Zen Habits' creator/writer Leo Babauta; photo courtesy of zenhabits.net

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my personal holiday favorites: gifts, easy + FABULOUS recipes, simple yet beautiful decorations {and take a look at last week’s post: 5 ways to make your holidays HAPPY if you haven’t yet!}.  But today, I wanted to share what has brought me great “tidings of comfort and joy”… my all-time favorite blog:  Leo Babauta’s  www.ZenHabits.net

I’ve been following Zen Habits for about a year now and it has shifted me in some pretty amazing ways:

• letting go of rigid goals {I’m still a huge believer in having a vision and making a plan, but am much more open to change.  This openness has brought some pretty incredible opportunities that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.}
• streamlining {a big part of my organizing philosophy – see my “surround yourself with what you love” series: car, people, work, style, home}
• working smarter {including creating frictionless systems and having a clear desk} {Leo has also become one of my business mentors – that’s another post!}
• focusing {and focusing on what you truly love}
• being in the moment {Finally! I’m able to actually experience this!}

Infusing Zen Habits into my life has shown me first hand the power of surrounding yourself with what you love. It’s too easy to become completely overwhelmed with the vast amount of “stuff” out there – from our computer and TV screens to our calendars and what we are “supposed to do.” Every single thing we choose to surround ourselves with shifts us in one way – or another. Be intentional about where you are shifting. {Shift yourself – don’t be shifted!}

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Aristotle {a quote from Zen Habits’ About page}

If you are in need of a shift towards peace during the holiday season – and beyond – visit Leo at www.ZenHabits.net. He describes Zen Habits as “finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness.” Zen Habits is one of the Top 25 blogs in the world, and Time magazine named it the number one blog for 2010.