Comfort is the foundation for creativity and creativity is the flower
that gives off the fragrance of service.

Dear Emerging Souls,

Two super-duper key points about the Life Organizing process have become newly dear and clear to me as I've had the honor of speaking to small groups (such an honor to meet some of you in person!!). I wanted to share them with you and hear your feedback.

One: When you begin the five step process or when you sit down with your Life Planner to play with a week of questions, the mood you want to evoke is: I am completely okay just as I am in this moment. There is nothing to change or fix, nothing to solve or get rid of.

This attitude makes all the difference -- and it is a choice! When you are more relaxed, open, and curious, the whole process unfolds in a mood of trust and acceptance. If you are straining, tense, wanting to know What I should do for the rest of my life? You are stifling yourself before you even begin.

Two: This quote from The Instruction Manual for Receiving God by Jason Shulman, "When we are completely inside our own body, whether in meditation or walking around, [or doing the 5 step life organizing process, Step One: Connect] a wonderful thing happens: We become the meaning of the universe, the meaning of life we have always been searching for. The body is enlightenment, and even in its imperfect, disappearing natures, it is all of life."

When we listen to ourselves by first connecting with our bodies, we enter into our divine and true lives. We leave the when-then "I've got to get there or do that to be good enough" mind chatter behind — and that is truly comforting! Remind yourself there is nothing to fix or change. Do try it and tell me how it goes!

And from my Amazon reviews, I just had to share this posting:

"For years, twenty-six to be exact, I have longed to return to the life of my heart's desire, theatre. Instead, I cared for aging parents, moved to the country to raise our daughter and tried to substitute other creative endeavors for my lost love. As my daughter nears college age, this desire began looming again, creating no end of frustration and self-bashing for wanting something that was impossible.

Then I ordered The Life Organizer, being a great fan of Jennifer's work. I took some time for myself and began reading the first chapter and when I reached the line "Desire is the flow of life we yearn to swim in, the urge to be one with Spirit, and the way to stay in touch with this flow is through knowing what we want without insisting that we get it", my world blew apart.

It was like a huge weight falling off my shoulders. I felt free at last to let my desire flow, to stop blocking it with shoulds and impossibilities. Within days, my whole life had turned around. Now, instead of sitting here, falling into depression when my daughter leaves for university, my husband and I will be moving temporarily so that I can get my MFA in costume design. Everything fell into place, from finding the perfect place to apply, to renewing my old theatre contacts and finding more than enough recommendations to accompany my application.

Now, I will be using this delightful book week to week, to help me stay in touch with who I really am, while still carrying on as a member of this wonderful family with whom I am so fortunate to share my life.

Not everyone will have such explosive results, but I cannot recommend this book highly enough. As with all of Jennifer's work, it is truly a creation of the heart." Sumner-Wichmann

Has the Life Organizer helped you more fully explore and create your dreams? E-mail me at Jennifer@comfortqueen.com and tell me how.

Love,

Jennifer

P. S. Hurry! The Life Organizer Companion CD is fr*ee with the purchase of one or more of The Life Organizer only until March 15th!

"I love listening to your voice. I can't describe the particular quality, but it makes me feel like I'm listening to a friend. I'm really excited about the book and CD and look forward to this latest step in my journey toward mindfulness." Amy

Jen Out and About
March 2, 12pm Pacific, 3pm Eastern. Hear her tomorrow on Hay House radio being interviewed by the very smart and funny Michael Neill. You can call in with questions in the 2nd and 3rd segments of the show - to speak to us live on air, phone these numbers:

Inside the US (Toll free): 1-866-254-1579
From the UK/Outside the US: 001-760-918-4300

To listen to the show live this and every Thursday, go to HayHouseRadio.com at Noon pacific/8pm UK and click on the button marked 'Listen Now'.

March 8, 7-8:30pm, New Renaissance Books, Portland, OR. Organize Your Life. $12 Register.

All you knew, I say, was trembling gratitude
All you knew, I pray, was to open your attention wide, to make
a spiritual umbrella for catching grace
All you knew, I trust, was to dwell in the house of your heart

Have you ever asked yourself:
Why do I want to know?
What new thing can I create when I know?
What has knowing (with my mind) ever done for me?

The fragrance of stillness beckons
The realm of not knowing awaits
Why wait?

Self-Care Minder
Recently, we went to a new way of talking about self-care, organized by four moods and / or stages. Click here for more info on those moods.

Depleted. One of the most damaging things we can do to our precious, fragile souls is to "should" all over ourselves. Every time you quelch one of your true desires with a "should," you are killing a little bit of your soul. "Should" is a burden, a message that what you are doing, what you are wanting, what you are, right now, is wrong.

