ZEN and Ink was born out of one man’s personal quest to find peace and tranquility amidst the chaos of our modern world. This blog is a representation of glimpses of awakening from my lifelong journey to discover a sense of ZEN in the chaos of everyday life in today’s hyper-hectic environment. It is where I freely share insights, articles, tools and resources I have discovered along the way with others who are seeking more balance and zen in their daily lives.
Many people today are seeking a place of tranquility, simplicity and calm. We are realizing that we’ve all been striving to climb our way up the ladder, but the ladder has been against the wrong wall all along (Stephen Covey).
Think of this site as a daily drink of pure water along the path for the weary traveler.
ZEN and Ink, originally launched as Simple-motivation.com, first began 7 years ago out of that empty place where so many inspirational awakenings are born….that place called rock bottom. I found myself there. For most of my life, like so many of us, I had been on the path of pursuing the American Dream. We are each indoctrinated into this dream from a very early age. By all standards of measure, I had reached the American Dream. I had the big dream house, the car, the beautiful wife, and I had finally reached the place where I was in my “dream job” after 20 years of striving to find my place in the corporate world. I had spent most of my life getting there….wherever there was.
Suddenly, within the course of one year, I lost it all. The rug of the American Dream was pulled out from under me. No more car. No more house. No more wife, and no more job. Everything I knew as reality and had built up in my world and attached meaning to was gone in the blink of an eye. I was also in a serious car accident which should have been final. This served as a wake-up to….or should I say from reality. It was as if my attention was being redirected. I woke up from the American Dream.
As a result of this “waking up” I began to write and go inward. I wrote consistently on a daily basis as if I were writing words of encouragement to myself. This evolved and grew and I was soon sharing my daily inspirational writings with others via email. Ultimately, this resulted in an inspirational website I created called simple-motivation. Each day I would write an encouraging post, usually along with a photograph I took in nature.
Before long I was reaching up to 1,000 plus followers from places all around the world. Unfortunately, the website came to an end. However, it awakened me to the awareness ever since that I am on a spiritual path living in the chaos of the modern world. Simply a stranger in this chaotic urban jungle we live in. For many years, I allowed that site and the writings within me to go dormant. As we ultimately learn, that which lies dormant in many of us is the gift we are here to share with the rest of humanity.
ZEN and Ink is the culmination of my quest to find Zen in the crazy world we now live in. However, as we ultimately learn, the quest is an illusion. We are simply hear to awaken to what already is. My hope is to provide a portal for discussion, tools and resources that many will find useful in their own quest to find the Zen which is already there and always within and around each of us.
What is Zen anyway? One definition I embrace is Zen is total state of focus that incorporates a complete togetherness of body and mind. Zen is a way of being. It also is a state of mind. Zen involves dropping illusion and seeing things without distortion created by your own thoughts.
I do not begin to have all the answers. I am certainly not a guru or teacher. I am simply here as a fellow traveler on the journey. I appreciate the words of Robert Frost, “I am an awakener, not a teacher.” These are some of the tools and discoveries that have changed my life in one degree or another and enabled me to find Zen on my own journey. I am happy to share them with you.
Thank you for connecting. Wishing you Zen and Creativity in your life.
Kirk Miller
ZEN and Ink 