Effortless Success Mindfest – Free

Learning Strategies is hosting yet another Mindfest that you can listen to online, and like their previous Mindfests, it’s completely free. They’re really on a roll with these…

This one is called the Effortless Success Mindfest, and it’s a streaming version of an audio program from Jack Canfield.

I listened to this full program on CD several years ago. I liked it and was considering recommending it on my blog, but at the time I felt the price was just too high. There were many LoA products that were introduced after the movie The Secret became a hit, and some of them were priced pretty high. If I recall correctly, this program was selling for $800+ back then.

I couldn’t see too many people in my audience paying that much money for a program like this, even though it was of good quality, so I didn’t recommend it back then. But now that it’s available for you to listen for free, I’m happy to suggest that you check it out. For free, it’s a no brainer.

Jack and I normally hang out at leadership retreats twice a year, so I’ve had the chance to get to know him a bit. One thing I can tell you about him is that he’s a seriously dedicated lifelong learner. He’s read thousands of books in this field — including mine — and he’s constantly refreshing his thinking with new ideas.

I also like that he’s a very heart-centered and playful guy. He clearly enjoys his work and has a lot of fun doing what he does. While he’s had a lot of success and fame, especially with his Chicken Soup for the Soul books, The Secret, and The Success Principles, he’s also very down to earth.

The last time we talked, he asked me about my motivations for doing what I do. I told him that I really don’t care about money or success or fame. What I love most is learning, growing, connecting, and sharing, and making a positive difference in people’s lives. I love seeing the ripples of this kind of work spreading around the world.

Jack told me his motivation is much the same. He also really likes to stretch himself. Many years ago he worked with W. Clement Stone, and Stone’s influence helped Jack to start setting bigger goals — like making the Chicken Soup books into one of the most successful franchises in history.

Jack is also a very authentic and laid back communicator. His style is very relaxed and mellow — about what you’d expect from someone who lives in Santa Barbara.

If you’re looking for a really hardcore, left-brained, step by step program, this isn’t it. This program is centered around sharing personal lessons, observations, anecdotes, stories, and success habits you can put into practice.

It’s been a while since I listened to this program, but one thing I remember about it was that Jack shares many specific habits that he uses to stay focused on his goals and moving forward with action, such as the Create Your Day meditation and the Rule of Five. You can see the full list of topics on the Effortless Success Mindfest website.

If you’d like to deepen your understanding of the Law of Attraction, learn practical success habits, clarify your goals and intentions, and get help staying focused, then I think you’ll really enjoy this program.

If this sounds good to you, you can sign up at Effortless Success Mindfest and start listening to your first lesson right away. You’ll also receive an email reminder to let you know when the other lessons are posted.

If you have any difficulties getting access to the course, just drop an email to info@learningstrategies.com, and they’ll be happy to talk you through it.

Enjoy!

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The Effortless Life: A Manual for Contentment, Mindfulness, & Flow

I am very happy to share with you my new ebook, “The Effortless Life: A Concise Manual for Contentment, Mindfulness, & Flow.”

The book was meant to share ways to make life less of a struggle, to help you find contentment in a world where little exists, to instill a bit of mindfulness in an age of distractions.

If you’ve had problems with:

frustrationstruggledistractionangerimpatienceunhappinessrelationshipsgoalsworkbeing present

… this book was written for you.

A Public Book: And it wasn’t just written by me — I wrote this book publicly, as others watched, and then hundreds of others helped to write and edit the book. It was an amazing collaborative effort, and I was humbled by the contributions.

Pay Anything: As a token of gratitude, I’m selling this book on a pay-as-you-see-fit model. That means you decide what you want to pay, and although I suggest a $15.99 price, you can pay more or less depending on your ability and how much you think it’s worth. If you absolutely can’t pay, you can get it for free (I trust that you’ll be honest and pay even a dollar if you can). If you do get it for free, please pay it forward with kindness to strangers.

And as always, the work is uncopyrighted.

