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Friday, September 25, 2009

The Joy Diet: Nothing


I hope that Nothing was a joyful addition to your diet this week, though clearly it comes with its own set of challenges! It will be so interesting to read what everyone's experience has been with this first ingredient of The Joy Diet - and also to see your Vision Cards!

Let's see if I can answer the questions that have come up about posting. Over this past week we have read and started practicing Nothing. Today is when we share our thoughts on that topic. Absolutely you can post tomorrow or Sunday or even later in the week. One thing to note is that you tend to receive more visitors the closer you post to Friday.

Now you can start reading and exploring the exercises for Truth. (Of course, you can start reading earlier if you like, particularly if you want to be able to start the exercises right away.) Next Friday, we'll share our thoughts on that subject. We do have a schedule that will hopefully help here.

As for multiple posts, with so many people participating, it's probably best to share one post a week. That's not a hard and fast rule or anything. It's just being aware of people's time.

If there's anything else you want more clarity on, please ask your question in the comments, and I will answer it there this week.

I also wanted to share some great resources and suggestions that came up this week:
  • Kathryn - Collage Diva had the brilliant idea of creating/decorating a recipe box for our Vision Cards. At the end, you'll have a recipe box full of the ingredients for joy! Thank you, Kathryn.
  • Lauren pointed out that Martha Beck provides an awesome Joy Diet Journal that you can download here. I've also put this resource on the sidebar. Thank you, Lauren!
Everybody, enjoy your week of Truth & Nothing!

Jamie

30 comments:

  1. Yowza! Look at how many people are *JOY* seekers. Yeah!!! It is so easy to get pulled in so many directions and not find time do do nothing. Oh but the rewards are immeasurable. Cheers to making the most of doing nothing! This next week looks a little scarier for me. What will bubble up when I find truth? You'll see that I have another serendipity experience that I'll share next Friday. Jamie -- I know you'll love it. {soul hugs} Kathryn

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  2. Wonderful post Jamie. I enjoyed your video. Have a great week.

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  3. Once I stopped falling asleep, nothing was a breeze! What an exciting journey this is going to be.

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  4. I look forward to watching the video. This is so great!! Somehow I missed the bit about the vision card. I'll have to find out about that...

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  5. You made a tremendous point about the idea coming into your head and then normally getting up to rush off and do it. That's SO true. That would be my normal pattern. And yes it may be a good idea or a phone call you've forgotten to make, but it can be done after the 15 minutes. The trick as I age is to remember it again!!! :) So maybe for me (and others who have difficulty with remembering for whatever reason) it would be a good idea to have a pad and pencil handy when I'm taking my 15 minutes and jot down those thoughts that are important as I'm seeking stillness, rather than just letting them "fly out the window".

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  6. Hi Jamie, this was no easy task, but I must admit it was indeed necessary for me. I'm truly looking forward to this journey more now than yesterday!

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  7. Nothing reintegrated a part of me I'd forgotten. I will be eternally grateful to Nothing. It wasn't easy, but it was sooo worth it.

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  8. I really enjoyed this exercise - and I do hope my book arrives over the weekend so I can get on the real bandwagon, rather than just doodling along as I imagine things to be. Truth would seem to require that.

    I love reading what others experience.

    And I apologize that my blog doesn't get set up quite as I'd like it - lots of spaces, etc. that I'll learn to adjust as I go along, I guess.

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  9. This has been a terrific week...
    I even set up a journal to carry along as well, an art journal, combined w my house seeking journalling--because how can finding a new home not be joyful (let's not discuss numbers, shall we? :-) )--but I am loving this journey...thank you all for sharing this process together....

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  10. What a fabulous week! I thought that doing Nothing was going to be easy, since I am no stranger to meditation. However, I found that I actually missed a couple of days, simply because I am so busy doing Something most days, I just forgot! It was a great week though, and I did a little painting expressing how it feels to me when I do Nothing each day. Looking forward to reading and commenting on fellow Joy Dieters' blog posts!

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  11. I made a boo boo on my #56 link Jamie if you want to delete it. Number 57 works correctly. THANKS! I am excited to see so many familiar faces and happy to see new ones too!

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  12. Very interesting. I am extremely excited about our week of truth as I've been reading and doing The Work of Byron Katie, so this is perfect!

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  13. Yep, nothing is not an easy task.

    I tried. I was somewhat successful.

    Most of all I'm enjoying being a part of this group.

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  14. Shortly before my son was born, a wise woman advised me in personal daily practices & to not expect a group's gatherings to meet all of my spiritual needs. My son is 19 months now & I'm gradually understanding & living the good advice. The Joy Diet is part of this.

    bright blessings!

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  15. oh the mind and it's automatic process! I love what you said about people meditating for years and still having a busy brain!

    I love the idea of the recipe box and the vision cards. For other Art Therapists out there - great art intervention! ;)

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  16. I'm enjoying the company of interesting nothing-doers this week. I look forward to seeing what the next chapter unveils for everyone.

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  17. Doing nothing IS hard! I agree. I am going to keep inviting Nothing in. Hopefully, it will be a permanent guest. :)

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  18. Am eager to learn about truth, and sharing more experinces!

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  19. Hello Joy Dieters! I hope you all had a fabulous week. I'm looking forward to chapter two, Truth. And, I'll confess, I have yet to "do nothing" (my head hangs low). I will do fifteen minutes of nothing today, I WILL. Do nothing Debbie...my new mantra. See, I even have to make up something in order to do nothing, yeeeeesh. I have such a hard time turning my thinking/doing brain off. Please wish me luck and peacefulness.

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  20. Jamie

    This is an amazing thing you are sponsoring here. I am already happier, and my post was more interesting - and I didn't even meditate this week.

    Just thinking about it was a way to shift.

    Glorious minutes, here's to training our brain to something new.

    Love, Meredith

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  21. I had similar issues with my "NOTHING" week. I fought taking the time and my mind rebelled every time I did it! One thing I did achieve is to incorporate a little twist into my nothing time. I did "NOTHING Drawings". I explain this on my blog post. Looking forward to this week's new menu item! :-)
    Sheree

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  22. I think this group is going to do wonders for helping me stay connected to myself and my personal dreams during what is turning out to be a crazy semester. Merci!!

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  23. Ah, the week of nothing! It was harder than I thought it would be. I found my nothing spot outside in nature quite by accident at the end of my week, now the task will be allowing myself this time daily!

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  24. A great beginning, Jamie. Thank you for directing us. All of the thoughts that were in my meandering mind are on my blog now.

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  25. I'm off to a somewhat unorganized start but since all my posts on that blog are about this book, I guess it doesn't matter. My nothingness is getting smoother!

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  26. I found a wonderful article in an old Yoga Journal that addresses the issue of trying to quiet the mind (which so many of us found difficult). It helped me go easy on myself - just as you suggested. I posted part it on my blog. I already posted my piece on Nothing but I thought I'd put this up too for anyone who's interested
    http://imonkantion.blogspot.com/2009/09/stopping-thought.html

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  27. Hi Jamie, I've already posted about chapter 2. I thought you might like to check out the fun art journaling project that ties is perfectly with the theme. It was a stroke of serendipity that I had this planned for my October project of the month. http://collagediva.typepad.com/collagediva/2009/10/joy2.html

    I hope you are having a fabulous week.
    xoxo k

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  28. The practice of Nothing: Sometimes productivity is attained by being instead of doing. ★

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I'm so glad we're sharing the Joy Journey! Here's to amping up our joy!