The Power of Zen

What is Zen?

The Cambridge English Dictionary has two definitions:

1.      “relaxed ​and not worrying about things that you cannot ​change: e.g. Don’t worry  about doing the ​right thing with ​your ​baby – be more zen about it and you’ll be ​happier.”

2.      “a ​form of ​Buddhism, ​originally ​developed in Japan, that ​emphasises that ​religious ​knowledge is ​achieved through ​emptying the ​mind of ​thoughts and giving ​attention to only one thing, ​rather than by ​reading ​religious writings: Zen ​Buddhism”

And here are some Zen synonyms and expressions:

·         (as) cool as a cucumber

·         at (your) leisure

·         be at peace with the world

·         carefree

·         careless

·         comfort

·         comfortably

·         easy come, easy go

·         easy-going

·         equilibrium

·         free-flowing

·         genteel

·         harmonious

·         peaceful

·         poised

·         quiescent

·         relaxed

·         rested

I find that just reading through these words leads to an increased feeling of calm.  When we focus on language that is calmer, easy to read and uplifting, it creates the desired effect of actually feeling and becoming calmer.

Therefore, to help with the Power of Zen, I would like to share with you some information about the daily choice we have around language.

Mind Your Language!

Our language is so powerful – both when we speak to ourselves and when we speak to those around us, and in all of its forms.  Whether we speak, write or hear language, taking good care of the words that we choose, each and every time, creates better results than when we use language carelessly or hurriedly.

Since 2002 when I first began my coaching training, the biggest initial impact it had on me was to realise the immense power of our mind and therefore the power of our thoughts and language.

We can in fact destroy ourselves both physically and mentally when we continually think and believe negative thoughts and unworthy expressions.  Some of these will go back to our childhood and may have been said by a parent, teacher, youth leader or boss and we may STILL be hanging on to them and believing them.  We have to LET THEM GO.

We can easily get caught up in the words of those around us, the words that we read and hear, the words that are spoken in the media, however if they’re not uplifting or positive they are not doing us any good at all and are best avoided at all costs.

When you spend lots of time worrying about the world news it is not a great use of your time. There will always be situations occurring about which we can do NOTHING, so why worry about them?  This is not being flippant, it is vital for our wellbeing.

Instead of worrying…

…we can choose to limit the time we spend listening to negative, destructive dialogue and we can choose to ask ourselves great questions, for example, how can I help to improve this situation? Who do I know who could help me?  If I can’t help with this then what can I do to help other people, where my value and input will be beneficial?

We can also choose new language and new expressions that will serve us positively. We can create affirmations that replace any negative language patterns, so each time that negative 'gremlin' comes into your head again, you’re ready with a supportive, positive equivalent to overwrite it.  Even if you don’t believe the positive version at first, keep thinking and saying it to yourself and you will gradually not only believe it but you will FEEL much more positive too.

We CAN re-train our mind and we must.

When we let old ‘out-of-date’ language and expressions rule over us we are not growing, developing and becoming the best version we can be.  We are slowly deteriorating!

Our minds control all that we do, so it is vital that we train them to serve us well rather than have our minds ruling over us, especially if this leads to poor mental health.

So back to the power of Zen…

1.      What can you do today that will help you to feel aligned with some of the expressions mentioned earlier, more often?

2.      And what negative sentences do you know that you use daily (you may need to stop and think about this, or, you may know instantly) and how can you turn them around  to support you, instead of making life difficult for you?

Being mean to ourselves is not healthy – there is a much better way – kindness.