B is for Beginner’s Mind. I know, the day is nearly over, but the challenge is to post once a day and it’s still the day. 🙂

I know we’ve all heard, “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind,” a bunch of times by now. If you didn’t know where it came from, it’s the title of a book by Shunryu Suzuki. (affiliate link) But what does it actually mean?

When we begin something, we come to it with an open mind, curious and ready to learn. That’s the vibe I’m going for here, for the challenge. Over the next month, I want to explore the themes of Mindfulness, Community, and Creativity from the standpoint of a beginner. Rather than rush over the words so quickly they lose meaning, I want to stop and really try to hear them, and see what they mean for me.

This quality of paying attention can help us in our daily rounds, when we are willing to approach things with that mindset. Rather than rushing through making breakfast, what happens if we slow down and sniff the honey we put into our oatmeal? Inhale over the coffee grounds? Appreciate the hue of the orange juice? Really stop to hear a client and connect with them on a human level? Engage with our work with gratitude for having it to do?

What can you approach today from the mindset of a beginner?

Greetings from the rainy Pacific Northwest! I decided to try the A to Z Blog Challenge this month. Every day throughout the month, except on Sundays, I’ll try to post something. The only stipulation is that Day 1 is A, Day 2 is B, and so on. You can pick a theme, if you’d like, so I did. I’ll talk about that in a moment.

First, though, I want to share something of critical importance. Now, more than ever, it’s critical for creatives to stand together and support each other. To that end, those of you here in the States, we are rallying this coming Saturday, April 5th. On this single day, four groups have come together: 50501, Indivisible, Hands Off, and Women’s March. They are organizing on two websites: Hands Off and See you in the Streets.

NOTE: As of Saturday night, 885 protests have been logged. Protests are being added daily. These are *non-violent* protests. Hope to see you there! If you can’t come in person, please help spread the word, either on social media or with your local press. Let’s show these billionaire oligarchs that America is not for sale.

Second, on to my theme, which is,

Mindfulness, Creativity, and Community

I truly believe these three things are what can get us through times of stress, chaos, even a fascist coup. Over the next 26 days, I will share what they mean, how I’ve learned to work with them in my life, and challenges I’m still working to overcome.

You can expect to find tips, suggestions, exercises, and some fun anecdotes along the way. We’ll journey through the alphabet together, and learn some new things.

Above all, we’ll work to regulate the nervous system and understand how to manage the window of tolerance.

Come back tomorrow when we look at,

B Is For Balance… Or Is it?

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! As you can see, this site is brand new. I’m experimenting, and I thought what better time to experiment than when a bunch of other online friends are doing the A to Z Challenge for April?

And I have a theme this year! Personal Branding.

I have a couple friends who got laid off, and we’ve been brainstorming for their career search. As we started talking about branding anyway, I figured no time like the present, and I’d have a conversation throughout the month on it.

What is Personal Branding?

It helps to start with what a brand IS, which we’ll cover on Monday for the Letter “B.” For our purposes right now, in talking about why this theme, I will say this:

Our personal brand can be a way we can reclaim our personal power about who we are as a job candidate. It’s a way we can shift our thinking to that of a job consumer (“what job can I get?”) to a candidate with something to offer (“where do I want to use my skills and experience, and what do i want to do?”).

Over the month, I’ll share some of my favorite resources, and invite you to have a conversation with me about what branding is and what it means to you.

And I hope, through this experience, we’ll have some fun!

Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.