Ahh . . . to Zen!: An A-To-Z Guide to a Great Life

By Andrene Gregory

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the demands of life? Are you tired or often feel like there are not enough hours in the days? Are you making progress? Or do you sometimes feel like you are taking one step forward, two steps back? Are you hurting from past failures or recent setbacks? Is your current situation stressing you out? Do you wonder what it’s like to live a great life?

In this book, you’ll find inspiration and motivation to help you get over the hurdles of life, career, and relationships and start living a great life. This well–thought out A-to-Z life index of tips, tricks, and techniques is like no other of its kind. With her clever wit, Andrene Gregory presents real-life situation and solutions from her personal life and countless others.

This book will help you get back in the swing of things so you can take back control of your life, jive to the music, and walk to the beat of your own heart to a great life!

It urges you toward your incredible capacity of charity, chutzpah, courage, and confidence. Be blessed. Be bold. Be strong. Be you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984534873

Andrene Gregory

Andrene Gregory is a certified life skills coach and facilitator. She is the CEO and founder of Aggie Strong Ultimate Life Coaching Services, founded in 2013. She is also the author of a life skills, lifestyle and leadership blog, UltimateLifeCoach.Blogspot.ca, where thousands of individuals find solutions to their daily challenges. She is also a columnist for a local newspaper in her community. Andrene is known for her down-to-earth, mature and practical approach to helping others succeed using her domestic skills and insightful methodology to help people achieve their dreams. Apart from her broad experience in life, Andrene is a very professional, humble, honest, and hard-working and caring. When she is not busy creating or researching, you can find her at home chilling with her two daughters, Zoey and Selene, her true companions; or vacationing somewhere she’s never been before. Preferably enjoying the sun, sea, sand, and sky. Or she is volunteering at her church or in other areas of her community.

Book preview

Ahh … to Zen!

An A-to-Z Guide to a Great Life

ANDRENE

GREGORY

Copyright © 2018 by Andrene Gregory.

Library of Congress Control Number:     2018906994

ISBN:                      Hardcover                     978-1-9845-3489-7

                                Softcover                        978-1-9845-3488-0

                                eBook                             978-1-9845-3487-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/07/2018

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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Dedications

This book is dedicated to my two daughters, Zoey and Selene, and to you, the readers. May it give you the courage and confidence, and above all, the inner peace to take each day and live it like a champion! Be blessed, be bold, be strong, be you!

How to Read

Start with a 5-minute guided meditation before each reading. Read only one chapter per day for 26 days. At the end of each chapter, reflect on and do the suggested activity. By the end of the 26 days you will clear what’s holding you back, learn some new stuff, and develop new skills and habits to create a great life.

Acknowledgements:

Nicholas Bacquie at Nikodidit.com for the cover design.

Armia Afridi for the interior title page images.

Zoey and Selene, my daughters, for their unwavering love and support and help in editing the manuscript.

Upcoming Projects:

o What The F Is Happiness? The 10 F’s of Life

o It’s More Than Just A Cookbook: Authentic Jamaican Meals

o Autobiography: First 50: A Reflection On Becoming Me

o The Will to Win: Finding Your Path and Your Voice

The Core:

The most important thing readers will take from this book is how to live a balanced yet spirited life of virtue, confidence and courage. My goal of this book is that it will make a positive impact on your life.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1:      Attitude of Abundance

Chapter 2:      Balancing Act

Chapter 3:      Connect and Collaborate

Chapter 4:      Develop Your Skills

Chapter 5:      Explore Your Options

Chapter 6:      Focus on Impact

Chapter 7:      Go For It!

Chapter 8:      Hone Your Senses

Chapter 9:      Implement Integrity

Chapter 10:    Juxtapose Of Joy

Chapter 11:    Kindle Kindness

Chapter 12:    Let It Go!

Chapter 13:    Move With Momentum

Chapter 14:    Never Give Up, Ever!

Chapter 15:    Overcome Obstacles

Chapter 16:    Plan For Success

Chapter 17:    Question Everything

Chapter 18:    Rest, Relax, Recharge

Chapter 19:    Stay Strong!

