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!

releasing old and creating new habits

I was inspired today by Matt Cutts and his talk on TEDtalks.com about "Trying Something New For 30 Days". (see link below) Matt asks...is there something you have always wanted to add or subtract from your life?  He found that by making small, sustainable changes he could create new habits, in just 30 days.  He also found that he was more present in his everyday, had more memorable moments and had increased confidence.

So, I pondered about what my first goal should be and this is what I came up with.

I have always been an athlete and building physical muscles is a habit I already have.  I love to stay in shape, exercise makes me happy even if its 30 minutes a day.  But the muscle I find the most challenging to build is my mental muscle and learning to control my thoughts by choosing only the good ones - the ones that serve me, and learning to discard the ones that don't.  I tend to have this seed of doubt that loves to sneak into my mind and infect my brain with toxic thoughts of not being good enough.  These thoughts cultivate behaviours where I feel I have to always be perfect or that I have to be the person other people think I should be.  I have a habit of being a people pleaser!  When I'm feeling doubtful, I will speak or act from other people's truths rather than trusting my own.

I have learned the hard way, that when I don’t speak my truth I risk losing myself.  In the past, when I have not been strong enough to put my doubt aside and speak from my heart, I wind up saying what others want to hear and being who I believe they want me to be.  After some time of pleasing others through my words and actions, I become someone I'm not.  And when I disappear I am invisible in my relationships, showing up as a puppet whose actions don’t always match my words.

Through the help of some very dear friends, I have recently re-discovered myself after a long period of playing the puppet.  I am now living in the ecstasy of Me and everything has changed.  I’m living in a child-like world where possibility oozes from my thoughts as I dance through the everyday as if it were a new adventure.  So I ask myself, now that I’m back how do I hang on to Me? 

Well Matt I believe in order for my confidence to grow allowing me to take on more, achieve more and build better relationships, I have to remove one thing from my life.  Self doubt.  I want to build my mental muscle to control my thoughts by practicing meditation.  So my goal will be to meditate 15 minutes everyday for the next 30 days in order to build my mental strength.  Through out the day I will continue to meditate by becoming more aware of my negative thoughts and notice when the seed of doubt is planted and catch it before it grows and overtakes the garden of Me. 

I know there will be days when I fall off, when someone judges me or shows signs of not accepting me as I am.  This is when I will practice noticing these thoughts and then, let them go. The trick will be to use my newfound mental strength to come back, not letting self-doubt consume me. Returning to the present moment, I will not give the thoughts that don’t serve me any energy to cultivate into self-defeating actions.

Follow my blog as I try something new for the next 30 days.  Will I build enough mental strength to conjure up the wind and blow away my seed of doubt?  Can I create a new habit in just 30 days?

Tally ho,

Zenjen

www.ted.com/talks/matt_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

Zensations

Welcome!

I am Zenjen.  Nice to meet you!  I'm green to this type of media, but am eager to allow my creativity to flourish and share my insights here in my new blog.  As I travel on my life's journey, it is my intention to share all I learn in the hopes that I may inspire others.  I am also excited to hear your feedback in order to continually learn and grow from you! 

Why?
Because I am committing to an abundant life that is full of freedom, laughter and growth.  By being authentic, honest and open I am attracting a community of compassionate, positive and supportive people.  Together we inspire and motivate others to acquire happy, healthy and abundant lives.  Believing that we can be all that we aspire to be and live the life we want, being real and looking inside ourselves to reveal where we are at and where we can go. Taking responsibility for our actions, we recognize that we have control of our reactions and that we can manifest positive change in the world around us. 

What is Zensations?
Awakening to life!  Creating and reflecting on experiences that take us to a place of compassion and greater understanding.  Living in the moment, having presence and recognizing that the present moment is the only place we can control and feel safe.  By opening to what is happening in the moment, having the willingness to explore, acquire awareness of what is and the courage to take action, we can experience the sacred in all aspects of our lives. This is why it is the journey not the destination that matters so much!

I invite you along on my journey to explore moments of awareness, insight and epiphany, and to feel how we move through - and are moved by - life.  Welcome to the adventure of  Zensation, the here and now, which is where life happens.

To living more fully and openly, tally ho!

Thank you for visiting. I'll see you soon,
Zenjen