Silly Is Good For You

This blog was inspired by the true definition of the word silly (selig) which Grace and I share on the youtube video which is about 60 seconds long or a FunZen Minute. The word silly has its roots in the word selig, meaning "blessed, prosperous, healthy, & happy."

"Silly is Good! It's Worth Pursuing." Jim Henson & Jim Lewis, Doodle Dreams (picture, Muppet Movie)

In the previous blog I mention the importance of laughter and our lovely reminder from G.K. Chesterton's quote "Angels fly because they take themselves lightly." Here also, we're presenting a Simple Zen Soulution and keeping it short, sweet and to the point on how inspired silliness strengthens your emotional resilience, our ability to access comfort & joy even in adversity.

As I was snooping around the internet I found these illuminating words from Rev. Richard Stone (Selig Leadership) regarding The Science of Wellbeing, The Art of Silliness and how it relates to leadership from the heart.

❤

"I am a professional laugher." His Holiness The Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet.

"If today's leaders can embody the spontaneity and silliness of children, they will discover they will set the tone for the creation of very different kinds of organizations—ones where creativity flourishes, personal initiative is embraced, the thrill of pursuing a big idea far outweighs the safety of sticking with the status quo, and team members feel blessed, prosperous, healthy, and happy to play a role in creating something that really matters."

Being lighthearted and silly in leadership involves trusting yourself and not taking yourself too seriously. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson "Self trust is the first secret of success...the essence of heroism." Humor empowers us to grasp Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki's wisdom; "When you can laugh at yourself, there is enlightenment." When the eastern wisdom of humor and enlightenment meets the western business model of success we build Enlightened Leadership.

Here's a couple of notable spontaneous silly moments that I've experienced. Grace and I were laughing our heads off one day about how I would make-up stories to explain what I teach. When a director or other voice over actors would ask about "getting centered" jokingly I would call it taking scuba diving breaths or doing zoo-ology research; "Finding zen in the zoo of life. A favorite silly drill that gets all the pent-up tension out of the body is "The Fish Fry." Standing up or lying down, you just wiggle, shake and shimmy all over. Afterwards, you feel more blessed with the healthy release of stress leaving your body.

Driving home after Grace worked on a commercial, out of the blue, Grace (6yrs.) called our whole silly, yet disciplined approach, "FunZen." Hearing the words "FunZen" left me spellbound. The world suddenly looked different. Everything shimmered with magical pixie dust. I truly felt empowered with the playful practicality of Mary Poppins yet inspired like a com-passionate leader of the pack. 

"Women are the pack leaders of the world." Cesar Millan

"The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence." Denis Waitley

Almost everyone I've worked with loves the silliness and relates to the effectiveness of these words;"Long Breath Out Ahhhh, To Center our Spinning Tea Cup Mind. "This brings a sigh of "good grief" and sweet relief when we feel anxious and easily angered or bothered. Consider this. Words are tools for transformation. Grace made up this centering charm for when she feels overwhelmed; "Fear out, Fun in, with FunZen." With these simple words, we activate her Roots to know where home is and spread her ❤ Wings of lightheartedness to fly. Getting a FunZen Tune-up consists of taking a few Centered Breaths along with posture adjustments to help her ground her spirit. This allows her to not only focus better but remain fluid and flexible under pressure.

As some of you know, Grace is a voice-over star. She is Louise on Disney Jr's. "Lou & Lou's Safety Patrol" and currently the voice of Lucy in "Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown and click here for more.

My point is that I trust serving you what I share with Grace, my "back to brilliant basics,"mindful tools, & inspirational recipes, that bring out our best. Before she was born I shared these secrets mostly with celebrities, performers and executives as mentioned in my Bio. A few years ago, I planted the blessed lotus seed of intent that I would share these awesome tools beyond the limited audience I had already reached. Thanks to you my twitter family & new readers, things are looking ahead, and I continue to grow, glow and give back generously. I'm truly in it to win it from within for the kids and the heroic kid in all of us. After all, I assure you, shining from within is possible for everyone.

Grace enjoyed Yoga with Marsha Wenig, Founder of Yoga Kids when she was 3-6 yrs of age.

Marsha says; "The ultimate gift and what parents want, is to help children find their inner light."I wholeheartedly agree, and add you have to know where to look and how to switch on the light from within. Let's start with clarifying what enlightenment means from a zen perspective. The zen premise is that the light which is love (pure positive energy) is already inside of us. We all have the ability to see things as they really are, with a clear mind, peaceful heart. I'm drawn to the wise words of John Friend, Founder of Anusara (flowing with grace); "The way I define enlightenment, as the experience of "being in my heart."

