Creative visualization

For example you might want a bright red shinning car, you can imagine every detail down to the mmm of the engine when it starts up.   So now put yourself in this situation…. you have just driven off the car lot in your new car, you can smell the “new car” smell, you can hear the hum or roar of the engine, you can feel the wind rushing passed you. Maybe you drive past the local driven or mall and everything is looking at you and your car…  Now, repeat this visualization on a regular basis with strong emotions and intent gives the idea or mental picture you are trying to create positive energy until it becomes real.

The most basic ingredient of this energy is a force which is called prana,  Qi,  life force or simply Breath. When visualizing this energy entering through your nose and circulating throughout your body will have a tremendous revitalizing effect on your whole body & general outlook on life.

Visualization is not a new, strange or unusual concept for you are visualizing something practically every minute of the day.

The idea is to dwell on those thoughts you would like to become reality not as some future fantasy but as if they are real today and are part of your everyday life here and now.

Program your brain and re-wire it as if what you desire is real and already taking place. As if you are watching your own self made video, play the role as a real life actor would with all the emotions and movements making it as real as you possibly can. The mental picture needs to be as clear and vivid as you can possibly make it.  Through repetition you will learn and perfect the skill of creating the desired mental image and feel the experience as if it is already real and happening.

Visualization is pure magic of the highest order. It involves understanding and balancing oneself with the natural law that governs the inner most workings of the universe we are part of and learning to use such laws and principles in the most conscious and creative ways.

The message is to imprint the thought and image well into your brain and feed it continually on a regular basis ensuring your desired outcome becomes your reality.  The purpose of the visualization process is to break and flush the inner obstacles to allow more natural flow and increase self realization to increase ones ability to manifest with positive energy.

I have personally used visualization for the least 3 years, every night as I lay in my bed, I create my ideal life. I walk through my day… what I would do first thing in the morning, what I would do during the day, how I would work, how I would have fun, who is there with me…  with as much detail as possible.   I believe that this practice has assisted me to create MANY of the things that I have in my life now, where I live, what I do… really the possibilities are endless.

This is just one of the steps to creating your ideal life though… don’t get caught in the ideal that this will be the ONLY step you take… this one prepares you, it clears you dears, opens your mind and sets the stage.

Give it a try!

I like the fact that Charley was pretty clear that he wrote the book based on his personal experience, the idea, concepts and strategies in the book are what worked for him and his family.   Charley definitely sounds like a fun guy!

I’m Charley Forness.

I’m 37, married to Nichole, have beautiful baby triplets (Bella, Owen and Noah) and am a Vice President in my department for a Fortune 500 Company.

I have the resources to keep up with the Joneses, maybe beat the pants off a few of them but I don’t bother.  It ain’t worth it.  Ever.  Taking care of my children now and in the future is far more important to me.

I’m a writer, artist and teacher at heart.

I live in a home that I’ve already paid off.  It cost me less than 90% of my yearly income…not my payment…the entire value of the home.

On to the Book….I LOVE how Charley started with Life Design, I agree with the principle that you HAVE to know just what the hack you want out of life better you can change it in any way.  Once you have a foundation to start with it is much easier to get on with what needs to be done.

The book goes on with strategies to simply your “Stuff, Commitments, Health and Finances.”   The book is short and sweet, with real down to earth strategies.  There is no fluff, there is no sugar coating, there is just what Charley did to successfully simplify his life.

The part that struck me the most is that fact that he is a family man and his family is on board with him.  Making the decision to simplify or change your lifestyle in any way takes a lot of communication and cooperation.  With a little bit of effort you can create a really awesome lifestyle!

While the book is not specifically about “minimalism” it is about “simplicity”. As I was saying on Facebook this week.  I am feeling more and more that minimalism is not just about the physical clutter, but also the emotional clutter we carry in our lives.   I feel a big part of our lives is about nourishing our spirit.  Whatever spiritual path you follow, I believe it is very important to a holistic earth experience.

I have read this book before and I have to say that I was overwhelmed by the amount of new information that was shown to me this time.  I intend on reading the book again in a year or so and see what other valuable insights I can gather.

I have been interested in Zen Buddhism specifically for quite some time, but I can definitely say it was superficial. I liked the idea of minimalism interior decorating, I liked the idea of personal quiet retreats, I liked the idea of a code of ethics in the eight fold noble way.  I like the idea that you are always in search of your inner wisdom. I like the fact that an ordinary man like Gautama Siddhartha was able to find this wisdom. So began my study.