Chapter 20:    Trust Your Gut And Mind

Chapter 21:    Unite With Unity

Chapter 22:    Verbalize Your Vulnerability

Chapter 23:    Win Some Lose Some

Chapter 24:    X-Factor

Chapter 25:    Yield

Chapter 26:    Zen be Zealous

Introduction

Everyone wants to live a great life. Everyone craves a carefree life that is easy-going and stress free—to find and have the love of their life, make lots of money, wear nice clothes, have nice things, a job that they love, lots of friends and a great family. Wouldn’t that be nice? No, really?

What else could you ask for except to look great, and feel great? That is the making of a great life, isn’t it?

But the question begs to ask, what are you willing to do to get it? How far are you willing to go for it? To what length would you go? What does a great life mean to you? ... What does it look like? Feel like? Sound like?

For most of my adolescence and adult life, I fantasized about being an interior decorator. I subscribed to every house, home and garden magazine; I would buy books and watch television shows about interior design. I could close my eyes and decorate your home beautifully. Even my guidance counselor recommended I consider it as a pathway.

Despite fantasizing about it for over three decades, the reality just never came to fruition. It took me a really long time and a nearly negative experience of pursuing it as a business to ditch the idea completely and finally come to grips that it wasn’t for me. As passionate as I was about it, it was not my calling. First, I refused to study it in school. Then I needed to go back to school to study it. Then, I didn’t have enough to money to make it work. Then it wasn’t enough time. You named it; I made an excuse for it. I think I was more in love with the idea of decorating than the actuality of being a decorator.

So I have come to the realization that some passions are just for personal pleasure. God gives us many talents, but sometimes it’s not what we are good at that makes us great. Sometimes a talent is just a hobby; it was never meant to make you money.

I also had fantasies of being a police officer. The image of me in my uniform, arresting bad people and driving in my police cruiser was fascinating to say the least. People always say that I would have made a really good cop and I believe I would have, but I wasn’t in love with the process.

Then I had fantasies of being a life coach, a motivational speaker and an author. Mmm, I wonder what’s becoming of that? Visions of sugar plums dance in my head every time I think about it—being on stage, people cheering me on, me rocking the room, pouring my heart and soul into the hearts and minds of the people and making a difference in society. This!… This is what I am in love with, even pre-occupied with! This is me living a great life!

And come to think of it, it was probably my first love. I remember way back in grade school how much I used to love acting, performing on stage and writing poetry. So for me, it has never been a question of, if I would ever be speaking on stage to a room full of people, but when? I have been praying for my time to get out there and make this happen for a long time.

To that end, as you read the pages of this book, you will start to figure it out, identify your own needs and innate desires and define what living a great life really means to you. Let’s begin to take an indexed look of what a great life should really look and feel like; and how you can navigate your way through setbacks, obstacles and success as you encounter them on your way to your great life!

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Chapter 1:

Attitude of Abundance

Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.

— Henry Ford

Life is Ahh…mazing! It’s all about having an abundant mindset, the right attitude towards life and an awareness of how you are affecting others—how your behavior impacts you and others around you. An awareness of your attitude towards life, money, health, career and relationships will set the tone for your life and will either bring you into, or take you out of alignment with the things you desire most.

Choosing an abundant mindset over a scarcity mindset will open up doors you didn’t know existed or could even begin to dream of. Having an abundant mindset, means having an attitude of gratitude. Always with praise and thanksgiving and focusing on the beauty and goodness of life.

There were times, as a single mother, when I did not always have enough money to keep my pantry or refrigerator fully stocked. With an attitude of abundance my kids and I never felt less than blessed. Thinking with a mindset of abundance instead of lack always allowed me to tap into my creativity and unlock my resourcefulness. Those were often the days when I made the best meals for my daughters and myself using what we had. When you train yourself to expect everything and to appreciate the good, without focusing on the bad, you’ll find a place where you just breathe. Everything from there becomes achievable.

Scarcity creates a savage mindset. It affects our thinking and feelings, say psychologists. An attitude of abundance is about being open to possibilities and making do with what you are blessed with. Recognizing that there is enough for all of us to enjoy can lead to a fulfilling and liberated life.

The truth is, I have a tendency to worry. I remember when I first started my Life Coaching business. I was overly concerned that there were so many experienced coaches already in the market. Although I was confident, I was also frightened at the same time. I knew I didn’t have the education or the experience of many of my peers in the industry—many of whom were considered experts and influencers. All I knew was that I wanted to be right up there with them. But, How on earth was I going to make it and get clients? I wondered. My own life coach at the time said to me, "Andrene, there is an abundance of clients out there; there is enough for all of