Instead of telling yourself, I should be doing the dishes instead of working on my poem, or I shouldn't even be thinking about quitting this job... I need to just work harder, embrace your desires. Say, My poetry is important to me. I am going to finish this last stanza before I move on to my chores, or I want a job that is more in line with my desires. I am going to investigate other options while doing my best work for this employer. Feel the difference in your heart -- one approach closes energy off, and one lets it flow freely.

Tapas/Heat. On the Comfort Community Yahoo group, we've had some conversation about how to get started with The Life Organizer, or with journaling in general. The key? There is no one perfect way.

Let me say that again: There is no perfect journal, pen, place, time, or subject. There is no "secret." There is no hidden-door-knock-three-times-and-you'll-get-in. While I'm a big believer in focusing on process rather than product, the value comes in sitting down and doing it. Notice I did not say, "sitting down at 7 am in the big brown chair in your home office with light streaming over your right shoulder, a cup of chamomile tea set to the left of your workspace, a ballpoint pen with blue ink at the ready, with a handmade leather-bound journal open in front of you." It does not matter if you use the back of a grocery list and a magenta crayon while stealing five minutes' quiet time in the bathroom. What matters is that you do it.

Pick the first topic or question that calls to you (forget about finding "the perfect" one -- it doesn't exist). Then grab a pen, pencil, or your computer, something to write on, and begin. It's that easy.

Joyful Desire. My good friend, writer, and artist Lain Ehmann and I recently had a great conversation on the topic of the rising tide of creativity, self-critic talk, and how creativity can help heal. The result is the first in a series of articles Lain is writing on creativity. Here's an excerpt of our talk (the rest of the article is available on Lain's site:

...If we can choose what colors to use in our next painting and see that it works, we empower ourselves to choose in other arenas too. It reminds us we have choices -- in EVERY aspect of our lives. We need to remind ourselves that every moment of our lives is the same, whether we're creating "art" or creating our future. Anything can happen. You can open yourself up and let yourself surrender and see what happens. You start asking yourself to be creative in how you get up in the morning, how you talk to your family. Those can all be just as wonderful and creative as picking up the needles or going to the loom. Truly, life is the ultimate creative act.

Effortless Service. Can art save the world? This is a topic I've been exploring on my blog and podcast. In my latest podcast episode (listen here), I spoke with Marney Makridakis, the creative genius behind Artella Words and Art, and puppetmaker extraordinaire Lani Gerity. The upshot? These women believe that art can, indeed, heal and help forge deeper, more authentic connections.

Listen to the podcast, read the related information on the blog, and then let me know what you think. You can e-mail me at Jennifer@comfortqueen.com, or leave a message on my blog.

The LoudenMouth Podcast feed is available through iTunes. Subscribe. You can also do a search on Jennifer Louden or LoudenMouth using iTunes. Or if you are using an RSS feed to keep up with the Podcast, the click for the feed. If you need further info check out our Podcast 101.

Resources You'll Love
Get Unstuck & Get Going on the Stuff that Matters is the award-winning self-coaching program and tool from Canadian Coach of the Year, Michael Bungay Stanier. Get clear on your challenge, generate up to 125,000 new possibilities (really!), and learn the secret of doubling the likelihood of doing what you want to do.

Make 2007 your year of "aspirations" instead of "resolutions" -- with help from http://www.SuperViva.com, the online life list community for planning a life you'll want to look back on.

Looking for a deep retreat with the inner beloved? Visit Trebbe Johnson's VisionArrow.com and learn more about her April 11-22 vision quest in the springtime hills of Tennessee and her Five-day Tryst with the Inner Beloved at The Crossings in Austin. She's a wonderful, very experienced teacher.

Ex in the City provides resources to empower women to reinvent their lives after a divorce or breakup. It guides them through the stages of EX - EXile, EXpress, EXorcise, EXplore and EXhale and features over 25 EXpert blogs and websites, and upbeat sections like sEXy EX and over 50 intriguing EX Rated City Guides.

My The Life Organizer: A Woman's Guide to a Mindful Year is now shipping! And, I am signing each book personally for the next three weeks only--your name and any message you want, including leaving it up to me. Take advantage of this offer for yourself and gifts!

Until March 15 if you purchase your Life Organizer through ComfortQueen.com, you will receive:

• A signed copy of The Life Organizer at 20 percent off the list price of $19.95;
• An audio CD bursting with additional ideas to help readers make the most of The Life Organizer, including meditations, a guided journey through the five step life organizing process, and other surprises, valued at $29.95;
• An invitation to a free tele-forum with me to discuss ways to make the life organizing process the best ever approach to creating a life that you love. The first opportunity to participate in a Life Organizer tele-forum will be Thursday, March 15th at 5:30 pm Pacific / 8:30 pm Eastern. Please sign up. Jennifer will be doing additional forums later in the year also.

JUST REDUCED! $685