<!--www.crestaproject.com Social Button in Content Start--><div id="crestashareiconincontent" class="cresta-share-icon fourth_style"><div class="sbutton crestaShadow facebook-cresta-share" id="facebook-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fscare-your-monkey-mind%2F&;t=To+Create+an+Amazing+Life%2C+Scare+Your+Monkey+Mind" title="Share on Facebook" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-facebook"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow twitter-cresta-share classic-icon" id="twitter-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=To+Create+an+Amazing+Life%2C+Scare+Your+Monkey+Mind&;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fscare-your-monkey-mind%2F&;via=SimpleMindfulns" title="Share on Twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-twitter"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow linkedin-cresta-share" id="linkedin-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fscare-your-monkey-mind%2F&;title=To+Create+an+Amazing+Life%2C+Scare+Your+Monkey+Mind&;source=https://www.simplemindfulness.com/" title="Share to LinkedIn" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-linkedin"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow pinterest-cresta-share" id="pinterest-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="javascript:void((function()%7Bvar%20e=document.createElement(&apos;script&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;type&apos;,&apos;text/javascript&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;charset&apos;,&apos;UTF-8&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;src&apos;,&apos;https://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r=&apos;+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)%7D)());" title="Share on Pinterest"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-pinterest"></i></a></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><!--www.crestaproject.com Social Button in Content End--><p>This has been one hell of a year. Looking back, there have been amazing times and huge challenges and I’m incredibly grateful for every moment.</p>
<p>I can fully attest to the truth behind the following sayings:</p>
<p><em>If you’re not growing, you’re dying. There’s no middle ground.</em></p>
<p><em>To grow, do something every day to get out of your comfort zone.</em></p>
<p><em><a title="The Mindful Approach To Facing Your Fears" href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/facing-your-fears/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">To get past your fears</a>, face them head on. [Note: To accomplish this, see the previous statement.]</em></p>
<p>When we think of doing something scary, our monkey mind tends to stop us in our tracks. Its job is to protect us and <em>anything</em> outside of our comfort zone is grounds for causing major alarm.</p>
<p>This causes us to get mired in the muck of anxiety where we dwell in fear of taking action. Our monkey mind is holding us back, preventing us from thinking past the “OMG it’s scary!” thought to what could actually happen next.</p>
<h2>What’s The Worst That Could Happen?</h2>
<p>There’s an exercise that can help us get out of the quicksand. It’s the simple act of asking ourselves, “What’s the worst that could possibly happen?” and playing out the answers in our minds to the fullest extent possible.</p>
<p>My experience with this exercise is: <strong>If it doesn’t end imminent death, it’s not that bad.</strong></p>
<p>Whenever I ask myself this question with decisions I’m making or experiences I’m having, I usually come to the conclusion that I’ve already lived the worst-case scenario and it wasn’t that bad.</p>
<p><img class="size-medium wp-image-2612 alignleft" title="Scare Your Monkey!" src="http://simplemindfulness.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/scared-monkey-300x207.jpg" alt="Scare Your Monkey Mind by playing out the worst case scenario" width="300" height="207" />The worst case for most people is losing all their money, their home and their family or partner and having to live “in a van down by the river.” [Reference to the <a title="YouTube Chris Farley SNL skit: Matt Foley" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaoM0FyLmGY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Farley skit on Saturday Night Live</a>]</p>
<p>Been there, done that.</p>
<h2>Living the Worst Case Scenario</h2>
<p>What happened? It was the most amazing couple years of my life. I put my stuff in storage and lived out of my Jeep Grand Cherokee after spending all of my savings paying off my debts and venturing cross-country with no plans (I was escaping major burn-out from corporate life).</p>
<p>I found jobs that offered unique experiences that allowed me to discover my passions and purpose through some trial and error. They usually paid enough to cover my gas and some food. At one point I remember paying for a burger at Burger King by dumping out my jar of change on the counter. Embarrassing? Maybe. I thought it was pretty funny at the time.</p>
<p>At the end of the two years, I had learned an immense amount about myself and where I wanted to go with the rest of my life. Did I feel like I had it all figured out? Heavens no! But I had a direction.</p>
<p>During this time I found my husband, realized a whole new level of self-sufficiency (living in the woods for a couple months will do that for you) and had a direction in which my heart wanted to go.</p>
<h2>A New Beginning</h2>
<p>With this new direction, I made some new decisions. Within a few months, I got a corporate job that I loved that allowed me to make a real contribution. I bought my first home – the ranch where we’ve lived for the past thirteen years. The following year we bought our own horses and created the life of our dreams.</p>
<p>And none of this would have happened if I hadn’t left a great job with great benefits and an OK marriage (that ended during those two years) to set out on a cross-country adventure where I effectively lived my own version of <a title="Becoming Minimalist: The Man Who Quit Money" href="http://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-man-who-quit-money-an-interview-with-daniel-suelo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">living in a van down by the river</a>.</p>
<p>Without making the conscious decision to do so, I lived out my worst fear.</p>
<p>Having done this, I know I can handle anything that comes my way. Nothing is really all that bad.</p>
<p>Would I want to give up my home, my awesome husband, my amazing kids and my great job today? Hell no! That would royally suck (and it almost happened a few years ago)!</p>
<p>But I know that my life wouldn’t end. I would simply put together a plan to turn things around by controlling whatever I could control and accepting the rest.</p>
<p>I know how to start over. <strong>We all have the ability to start over.</strong></p>
<p>Is your life going the way you would like?</p>
<p>If your answer is yes, stay on your path and set the intention to make each day totally amazing.</p>
<p>If your answer is no, decide on the path you want to follow and set the intention to make each day totally amazing.</p>
<h2>It’s All In How You Look At It</h2>
<p>During those two years of living in my Jeep, I never felt like some destitute loser or anything like that. I chose to see each day as an opportunity to learn more about myself and the world around me.</p>
<p>Each experience (jobs or otherwise) was a learning experience that brought me closer to discovering my purpose. Some were more helpful than others but I learned something from them all.</p>
<p>As you reflect on the past year and consider what you want in your future, focus on what you learned from all of your experiences – good or bad. I believe that everything happens for a reason and all of those reasons come from the Universe’s love for us.</p>
<h2>Welcoming the New Year</h2>
<p>This weekend my husband and I are sitting down together to create the vision we want to live over the coming year.</p>
<p>Instead of setting goals, we’ll set intentions for how we want to live each day in the areas of health, spirituality, self-expression, finances and relationships.</p>
<p>By living each day <a title="How To Be Successful in Life and in Business (Not the Usual Rules)" href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/how-to-be-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in accordance with our highest values</a> and our visions, the path we choose will take us to success and the lifestyle we want.</p>
<p>By living intentionally, making conscious choices about what to include and exclude from our lives, we can be happy each day as we walk along our path. We don’t have to wait for “someday” when we achieve our goals to be happy.</p>
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To Create an Amazing Life, Scare Your Monkey Mind
