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A few days ago I bought a new hair serum.  Before I used it, I decided to actually read the directions on the bottle.  Here is how the instructions read…

Directions:  After shampooing and conditioning, apply generously to scalp and rub.  Comb through hair and let set for 5 minutes.  Rinse thoroughly with water.

Many times in my life I have often wished I had such clear directions for life.  After my own life journeys and experiences, I imagine the directions for life would read like this…

DIRECTIONS:  After identifying what you want and need, apply liberal doses of faith.  Combine with plenty of self-care and let set.  Rinse thoroughly with forgiveness.  Results visible immediately.”

© Copyright 2011, Finding Wanna and Cecilia Deal.  All rights reserved.

When I was growing up my mother always made us use just one towel for the week. With three kids and only one washer, it would take her hours to finish the laundry on the weekends. So for years I’ve kept that as my own practice, just one towel per week for showers.

Then one day I was thinking to myself “I’d really like another towel today”. Then I heard that voice in me say “But it’s not a new week.” And for some reason, for the first time in years, I questioned that voice “Well why can’t I have another towel this week?”

And then it hit me, like a flash, and I laughed and laughed and laughed. “You can’t have another towel because it will create too much laundry for mom” HA! That’s been running around in my head for years, unchecked, and I didn’t even know it.

You know what? I’M THE ONE WHO DOES LAUNDRY. I CAN HAVE ANOTHER TOWEL IF I WANT!

So, for the first time in years, I grabbed another towel that week. In fact, I used a new towel every day that week, just relishing in the fact that I could – just because I wanted to.

So I wonder…what unchecked thought is running around in your mind keeping you from having all you want in life?

Find the truth, and it will set you free.

~Cecilia Deal @ Finding Wanna – All copyrights reserved 2011.

Allow me to explain. When I use to think of my life and how it would be, this is not what I imagined. Not at all. If you had told me 15 years ago that I would end up in Wisconsin, the coldest state I’ve ever lived in, and knitting as a form of recreation, I would have laughed at you. Not an image I would have wanted for myself 15 years ago, not at all.

However, where I’m at today is not what I would have imagined even a few weeks ago.,. nursing injuries, looking for a new car, and still contracting with a local company. Why, because all those things were unexpected. My contract assignment was just suppose to be a 2 month assignment, it’s been almost 10 months now. And the auto accident was…well unplanned.  It’s as if my life got away with me. As if life just “happened”, and I’m not sure how I got here.

Have you ever felt like that? You know, as if you don’t know how you got here, in this life. And do you wonder why you didn’t end up in the life you dreamed up for yourself years ago? What do you do at that moment of realization?

I know, that from this moment on – things are different. I’m not sure how, yet, but things are different. I feel more determined, more on fire, and more alive somehow.

And now…to dream up what’s next.

So, I wonder…What is the life that you had chosen for yourself, before life “happened” to you? Or are you living the life you dreamed?

But earlier this year, I decided to make a commitment to myself, to look for the Simple, Easy, and Better Way through life.  I know it exists, but I don’t always allow myself to experience it.  Especially, when I’m afraid that letting go and trusting might not yield me the results I want.  The auto accident this last week feels like the ultimate challenge in maintaining this belief.

So, to keep with my own commitment, I’ve been singing a little mantra in my head. “Simple, easy, better…simple, easy, better…how can it be simple, easy, better?”

I know, that even in the most difficult of times, there is always a way to keep things simple, easy & better and still accomplish all you hope for.  Always.  My goal this year?  To prove it to myself, beyond where I already know it exists.

So, on the drive over to the Lawyer’s office I sang my little mantra; “Simple, easy, better…simple, easy, better”.  Secretly hoping that no one saw me singing to myself without the radio.  And praying that the conversation would go smoothly.

And you know what happened?  It was easy.  Everything went so well.  And I gained the understanding I needed.  Just simple, easy and a whole lot better than I could have imagined.

My first proof that even what seems difficult at first can be simple & easy.

I wonder, where could you prove to yourself that “difficult” can be “simple, easy & better” instead?  What challenge do you face that seems daunting at the moment, but may be the perfect opportunity to find “Simple, Easy & Better” in your life?

I wonder…

On that very morning while in the hospital I thought mostly about the managers I would disappoint at work, the candidate who would have to wait an extra day or two to receive an offer and the managers who would painfully wait an extra day to review new resumes.  (I’m a recruiter at a local engine manufacturer).  It bothered me so much I even made phone calls and left messages while still waiting for more tests to be ordered.