Great leaders lead by example, connecting the dots between intent, commitment, and action steps. "The American Lama" Lama Surya Das was recently in Pasadena sharing an inspired "interactive talk" straight from his heart on bringing the ancient wisdom of "making peace with time" into our busy modern lives. I asked him from my "Beginner's Mind" how we can bring his message of light to our kids? Their lives appear to be crazed with multiple distractions, not to mention the "texting" frenzy of social media overload. He simply said "By Being It Yourself".

I humbly thought of the fact, that yes, parents are leaders. In most cases, we hope to draw the best out of our children. I loved The American Lama's answer that the key is leading by example. The mindful living skills offered here are for encouraging ourselves to be an example of enlightened leadership one little step at a time. When we forget, and get caught up, we can be mindful and remember the fact that we're authentically human.

"The attitude you have as a parent is what your kids will learn more from than what you tell them.  They don't remember  what you try to teach them. 

They remember what you are."

Jim Henson

We can choose to demonstrate that it's okay to goof-up, and slip and fall. Reminding ourselves to

be forgiving, affirming; "Slip but don't Quit." Consider, little children are also teachers, they demonstrate being silly and spontaneous, effortlessly moment to moment. Watch and Learn.

"Zen is to have the heart and soul of a little child."Takuan 

Before hearing Grace's words "FunZen" I recalled often feeling apologetic and even sad when others would comment on my kindness, comfort & joy level being too high. Simply being in the moment and getting any job done at home, school, or professionally was actually fun for me. Well, most of the time. So part of cultivating silliness is celebrating what we see around us. By appreciating beauty around us we generate pure positive energy. I was delighted to receive as a gift, a Cat in the Hat t-shirt that said "Trust me, I'm a Doctor." In the spirit of Dr. Seuss, I am reminded of his whimsical yet wise words "Fun is good".

Our purpose is to not only share that "silly is good for you." You get an awesome bonus gift from being a bit more mindful. By simply smiling and following your heart home on your long breath out ahhhh you activate your greatness muscle, now your body can drink in Gratitude on your inbreath. Being grateful organically boosts your happiness where you need it most, in the moment. The magical result: you are less stressed and more blessed, and that empowered feeling of selig:happiness, health and wealth...is always there within you. It's simply a sip of air, and a breath away

Tweeted 6/18~ Here's my #Hello Kitty Miracle of #Mindfulness Moment...According to the@DalaiLama Bestselling Author of "Buddha Standard Time" @LamaSuryaDas is our beloved "American Lama" ❤

Now you know: I heard from a friend and Hello Kitty fan that HK doesn't have a mouth because she speaks the language of love from her heart. She was designed with this eastern element of zen like calmness and compassion to be relatable universally. ❤

Sweet retweets @mushyola When a #heart is true, there's no need for words; because even in silence, love can be heard...Sending much love & hugs ♡X to my Berlin Girl who put The Triple L (love, luck, laughter) Event together @AnneMerrem My Angels in Disguise ☞☞☞

@JenuineHealing @JulieShanti from @intentdotcom have helped me activate more self loving and self healing.

Thx Jen for your awesome reminder to be self-encouraging, "Bambi Get-Up" ❤ There are many more angels who hear in silence my heart whispering Thank you and Ti Amo.

"Meditation is intentional concentration on one thing..." Dr. Joan Borysenko

In a Single Breath we can access the magic of meditation. I'm not concerned with the quanity or how long you meditate. It's the quality of being fully present in the moment, for an up to 15 second breath cycle, 1 to 5 minutes or an hour and beyond.

                                               Inspirational Recipe:

                    Know It By Heart Cookies (one bite at a time)

❤ Exhale, 

Pressing your zen button to reboot (whooosh)

❤, Inhale (deeply) 

eyes closed or keep them half closed, soften your face, neck & shoulders, Feel your kokoro (heart) smiling.

❤ Long Breath Out; 

Center-up between your eyebrows to Lighten-Up, revisit a situation that makes you want to LOL (laugh at loud) Be Silly, allow your insides to giggle (belly laugh) as you tickle your funny bone. (watching my precious pet Chado, an eternal puppy, doing down dog yoga (shimmy, shake & stretch) makes me smile and LOL.

