Zen Doodle: Tons of Tangles

I have some really exciting news that I've been holding on to for a while, and finally get to share with you:

I'm going to have four of my doodles included in a new book coming out called "Zen Doodle: Tons of Tangles" on October 11, 2013 by North Light Books.  Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I am SO very excited, and wanted to share this news with you all!  The North Light team (Tonia Davenport and Amy Jones) is absolutely fantastic, and I especially enjoyed working with Amy Jones, who was my main contact for the project.

On their site, they describe the book this way:

“When we put out a call for art for this book, we knew the art form was crazy popular, but we weren’t prepared for how difficult it was going to be to narrow down the amazing work that was submitted. While many of the patterns and marks seen in Zen doodle art are ancient in origin, the creative compositions you’re about to feast on here are fresh, fun and delightfully inspiring.

The possibilities of Zen doodling are endless, but we did manage to organize the incredible contributions into four chapters to get your tangle wheels turning: "Abstract Doodles," "Shape and Objects," "Animals and Beasts" and "Friendship and Love." We think you’re going to love each one!

Whether you’re a seasoned Zen doodler or someone who has yet to get her feet wet, we know you’re going to find more inspiration on these pages than you ever imagined, thanks to the generous instruction provided by this collection of artists. It’s time to find your favorite pen and get lost in the doodle!” 

—Tonia and Amy

The book is available for pre-order on Northlight's site and on Amazon.com, and Amazon has a preview of the artwork from some of the amazing artists included.  Let me know what you think!

Life is a participation sport...

Photo From Pinterest

Does it ever feel like you are running in place on a treadmill instead of moving forward?

Do you sometimes feel like you just plain can't move because you are afraid that, whatever choices you make, you will make the wrong one?

Or that there are just so many options in front of you that you are simply overwhelmed by the choices and therefore don't make any choice at all?

Or are you at a place in your life where you are numb - apathetic in regards to everything?

Maybe you get up every day, pretending to be someone you are not, hoping that no one discovers the real you, because you aren't very excited about that person.

I think everyone has been in one of these positions at one time in their life.  The stress of living in any one of these situations is enormous and can seem insurmountable at times - absolutely impossible to overcome.

What I have to say first is that you are not alone.  In fact, you would be surprised at how many people are in the same place you are right now, and just won't let it show behind the shiny veneer they put up.

The second thing I have to say is that in spite of how you are feeling at this moment, you are alive, and that your life is a participation sport.  There are no sidelines.  You are in the middle of the game, whether you want to be or not, and you are a key player - an MVP in fact - in your very own championship game.

Regardless of how you view it, you are actually moving forward each and every day.  You are making progress, becoming the person you were created to be.  You can't stop it from happening, regardless of how hard you try to sit out.

Each person you meet - each situation you find yourself in - changes you.  It has to.  Each second is unique unto itself and can never be reclaimed, and therefore must transform you in some small or great way, for better or worse, just because you lived through it.

Each change brought on by each second you breathe this air means that you are never the same as you were before.

Moving forward.

Changing.

Transforming.

What's more, even though you don't always control the game time or the plays that are called, you do control the way the game is played.  You choose how to respond to the plays - the circumstances - that are happening around you.  You choose to be on the offense or defense, and you choose how the game is won.

Because the game will be won.  No matter what.  And you can't lose, because as long as you are alive, you are winning.

So the question becomes this:  how are you going to choose to play the game?

This second,

this minute,

this hour,

this day,

this week,

this year,

this lifetime?

Because life is a participation sport.

And there are no sidelines.

____________________________

What are you overcoming or have you overcome in your life?  

Leave me a comment and let me know:

New Year's Resolutions

Instead of resolutions this year, I am going to be a little more realistic.

For me, resolutions only last a few weeks, and I feel guilty when they aren't followed through with, which leads to more unrealistic re-resoluting, and more unmet resolution guilt.  This vicious circle can and will continue until I simply walk away from them.

The problem with this is that many of my resolutions are things that will benefit me in the long run, improving things in my overall quality of life.

So I'm changing my mindset this year.

I've got specific things that I want to do better, and I know that I can do them better, so that's what I'm focusing on instead.  

I want to end the year ahead of where I began the year in regards to these specific things, and not stand still or complacent because I set unrealistic goals for myself that I cannot hope to accomplish.

And because accountability is a good thing when it comes to non-resolutions, I'm going to share with you some of the things I want to do better with this year:

- To read my Bible more consistently

- To pray more

- To eat less processed sugar

- To eat more healthily

- To be more active

- To communicate better with my extended family

- To use more of what I already have

- To buy less

- To be better at accounting for my business

- To cook more

- To laugh more

- To be less touchy

- To take less offense

- To love more

- To be grateful more

Just a few of the things I am going to work on, guilt-free.

And, hopefully, by the end of the year I will have moved forward and will not have given them up because of unnecessary guilt over unrealistic unmet goals.

So, what are you working on this year?