The first few chapters of the book go into the history of Buddhism and the movement from east to west and how this movement has evolved into Zen Buddhism.  I freely admit it is not something I understand at this point, but it is nothing I am concerned with either.

I was most interested in the concept of “finding enlightenment” is really a journey within to your essential nature through meditation. I like this concept… I like the idea that we are already “enlightened” we just don’t know how to access the depth of knowledge we have.  And the disciplined practice of meditation is the pathway to this knowledge.

The book includes some basic instructions on the best posture and practices, it stresses the importance of find a mentor and a community to help support you through your practice.

The next concept I found speaking to me was “nothing“, what is nothing.  It is like one of those “aha” moments that you hear Oprah talking about.   It is realizing that everything is in nothing, that if you are focusing on living in the moment you do not need anything.   This nothing is every possibility you can imagine. Somethings stopping to allow the nothing will allow you to see the world!

In this very moment …. there is nothing and everything, live in the moment.

I am very much looking forward to growing my knowledge and experience in this area.   For now though, I am off to my meditation!

Simple and Healthy is stepping stone to start down the plan to a health life.  David writes this book from the perspective of  elite athlete.   Even though I am training for a triathlon I am definitely an elite athlete… still very much a newbie.

Two thirds of the book is about nutrition and what we eat, our diets.  In principle I agree with the idea that 75% for our health comes from what we are eating.  Personally I am still working on what exactly that diet looks like for me.

I thought I would mention three important concepts that I believe has high value and importance.

One of the most important concepts in the book is the “Diet vs Dieting”

The difference between dieting and a diet is that dieting is focused on a specific amount of time, whereas, a diet is a commitment to a long term goal of balanced nutrition followed with a basic active lifestyle.

Agreed!  It is my believe that any change needs to be a life long lifestyle change, not just a flash in the pan fad.

Second important concept is “Hydration”

People hear this over and over again, but I bet if you looked at the amount of caffeine free, sugar free, straight up water you drink… that amount is very small.

Hydrating your body properly is similar to putting the proper fuel in your vehicle. The cleaner, less rubbish the better your car runs. The same goes for your body.

The simplest way to start is by adding 8 glasses of straight up water to your day. One big glass as soon as you get up starts the day wonderfully!

The third important concept is “The Great Outdoors”

I love this as much as I can I get outside.  I am not much for winter sports but I will definitely get out for a walk.  Walking you can do all year round with not too much effort.  It is a great way to see your local area.  I am really lucky to live close to parks and the lake and I can cycle pretty much all year.

There are quite a few more interesting concepts that David has gone into in the book, just head over to his website and check it out.

And while I am becoming a millionaire how am I impacting the earth?  What kind of example am I setting for me kids?

These questions and more have led me down the path of look more closely at my lifestyle.  I wanted to look at a complete holistic view.  How am I impacting the earth and others?  How is my lifestyle impacting me and my spirituality? What can I do to tread lighter and great a greater impact all at the same time.

Easy answers… no. but most importantly I am finding the holistic balance for me, where do I draw the lines?

That is why I have been spending so much time in study, the more I study the more I can learn and evolve my lifestyle into the perfect balance for me.

That brings us to the big question, what is a minimalist life?

Leo speaks of it as “one (a life) that is stripped of the unnecessary, to make room for that which gives you joy.”  I love this definition.  To me it is all about the mindset!  It is not that you can’t have the things that you want, it is that you pick the things you love the most and only allow them to enter your life.

This is true whether it is a 1968 Mustang or the freedom to travel to a new country every year.  What is important you, becomes that which you allow into your minimal life.

Then you get rid of the rest, you don’t need it so why keep it.

Leo’s take on the minimal principles:

The Minimalist Principles

There are some key principles we’ll be repeating throughout this book, in various forms. It’s important to list them here:

1. Omit needless things. Notice this doesn’t say to omit everything. Just needless things.

2. Identify the essential. What’s most important to you? What makes you happy? What will have the highest impact on your life, your career?