That was your taste of "Let's get Zen, with the FunZen Girls ."

Remember when we meditate we activate & brighten our inner light. If there is any negative thought or emotion, watch it evaporate in the clear blue sky of your breath awareness.

Take this golden child of wisdom nugget with you:  Smiling ;) from the inside out is the beginning of Laughter

which heals and reminds you that Being Silly Rocks!

Click here or Here to order my Clear Your Mind Manual "Mental Fitness" Foreword by Leonard Cohen, endorsed by Louise Hay, Dan Millman, Iyanla Vanzant, Michael Beckwith, O.C. Smith, Richard Carlson and many more...

In Gratitude w/Love and Hugs ❤

FunZen Girls OX

Michiko (lil mama) and Grace

Contact: (805) 490-2391 Twitter: @Zenmommie Email: @mjrolek@aol.com

(love to hear about your mindful moments please share w/us, comments, @zenmommie, or email mjrolek@aol.com)

I teach Kids FunZen and train Parents to be Mindful.

Angels Fly Because They Take Themselves Lightly

"When we can laugh at ourselves there is enlightenment." Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi

So far, from the Triple L blogathon we've served up Love, Luck, and now it's time for a favorite of mine, Laughter. By keeping a Simple Zen approach; Be Brief, Be Bright, this will help me get to the point quickly and Be Gone.

In my book Mental Fitness, the Nourishing Roots & Wings chapter pg. 41 is where I first mention the G.K. Chesterton quote that I am using in the title of this post. "Angels can fly because..." From a life long learner point of view, many of us have heard that the only thing we really have any control over is how we choose to look at something. By keeping this outlook in mind, we can clearly see how humor heals when we lighten up, and take ourselves less seriously. Consider, as noted by Erma Bombeck, "If you can laugh at it, You can live with it."
Scientific studies have documented that laughter is the best medicine. A tiny shift in perspective is where our spirit of joy is accessed even in adversity. I will graciously remind you that from a zen perspective, you are already enlightened. The light is within us. Learning to trust it is what we must learn for ourselves.

"Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity to heal." A Course in Miracles
In a previous blog, I mention my Starbucks Kismet experience of talking to Jerry Seinfeld about his brush strokes with Zen Improv. This is a perfect example of how I had to not take myself too serious. People always ask me this question "Did you tell him about your book and famous zen lineage?" The answer is no, I forgot (just kidding) . I chose to empty my mind and just show up in the moment, unattached to my history.

This insightful gift is found in Takuan's words of wisdom, "Zen is to have the heart and soul of a little child." Watching children at play, we can see that there is no agenda to discuss affluent or non-affluent backgrounds. Kids have no need to talk about themselves or take themselves too seriously. They simply want to have fun.

And that is exactly what I experienced with Jerry. In our short and bright talk, I resonated with Jerry's words that "Zen is just looking at something from a different perspective, and that's what comedy is." So in conclusion, laughter helps us restore our perspective and Simplify to F.L.Y. F.inally L.earn to (love & laugh @) Y.ourself.

Zen Upliftment Recipe: Piece of Angel Cake

(picture from Martha Stewart)

Angel Zenergy Steps: Begin within, (dolphin smile) turning up your mouth corners to soften your focus, face, neck and shoulders.

Laughing and singing activate a long breath out: Mindfully or nonjudgmentally, kindly observe your one pointed exhalation as you build-up your Pilates 101 core strength one breath (Exhale, tighten-up Inhale lighten-up) at a time.

Mindfulness Magic Mood Tool Tip: Whenever you note (breath-holding) stress building or critical monkey chatter getting louder towards yourself or others. Press your zen button (whoosh) exhale, smile ;) LOL for awesomely catching yourself in mid-air and mentally start over, feel your feet on the ground and keep your head to the sky.

(love to hear about your angel zenergy moments please share w/us @zenmommie or email mjrolek@aol.com)


Click here for information to order my Clear Your Mind Manual "Mental Fitness"
Foreword by Leonard Cohen, endorsed by Louise Hay, Dan Millman, Iyanla Vanzant, Michael Beckwith, O.C. Smith, Richard Carlson and many more...In Gratitude w/Love ❤

FunZen Girls OX
Michiko (lil mama) and Grace:

Contact: (805) 490-2391 Twitter: @Zenmommie Email: @mjrolek@aol.com

I teach Kids FunZen and train Parents to be Mindful.