This
blog was inspired by the true definition of the word silly (selig)
which Grace and I share on the youtube
video which
is about 60 seconds long or a FunZen
Minute. The
word silly has its roots in the word selig, meaning
"blessed, prosperous, healthy, & happy."
"Silly
is Good! It's Worth Pursuing." Jim Henson & Jim Lewis,
Doodle Dreams (picture, Muppet Movie)
In
the previous blog I mention the importance of laughter and our lovely
reminder from G.K. Chesterton's quote "Angels fly because they
take themselves lightly." Here also, we're presenting a Simple
Zen Soulution and keeping it short, sweet and to the point
on how inspired silliness strengthens your emotional resilience,
our ability to access comfort & joy even in adversity.
As
I was snooping around the internet I found these
illuminating words from Rev.
Richard Stone (Selig Leadership) regarding
The Science of Wellbeing, The Art of Silliness and how it relates to
leadership from the heart.
❤
"I
am a professional laugher." His Holiness The Dalai
Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet.
"If
today's leaders can embody the spontaneity and silliness of children,
they will discover they will set the tone for the creation of very
different kinds of organizations—ones where creativity flourishes,
personal initiative is embraced, the thrill of pursuing a big idea
far outweighs the safety of sticking with the status quo, and
team members feel blessed, prosperous, healthy, and happy to play a
role in creating something that really matters."
Being
lighthearted and silly in leadership involves trusting yourself and
not taking yourself too seriously. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Self trust is the first secret of success...the essence of
heroism." Humor empowers us to grasp Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki's
wisdom; "When you can laugh at yourself, there is
enlightenment." When the eastern wisdom of
humor and enlightenment meets the western business model of
success we build Enlightened Leadership.
Here's
a couple of notable spontaneous silly moments that I've experienced.
Grace and I were laughing our heads off one day about how I would
make-up stories to explain what I teach. When a director or other
voice over actors would ask about "getting centered"
jokingly I would call it taking scuba diving breaths
or doing zoo-ology research; "Finding zen in the zoo of
life. A favorite silly drill that gets all the pent-up
tension out of the body is "The Fish Fry." Standing
up or lying down, you just wiggle, shake and shimmy all over.
Afterwards, you feel more blessed with the healthy release of stress
leaving your body.
Driving
home after Grace worked on a commercial, out of the blue, Grace
(6yrs.) called our whole silly, yet disciplined
approach, "FunZen." Hearing the words
"FunZen" left me spellbound. The world suddenly
looked different. Everything shimmered with magical pixie dust. I
truly felt empowered with the playful practicality of Mary
Poppins yet inspired like a com-passionate leader of the
pack.
"Women are the pack leaders of the world." Cesar Millan
"The greatest
gifts you can give your children are the roots of
responsibility and the wings of independence."
Denis Waitley
Almost
everyone I've worked with loves the silliness and relates to the
effectiveness of these words;"Long Breath Out Ahhhh, To
Center our Spinning Tea Cup Mind. "This
brings a sigh of "good grief" and sweet relief when
we feel anxious and easily angered or bothered. Consider
this. Words are tools for
transformation. Grace made up this centering charm for when she feels
overwhelmed; "Fear out, Fun in, with FunZen."
With these simple words, we activate her Roots to
know where home is and spread her ❤ Wings of
lightheartedness to fly.
Getting a FunZen Tune-up consists
of taking a few Centered Breaths along with posture adjustments to
help her ground her spirit. This allows her to not only focus better
but remain fluid and flexible under pressure.
As
some of you know, Grace is a voice-over star. She is Louise on Disney
Jr's. "Lou & Lou's Safety Patrol" and currently the
voice of Lucy in "Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown
and click here for
more.
My
point is that I trust serving you
what I share with Grace, my "back to brilliant basics,"mindful
tools, & inspirational recipes, that
bring out our best. Before she was born I shared these secrets mostly
with celebrities, performers and executives as mentioned in my Bio.
A few years ago, I planted the blessed lotus seed of intent that
I would share these awesome tools beyond the limited audience I had
already reached. Thanks to you my twitter family & new
readers, things are looking ahead, and I continue to grow, glow and
give back generously. I'm truly in it to win it from within for
the kids and
the heroic kid in all of us. After all, I assure you, shining
from within is
possible for everyone.
Grace
enjoyed Yoga with Marsha Wenig, Founder of Yoga Kids when she
was 3-6 yrs of age.
Marsha
says; "The ultimate gift and what parents want, is to
help children find their inner light."I
wholeheartedly agree, and add you have to know where to look
and how to switch on the light from within. Let's start with
clarifying what enlightenment means from a zen
perspective. The zen premise is that the light which is
love (pure positive energy) is already
inside of us. We all have the ability to see things as they really
are, with a clear mind, peaceful heart. I'm drawn to the wise words
of John Friend, Founder of Anusara (flowing with grace);
"The way I define enlightenment, as the experience of "being
in my heart."
Great
leaders lead
by example,
connecting the dots between intent,
commitment, and action steps.
