Goddess Guidebook | Live your Goddess life…

Hola gorgeous Goddesses!
There’s so much gorgeous stuff out there to share, so I decided to start doing something a little bit new and wonderful - write reviews for some of my new favourite things. Today I’m reviewing my new favourite e-book - Zen to Done by Leo Babauta of the hugely popular & wonderful Zen Habits. I’ve been reading Zen Habits for yonks now, but didn’t feel called to get one of his books until I read an interview with him on Tim Ferris’ blog. In it, Leo talks about 12 of his key habits that help him live simply and happily while getting stuff done.

I think I had a major God-parting-the-clouds-and-showing-shining-fairies-to-me moment right then. You mean… I could actually… get stuff done AND be happy AND live simply? As soon as I feel busy, all that happy+simplicity goes right out the window. And I want them back. And I’ve got some big dreams I’d like to create too. I really, really don’t want happy+simplicity AND big dream creating to be mutually exclusive.

The proof is in the pudding really - Leo is a dude. An average dude. Who lives pretty remarkably. He’s got six kids. He created a Time’s Top 20 blog over the span of a year or two (while working full time). He’s living his dream while still spending time with his family and himself. A simple, happy life - that includes creating his big big dreams.

So after that little rainbow-fairy-possibility moment, I ran as fast as my little internet legs could carry me and bought Zen to Done. It’s ridunkulously cheap too - $9.50? What the? (Hilariously enough, I’d had ZTD as a sponsor on my blog already and didn’t cotton on to the fact that it was me who should be reading it!)

Since then it’s become a staple for me. It sits on my desktop at work and at home. I have it on my mobile phone to read. I read a little bit every morning. A little bit when I’m finishing up. It centres me. Grounds me. Gives me the feeling that yes - I can do what I really want to do and not feel swallowed up by life.

Zen to Done is 83 pages long - kinda a nice length for an ebook, really. It’s beautifully designed and really easy to read - thus why it sits on my mobile phone. It works through the habits that you start integrating one by one in a non-overwhelming-habit-fad-diet kinda way. It includes information on creating simple systems to support yourself & your life, finding your passion and living your life in a Zennishly-Being-and-Doing kinda way. I think I like it so much because it’s not really woo-woo-zen-all-in-the-mind - it’s all practical. And easy. And sustainable. And just bloody good stuff.

My desk, studio and house is cleaner and simpler because of it. My to-do list is way more sane and way less tears-inducing. And stuff gets DONE. Not the ridunkulously unimportant stuff taking over the big dream stuff - that’s been turned around. Important stuff first. Unimportant stuff streamlined and later. Things get done now, but more simply. And most importantly - I’m happier living with the Zen to Done principals. I’m in love.

Dear Mr Babauta,
I would give you my first born, but you already have six, so I think that’s enough. But thanks heaps anyway. Just for being all Zen-productive-Guru and stuff. You make other people’s lives (i.e. mine) much better for it. You help us (i.e. me) find the way of doing stuff without losing ourselves in the process.
That really rocks.
I will bake you cupcakes.
Love,
Leonie

A week ago my adorable big brother had his birthday. My brother is commonly referred to as the Best Big Brother in the World - and he’s also notoriously hard to buy for. And so I bought him both of Leo’s books. Because yes, they are that good that a dude will dig them too. If there is one thing I can give my brother, it’s a little bit of helper-elf for creating some peace, simplicity and ease while he is chasing his big dreams.

So I can totally give Zen to Done my double-goddess-thumbs-up. Whether you’re big dream chasing or just living life, this book is the biggest dollop of happy useful helper-elf ever.

Okay sweetpeas, this has been fun!

Off to cavort with the puppehs,

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