Loaded Value: This book is actually a full digital package that includes 3 ebooks and a couple bonuses:

The Effortless Life ebook, in three formats: PDF, epub (for the iPad/iPhone and others), and mobi (can be used on the Kindle).The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life, another of my ebooks that I think goes really well with this new book, a $9.95 value, PDF format.Thriving on Less, an ebook that was a companion to my print book, The Power of Less. PDF format.The Simple Method for Creating Habits, a brief bonus PDF that contains my habit-creation method that I teach in The Habit Course.The Effortless Life Q&A video, which I’ve recorded to answer common reader questions. It’s 31 minutes, online for buyers of this book only, downloadable to your computer if you wish.

This package could easily be worth $35-50. But you can decide what you see fit to pay. (You can edit the suggested price once you click “Add to cart” … just click “Update Cart” after you’ve changed the price.

Note: iPad and iPhone users … please see the Q&A below!

The book is also available in the Kindle store, but without the other ebooks, bonuses or video.

IntroductionWhat is an Effortless Life?Guidelines for an Effortless LifeWu Wei and Doing NothingTrue Needs, Simple NeedsReduce Your NeedsCause No Harm & Be CompassionateHave No Fixed Goals or PlansHave No ExpectationsThe Illusion of ControlLiving with ChaosLiving Daily without PlansWhy Plans are an IllusionBe Open to the Unfolding MomentDon’t Create False NeedsBe Passionate & Do Nothing You Hate DoingDon’t Rush, Go Slowly, & Be PresentCreate No Unnecessary ActionsFind ContentmentLet Go of Success & the Need for ApprovalPrefer SubtractionChanging Your Mindset & Getting Rid of GuiltMy Experiments with an Effortless LifeBe Like WaterEqual Weight to Every ActionEating SimplyEffortless ParentingEffortless RelationshipsEffortless WorkTurning Complaints Into GratitudeLetting Go of StruggleDealing with OthersYou’re Already PerfectPutting This Book Into PracticeEffortless Writing & This Very Book

Q: I bought the book and downloaded it to my iPad/iPhone but can’t open it!

A: The package comes in a .zip file, which is a compressed file. Download it first to your computer, then unzip it, then you can read it on your computer or read the epub version on the iPad/iPhone in the iBooks app.

Q: How do I read it on my iPad/iPhone?

A: Unzip the package on your computer, then drag the epub version into iTunes on your computer. Then sync the iPad or iPhone with iTunes on your computer, and the book should now appear in the iBooks app on your iPad/iPhone. Detailed instructions.

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The Rules of Effortless Parenting

I often get asked how I can do so much while having six kids.

My short answer, and all you really need to know, is my wife Eva is awesome. I couldn’t do half what I do without her.

She is the reason Zen Habits is able to exist. And so if you want parenting advice, you’d be smart to ask her.

She doesn’t, however, have a blog. And so I’ll share some things that we both do that make our jobs as parents easier.

These are Very Important Rules that must never be broken by any Serious Parent … until, of course, you want to break them. The first rule of Rules of Effortless Parenting is that you should always break rules.

There is really only one rule: Love Them. But you already knew that one, so let’s get into details:

1. Teach kids to be self-sufficient. Our kids started by learning how to pick up after themselves (as 1 and 2 year olds), and later learned how to feed themselves breakfast, brush their teeth and shower and dress themselves, wash dishes and clean up in the kitchen, clean their rooms, do laundry, etc. Our jobs as parents became tons easier, but it does take a little patient teaching in the beginning of each skill.

2. Teach older kids to help with the younger kids. If you have multiple kids, this rule is golden. Our teens can help the little kids with anything. That makes our jobs a lot easier, and the older kids learn responsibility.

3. Teach them to solve problems. This is really the main job of unschooling, which is the philosophy we follow as homeschoolers. Our kids don’t learn facts or even skills. They learn to solve problems on their own. If they know how to do this, they can learn any facts or skills they need to solve their problems. Want to learn how to write a computer program? That’s just another problem that you need to learn how to solve. Want to cook Thai food, or write a blog, or start a business, or build something? Problems that you can solve.

4. Show them how to be passionate. The other main thing you teach unschoolers, besides solving their own problems, is how to be passionate about something. If they know this, they will do work they’re passionate about as adults. How do you teach them this? By modeling it yourself. By doing projects with them where you’re passionate about something. Kids learn an amazing amount by watching and mimicking.