"The American Lama" Lama Surya Das was recently
in Pasadena sharing an inspired "interactive talk" straight
from his heart on bringing the ancient wisdom of "making peace
with time" into our busy modern lives. I asked him from my "Beginner's
Mind" how we can bring his message of light to our kids? Their
lives appear to be crazed with multiple distractions, not to mention
the "texting" frenzy of social media overload. He simply
said "By
Being It Yourself".
I
humbly thought of the fact, that yes, parents are leaders.
In most cases, we hope to draw the best out of our children. I loved
The American Lama's answer that the key is
leading by example. The mindful living skills offered here are for
encouraging ourselves to be an example of enlightened
leadership one little step at a time. When we forget, and
get caught up, we can be mindful and remember the fact that we're
authentically human.
"The attitude you have
as a parent is what your kids will learn more from than what you
tell them. They don't remember what you try to teach
them.
They
remember what you are."
Jim
Henson
We
can choose to demonstrate that it's okay to goof-up, and slip and
fall. Reminding ourselves to
be
forgiving, affirming; "Slip
but don't Quit."
Consider, little children are also teachers, they demonstrate being
silly and spontaneous, effortlessly moment to moment. Watch
and Learn.
"Zen
is to have the heart and soul of a little child."Takuan
Before
hearing Grace's words "FunZen" I
recalled often feeling apologetic and even sad when others would
comment on my kindness, comfort & joy level being too high.
Simply being in the moment and getting any job done at home, school,
or professionally was actually fun for me. Well, most of the time. So
part of cultivating silliness is celebrating what we see around us.
By appreciating beauty around us we generate pure positive energy. I
was delighted to receive as a gift, a Cat in the Hat t-shirt that
said "Trust
me, I'm a Doctor." In
the spirit of Dr. Seuss, I am reminded of his whimsical yet wise
words "Fun
is good".
Our
purpose is to not only share that "silly is good for you."
You get an awesome bonus gift from being a bit more mindful.
By simply smiling and following your heart home on
your long breath out ahhhh you
activate your greatness muscle, now your body
can drink in Gratitude on
your inbreath.
Being grateful organically boosts your happiness where you need it
most, in the moment. The magical result: you are less
stressed and more blessed, and that empowered feeling of
selig:happiness, health and wealth...is always there within you. It's
simply a sip of air, and a breath away
Now
you know: I heard from a friend and Hello
Kitty fan that HK doesn't
have a mouth because she speaks the language of love from her heart.
She was designed with this eastern element of zen like calmness
and compassion to be relatable universally. ❤
Sweet
retweets @mushyola When
a #heart is
true, there's no need for words; because even in silence, love can be
heard...Sending much love & hugs ♡X to my Berlin Girl who
put The Triple
L (love, luck, laughter) Event
together @AnneMerrem My
Angels in Disguise ☞☞☞
Thx
Jen for your awesome reminder to be self-encouraging, "Bambi
Get-Up" ❤
There
are many more angels who hear in silence my heart whispering Thank
you and Ti Amo.
"Meditation
is intentional concentration on one thing..." Dr. Joan Borysenko
In
a Single Breath we can access the magic of
meditation. I'm not concerned with the quanity or how long you
meditate. It's the quality of being fully present in the moment, for
an up to 15 second breath cycle, 1 to 5 minutes or an hour and
beyond.
Inspirational
Recipe:
Know
It By Heart Cookies (one bite at a time)
❤ Exhale,
Pressing
your zen button to reboot (whooosh)
❤, Inhale
(deeply)
eyes
closed or keep them half closed, soften
your face, neck & shoulders, Feel your kokoro
(heart) smiling.
❤ Long
Breath Out;
Center-up
between your eyebrows to Lighten-Up, revisit a situation
that makes you want to LOL (laugh at loud) Be Silly, allow your
insides to giggle (belly laugh) as you tickle your funny bone.
(watching my precious pet Chado, an eternal puppy, doing down dog
yoga (shimmy, shake & stretch) makes me smile and LOL.
That
was your taste of "Let's get Zen, with the FunZen Girls ."
Remember
when we meditate we activate & brighten our inner light. If
there is any negative thought or emotion, watch it evaporate in the
clear blue sky of your breath awareness.
Take
this golden child of wisdom nugget with you: Smiling ;)
from the inside out is the beginning of Laughter
which
heals and reminds you that Being Silly
Rocks!
Click
here or Here to
order my Clear Your Mind Manual "Mental Fitness" Foreword
by Leonard Cohen, endorsed by Louise Hay, Dan Millman, Iyanla
Vanzant, Michael Beckwith, O.C. Smith, Richard Carlson and many
more...
In
Gratitude w/Love and Hugs ❤
FunZen
Girls OX
Michiko
(lil mama) and Grace
Contact:
(805) 490-2391 Twitter: @Zenmommie Email:
@mjrolek@aol.com
(love
to hear about your mindful moments please
share w/us, comments, @zenmommie, or email mjrolek@aol.com)
I
teach Kids FunZen and train Parents to be Mindful.