But this morning, the Sunday after the accident, I’m not thinking about the managers and candidates.  Instead, I’m thinking over the accident, realizing that I was really luck to walk away with my brain intact and all my senses to enjoy life with.

Without being overly dramatic, I know now that it could have ended up very differently.  And had that been the case, there is so much I would have missed.

I would have missed the opportunity to tell my family and good friends how much I love and adore them.  How much they mean to me and how gifted they truly are.

And I would have missed the opportunity to share with you what I know about making life easier.  About finding peace and wholeness in your life and about being truly O.K. with who you are, just as you are, right now!  Those words I long to share would have ended up in the pages of a series of my old trusty notebooks stashed away in some box for the next 20 years until someone finally decided to burn them or throw them out, instead of on the screen of the computer you’re staring at right now.

So, it makes me wonder…If I no longer kept putting off these dreams until “some day when…”, but instead did them now, what would I pursue?  What would it look like?  How would I get started?  How would my life change?

Then it makes me wonder….if you started pursuing those “some day when…” dreams, what would you pursue now?  What would it look like? How would you get started?  And how would your life change?

I wonder…

So if something feels daunting, difficult or just plain scary. Or you find yourself hesitating to approach it; try asking yourself this question…

“If this was Simple, Easy and a whole lot of Fun, what would it look like?”

Hmmm, I wonder what you’ll find there.

I’ve been in a mood to fix things. This last weekend I rearranged the kitchen and repaired the handles on the lids to our pots. Most of them had broken, but it only took one screw to fix them. Then this weekend a lot of things broke, the kitchen faucet, the washer, the heater and a kitchen drawer.

But for the first time in a very long time, I was not worried about any of it. I figured I’d fix it myself, get it fixed, or buy a new one.  No big deal.

First – the kitchen faucet – a 5 dollar piece of plastic broke in the handle of the faucet.  So we used a set of pliers to turn on and off the kitchen faucet for a week.  When I finally had time to look for the part, no one carried it. Not Home Depot, Lowe’s or Ace Hardware. We could have ordered it on-line, but we would have to wait up to two weeks, and then pay shipping on top of that.  It would have cost us over $25 dollars for a $5 part. But, lo and behold, a little plumbing store in Milwaukee carried the part – Plumbing Parts Plus. Hallelujah!  On Saturday I drove over and picked it up.  It took me 5 minutes to repair the faucet once I got home.  All for less than $10, including gas.  Savings: $15.

Second – the washer stopped spinning properly and at the end of a cycle, our clothes still had tons of water in them. So I researched the problem on the web, tracked down a web-site where a plumber had photographed the procedure for repair and then I proceeded to clean out the water pump (the culprit in the whole mess).  A few cuts and scrapes, but no big deal. Total cost $0.

Third – Our heater stopped heating about a week ago.  I called a local heating and A/C place (Burlington Heating) at 2 am in the morning. The unlucky Technician, Charlie, answered my call.  He was extremely knowledgeable and helped me to find a way to get it restarted.

Then Sunday it stopped again. So knowing that Charlie probably knew what we was doing, I called him again.  I was right, Charlie did know what he was doing, and he ran through all the possible scenarios with me again.  He reviewed the furnace error code, walked me through how to cleaning out the condensation trap and discharge tubes, and more.

When I still could not get it started, he traveled out from Milwaukee to help me fix the problem. I knew it would be expensive – being a Sunday and all, but I was willing to pay to have the issue corrected.

Charlie showed up and knew exactly what to look for.  He repaired the furnace and gave us lots of instruction in proper heating unit repair and maintenance. All in all – a great help! The cost – $410 dollars. Ouch. But, I wasn’t worried about it.

However, Charlie had a trick up his sleeve.  He told us that there was a small chance that the furnace could still be under warranty – but we didn’t have papers. So on Monday morning he had the admin at his office look up our furnace and lo and behold – WARRANTY! So, what was going to be $410 dollars was only $155. Can you say HUGE SAVINGS???!!!!

OH, MY, GOSH! I feel like I just won the lottery!

We also found out that the manufacturer of our furnace had some sort of parts warranty that covered the total cost of a new heat exchanger, so on top of all the repairs already done, Charlie will be returning to install our new and no cost heat exchanger in a week or so.  More free money (another $400 or so).  That’s like winning $700!!!!

So…what can we learn from this experience?

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. ANYTHING! And money comes in all shapes and forms. Including rebates, gifts, warranties, and more.

Where are you receiving money today?!?!