the other person? I used to believe in telling white lies. But I'm beginning to realize that no matter what colour my lie is, its still a LIE!


My biggest lesson is realizing that truth is love, speaking my truth to another person is the greatest gift to that relationship. Truth, or Satya, one of the 8 limbs of yoga, is the foundational practice of non-harming. It not only refers to being truthful with others but it also includes the awareness of being truthful with ourselves.


 I'm learning that its those moments when we ignore whats true for us, and act in ways we believe protect the other person that actually causes the hurt.  Thinking one thing and saying another is not 
only a disservice to my relationships, its a disservice to your myself.


My word for 2012?  SATYA


Letting go of the lies and living my truth!


Full steam ahead,
Woo Woo!