3. Make everything count. Whatever you do or keep in your life, make it worthy of keeping. Make it really count.

4. Fill your life with joy. Don’t just empty your life. Put something wonderful in it.

5. Edit, edit. Minimalism isn’t an end point. It’s a constant process of editing, revisiting, editing some more.

As I have been studying this book, I am realizing that I have been on the path for quite some time.  It really has been a journey.   When we moved to our current location it was a great time to get rid of a lot of “stuff” that just wasn’t necessary any longer.

As we were unpacking more “stuff” was removed.  Shhh  don’t tell any one, but every time my significant other is called away on business, I make sure to make a point pick something, a closet, a drawer, even just a box.  Then I sort it, store what needs to be and get rid of what is no longer needed.

I will continue to do this as often as I can, I know there is a “junk drawer” in the kitchen calling my name.

Gratefulness

To me contentment with your current life and gratitude for all you have just create an amazing feeling of life love.  I feel awesome every time I think about just how wonderful my life is, just the way it is, the idea that by releasing even more “stuff” will increase that feeling is over powering and one of the main reasons I am studying so intently.

The practical

Do we even really need everything we have?  I am not trying to tell you, you don’t.  I just think we don’t often think about the real need.  We think about our neighbours, we think about our convenience, but do we really think about the ACTUAL practical need.

For the last 25 years I have leaved in such a way that I did not NEED a car, I sometimes had one, but I never actually needed one.  Right now in my current life, we made the decision not to have one, if a particular circumstance arises that we could use a car, we just go out and rent one or borrow one.  Very simple to do!  no excuses.  I have done this with small children as well.  It is possible if you live in a city with good public transit.

When the time comes that I decide to buy a car I will and I will think long and hard about getting the car that fits my needs.  Not the fastest, the newest, the coolest, the most impressive, the one that fits my needs.

It is not really about whether you have or have not, it is about whether you made a conscious decision based on what you love, what you want to create, what you want to impact.

Time as a “thing”

Most don’t think of time as a “thing” that can be changed or directed, even though we have no control over the passage of time, we do control how we use our time.  We can decide to only do the things we love, with the people we love in the place we love.

Yep, another thing that really has no excuse attached to it, most of us have responsibilities of some kind, kids, cats, significant others etc… but we get caught up in doing the same old thing. We don’t challenge how we think, we don’t challenge the norm.  Who told you that you had to work a 9-5 job in downtown that you have to commute an hour both ways?

Have you ever really thought about how that could change?  In this day and age it is even easier to telecommute or change jobs or move.  You have many many choices if you allow them to present themselves to you.

Fight the fear of uncluttering

I know a several people right on the top of my head that are “hoarders”, I think that my Grandmother was the worst.  I loved grandma dearly but OMG she had way too much stuff.  I do understand that people who have grown up with less or suffered a great deal use this to protect themselves.

People attached their happiness or their value to the things they have and they could never ever think of allowing any of it to go.

I would agree that it is a process, a mind shift from this attachment to the realization that we are awesome amazing people regardless of how much “stuff” we have!  When people are able to make this shift they are able to feel a whole new level of contentment and satisfaction with their life.

Loved ones

I have to say that a minimal life was much easier 10 years ago, I had 4 kids living at home, but I was the only adult and got to make all the decisions 

There definitely was a little bit of “can’t afford that” and some of “that is too much stuff to pack” from those days, I remember when I could move with just a pickup truck!

While that is gone, the kids are grown and I have a wonderful significant other with an awesome life. We definitely have more “stuff” now.  Many of the things that I have done so far to create more organized, more simplified life he has gone along with, he has even picked up the storage boxes and sorted his stuff too.  I am lucky.  I do think there are always areas of personal improvement whether or not you have the cooperation of you living mates.  Some things you just need to do for you.  And balance out the rest.  Your personal contentment and peace in the house is always a balancing act, this is just another thing.

Get Organized

The book goes on to list steps and examples of how to get organized in several areas of your life, your home, your workspace, your computer, your travel, your food, your fitness and your finance.

Over the next 3 months as I work on my simplified and organized life, I will test out some of the examples.  I will pick the ones that feel good and work for me and leave behind the needless ones.

Whatever you reason for studying the minimal lifestyle, this book is a good place to start.

Check out some other great articles to get you on your way.

5 Simple Ways to become a Minimalist today – http://lifeexcursion.com/index.php/5-simple-ways-to-become-a-minimalist-today/

How to live with just 100 things – http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1812048,00.html

I started by reading what I had written five years ago when I started down my path of self growth.