5. Play with them outside, and be active. Spending time with your kids is one of the best ways to show them you love them. Playing with them is one of the best ways to spend time with them. Playing outside shows them how to be active and have fun being active. I also stay active on my own, but I make sure they know what I’m doing, why, and how much fun it is. They have a role model who is healthy and fit, and that will help them for the rest of their lives.

6. Don’t overschedule. Most parents schedule too many classes, sports, parties, activities. We give our kids lots of unstructured, unscheduled time. They have to figure out what to do with that time. That’s an important skill to learn. It also means their lives are less stressed out, as are ours, and they learn a slower pace of life.

7. Don’t dote. I’ve seen lots of parents that dote on everything their kids do, who are worried about every little thing their kid might touch or that might cause a fall. Back off, and give them some space. They need attention, but they also need some time alone to explore, to fall and get back up, to scrape their knees, to figure stuff out on their own. Go do something on your own, and leave your kids alone sometimes.

8. Dance. Because life without dance is dull and not worth living. Play loud music. Go crazy.

9. Read with them, and read in front of them. Kids love books, especially if you read them with them. Here are some of my favorites. If you are a reader yourself, and they see that, this will teach them to love reading too. Reading is one of the best loves you can instill in kids.

10. Be inquisitive. Ask questions about everything, and encourage them to do the same. Kids are naturally inquisitive … they can ask a million questions, because everything is new to them. Learn to see the world through their eyes — it’s amazing. Why the hell IS the sky blue? Why do leaves change color? How does a bird fly? These are brilliant questions, and you should explore them with the kids — don’t just give them answers, but show them how to find out.

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Effortless Decision-Making

How do you make a choice when you’re stuck at a fork in the road?

How can you decide when two or more possibilities seem equally good?

I’ve been learning (but haven’t mastered) the principles of Effortless Decision-Making. It’s a way of making decisions where you can flow through the constant stream of decisions we must make every day of our lives, without getting stuck, without being paralyzed by fear. We choose, and flow, and we let go of worry.

What follows is a very brief guide to making effortless decisions.

Let go of perfection. We’ll never make perfect decisions, and wanting to make the perfect choice keeps us paralyzed.

Get more information. Don’t let this hold you up, but if you’re stuck it’s often because you don’t have the necessary info. What info do you need? Can you easily get it? Get it now if you can, but don’t be held up by the lack of info.

Try and err. If you don’t have enough info — and that’s usually the case — just choose. It doesn’t really matter what you choose, just make a choice and let go of the idea of making the right choice. Now live with that choice for a bit, and see what happens. This is called trial and error, and it’s often the best way to get information. We try something, and see how it works out — and then we have more information to make better decisions in the future. When you look at it this way, decisions are just a series of trial and error experiments, and it doesn’t matter what the outcomes are, because any outcome is good information.

Try intuition. If you’re stuck and don’t have enough info, let go of worry and just make a choice. How do you make a choice? You could flip a coin, but you could also just go with your gut reaction. What does your intuition say? Start listening to it — often it’s an unconscious decision based on lots of factors that we can’t consciously process, so a part of our unconscious brain processes it and comes up with a split-second decision. Intuition can be wrong, but that’s still OK: we’re going to learn from the results no matter what. So just learn to hear your intuition, and go with it.

Let go of worry. If you learn the above principles, it’s easy to see that there’s nothing to worry about. You don’t need to be perfect, and a decision is very rarely the end of the world (at least, no decision has led to the end of the world yet). Sure, history is littered with the corpses of those who made bad decisions, but there are a million times more decisions that were made without any really bad consequences. You won’t die, you’ll just learn. So don’t worry — just choose.

Practice, and flow. You’ll get better at this with practice, as you learn to let go of perfection and worry and see decisions as experiments. You’ll learn to do it better, faster, with more intuition. Soon you’ll flow through your daily decisions with ease. Do it consciously at first, keeping in mind all of the above principles, but it gets easier as you go.

Making decisions is something we do all day long, and it doesn’t have to be difficult. We build certain decisions up in our minds because we think they’re incredibly important, but in truth they’re rarely that big a deal. This isn’t the Cuban Missile Crisis — we’re not deciding the fate of a nation. See choice as an opportunity to learn, and you’ll be happy for every single effortless decision that comes your way.

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