Today’s letter
for the AtoZ Blogging Challenge is ‘Z’ for my theme ‘A to Z of Effectiveness’.
You can read more about my theme here. I’m also participating in the NaBloPoMo
for April.
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We’ve reached the finish line of the AtoZ Blogging Challenge!! Last
day of April and last day of the challenge, and I couldn’t think of a better
word than ‘Zen’ to end this lovely exercise on a peaceful note!
Zen is a word that has been tossed around a lot, sometimes
incorrectly. Basically, it’s a state of being, of complete inner peace achieved
through meditation and mindfulness. Zen is something that all of us ultimately
strive for, through all our goals and dreams.
Achieving Zen during your daily life is through focused mindfulness,
and being in the moment. Contrary to what some people think, it isn’t really religious
as it is spiritual. Alan Watts describes it beautifully when he says, “Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking
about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the
potatoes.” That is the foundation of meditation, and people who’ve mastered
it can meditate anywhere and not necessarily in the Himalayas !
In ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’, Stephen Covey stresses
how growth or an upward spiral is incomplete without spiritual renewal. He talks
about a Zen master who claimed that he never left his place of meditation. No,
he wasn’t rooted to one spot! Instead, he meant that he carried his inner peace
with him throughout the day. It’s something you and I can also practice, even
while peeling potatoes!
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And that winds it up!!! The AtoZ Blogging Challenge for April 2015 is
complete and I am so happy with myself! I finished what I started, even though
there were speed bumps along the way, and the letter X gave me a hard time! I
was a late entry, but I’m so glad I pushed through. I hope my posts based on
the 7 Habits book have been useful in some way for you; I know it has been so
for me! It was very interesting to check up on others’ AtoZ themes and posts as
well, and I have begun following some new blogs too. All in all, just one thing
to say – “Yippeee!!!”
2 comments
Congratulations on completing A to Z Challenge successfully :)
ReplyDeleteTo achieve Zen we really need to deliberate and be determined about. Mind is never silent. It thinks over a thousands of things in a few seconds. It's all the mind's game; how better we can have control over it.
Congratulations on completing the challenge, Fab and on such a lovely high note, as well. :) It would be lovely to carry inner peace with us, everywhere. Haven't manage to achieve that completely, but I am getting better. Cheers!
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