Then I read what I had written a couple of months ago

I found a couple interesting things:

• many of the ideas that are based on my core values are almost exactly the same
• although I have some ideas about what I want to be doing, there is an over riding directive

A quote from my original vision

“Material things are very nice and they are meant to be enjoyed by everyone, but the pursuit of those things is not the main factor in our lives.”

“Real joy comes from a warm hug from a friend, a secret shared between sisters, or an adventure shared by brothers. Real joy comes from the warm satisfying feeling that washes over your body when some one shows their appreciation for your helping heart guiding them to the experience of peace and satisfaction within their lives.”

I feel just as strongly about these thoughts and ideas today as I did 5 years ago.

I look back 20 years ago and think about how I lived my life… I could say that I was poor, uneducated and unlucky… but that is not really true. Even back then before I knew one thing about passions, law of attraction, or yin and yang. I was making decisions that were prioritized by my soul about people and experiences being more important then material things.

These days I understand more, I have experienced a lot and I am still prioritizing people and life experience first.

My over riding directive is to show others the path that I have followed and to make their journey easier.

Do you know your LifeStyle Vision?  How closely does it align with your core values?  Do you have an over riding directive or purpose?

The main bases for the companion book is the impact that a minimal lifestyle can have on your economic future.  It seems to be an easy correlation actually, if you need less stuff it will cost you less and that will make it easier for you to get through tough times.

This is a free companion book to the actual book “The Power of Less” so there are a lot of references. I am inclined to buy it to dig a little deeper but I want to get through the books that I have already bought on the subject before buying more *Leo would understand I am sure .*

The book focused first on clutter, let’s face it most of us have lots of it.  Whether the topic is self care or minimalism there seems to be a general conscious that one must start with a clear of all things that get in your way, whether it is emotional package or physical.  We humans think and process better when we are less distracted.

The first action steps in the book are to determine your “essential” things, the things YOU could not live without.  These was pretty easy for me.  My computer with internet access and my bike, my pets and my ability to enjoy those things.

I love the question “what does enough mean?”

I am sure that every person is going to have a their own answer to this, which makes it more interesting!

I think that it is obvious, but just in case…. we are talking about what happens AFTER you have meet all your survival needs, you have food, shelter etc…  What do you need to not just survive by thrive, what are the things that make your truly happy and successful!

If you decide that you are happy with “enough” what would it take to sustain that? Maybe you don’t need to work as much?  Maybe you decide that traveling is important, so you make the decision to live without a car so that you can take an awesome trip once a year.

I am ALWAYS happy to read someone recommending small changes, to me small changes are easy and they offer quick successes that will motivate you to keep moving forward toward your goal.

For some people reducing the amount they eat out is a quick and painless way to cut back.  Replacing costly entertainment options with free or cheaper.  Cutting back your spending in all areas, step-by-step.

After looking at the little things…. start to look at the bigger things… smaller or no car, small house/apartment.  Then move on to savings, controlling spending and cutting more significant costs. Creating a plan and systems to make sure you and your family is safe and secure while enjoying your life!

Reducing debt…. this is a pretty big one and certainly if you are part of a family unit this is something that you all need to agree to work on. Leo’s #1 recommendation is to cancel your credit cards and cutting back all non-essentials things until you have things under control.   Putting together a plan is definitely a major step, I believe you need to know exactly where you are and have a step-by-step plan to move you froward.  Don’t forget to set up your emergency fund first, so that you can keep your family safe and secure.

Living frugal should be the first thing you do, in my opinion. It is vitally important. But it’s only a part of the equation — spending less only gets you part of the way. Earning more gets you the rest of the way.

YES!  Find something you are passionate about and launch a new income stream based your passion. You might not become a millionaire, but a little extra will help you get your finances under control.

Leo goes on to list some fundamental tools that can assist if you are thinking about making a commitment to move to a simpler lifestyle, check out the book to learn more.

Some great resources for more info.

The Power of Less: the fine art of limiting yourself to the essential in business and in life

Zen Habits – Leo’s blog

The Minimalist Path – David Damron

Just to name a few!

Yep Another David Damron book.  I have a few of his books.  I am really enjoying them.

This book  starts with the “why”, why are you interested in simplifying your lifestyle.   Must people will say they want to change “something”, clutter, finances, overwhelm, stress…

For me I have already changed many, many things and this is the next level, some say peeling the onion. That is me, peeling the layers and really understanding better why I here at this moment.

Right now I am “clearing and de-cluttering” my life so that I can accomplish more and still have time to enjoy life.  Less distractions, more focus means I can move closer to my goals.

David’s book helps you focus on a few tasks in a couple areas, this way you can see some great results early. Accomplishing these will help to reinforce and motivate you to continue.

I love the concept of focusing on the things you LOVE! This allows you to let go of the things that are just taking up space.

David’s thoughts

The toughest part of simplifying is letting go. It does not have to be something physical. It can be an action or a feeling. For me it is all of the above. Letting go is tough because we develop bonds to that which we have come in contact with. This isn’t necessarily bad or a wrong decision, but there are times that our connections aren’t guiding or assisting us in achieving our major goals.

For me “things” are not an issue, I realized long ago that things come and go from your life.  The thing that is the hardest for me is people, some times the people we have around us are just not going to impact your life in a positive way.  Sometimes you just need to let them go….

I am really happy to be in a super good place, I only have people that are supportive of my journey to self growth!  (*thanks!!)

Triathlon 2010 is over at PureInsfusion.com and Project M-31 is over on Facebook Notes

I must admit I have been mesmerized by the concept of Minimalism this past month or so.  Now I have always, always loved the look of minimal interior design, but lets face it how do you accomplish that with 4 kids

The thing I loved the most about the design was the open space, it felt like there was always enough air to breathe.

The same concept seems to be the main theme of Minimalism as a lifestyle.  Removing all the “things” that are crowding you and allowing for “open space”.  This could mean your actual physical space, like de-cluttering your closets or it could be de-cluttering your schedule to allow more personal freedom.

I was like “ding-ding”, these is totally the bases for the “Extreme Self Care” course that I teach.  It is all about changing your mindset to allow for more personal space and freedom.  As I went through “Zen to Done” and “Project M-31″ I would find the MANY of the areas these guys talked about was things that I had already done.

I am very excited about combining both of these together, which OF COURSE has given me some other great ideas….

Personally though I feel like I still have MUCH to learn about self care, minimalism and zen.  I want to work on creating a unique and interesting balance between all of them that will help guide me personally through the next steps in my journey.

Sooo I created a project in Lifetick to work on my simple minimal lifestyle, one of the things that I will be doing is reading a book each week on the topic and I am happy to share my thoughts with you.

Well I have some big goals that I want to accomplish and I want to do it faster, easier and have as much fun as I can doing it.

I came across the blog The Minimalist Path a few weeks ago and I am impressed.  Mostly with down to earth real way David Damron writes.  It feels like he is talking to me and it is easy to read.

David has a few books, but I started off with Finding Focus Discovering & Securing Your Ideal Life!

I received the a copy of the book as a bonus for buying another product, so I didn’t even know what was in the book before I opened it.

Totally awesome, you know me passions, goals and action steps, that is what I am preaching every day!  So the book was definitely up my alley.

The biggest thing that I learned from reading the book was Sacrifice, or our perception of sacrifice.

David’s questions:

Is it really a sacrifice when you are removing the non-progressive aspects of your life?

Is it really a sacrifice to quit what you like to do for what you love to do?

He is right, it wouldn’t be a sacrifice!  I am getting up at 5am every morning, because I know that it is the best time to work out for me, get it over and done with so that other distractions do not get in the way.  Big D says I am crazy to get up then, but it is small sacrifice to run across the finish line at the triathlon in 2 months!

Another David Question:

Stop for a moment and think about this question…
In relation to your ideal life, how far ahead or behind would you be if you stopped doing whatever you are doing in your life and started doing what you loved?

This is a pretty big question and a very easy simple measuring stick!

Just where are you and why aren’t you there yet?  what keeps getting in the way?

This is the question that I have been looking at over and over again for the last 5 years.   And this is how I set my goals for the year.  5 years ago I was so far away from my ideal life I would have scarcely believed it could happen.  Today I am so close I can almost touch it, each year I make significant progress!  Many areas of my life are already there and know I focus on rounding out my ideal life.

This book has been an excellent reminder to check my vision, clarify my steps and move forward!

Note * no affiliate links, I just liked the book