toku

by Toku on Meditations

The Past and Future of MindFitMove

Over the last 2 and half years I’ve been writing this blog all about how to live a more mindful life.

At first the blog was focused on exercise and mindfulness. Then I sort of stopped writing about exercise, mostly because I lost interest in it myself, and the blog became a general mindfulness blog. Even more recently I shifted my focus to teaching you to use mindfulness to create lasting happiness.

But during the 30 Day Happiness Challenge I realized that as interested as I am in happiness, it’s not really what I want to write about. I met so many of you struggling with depression and anxiety. I heard your pain and wanted to help, but I felt stuck, because I’ve never dealt that much with depression and anxiety.

Yes, I’ve had times of depression and have felt fear, but it’s not the same as what many of you have experienced, and I felt a bit at a loss. I wanted to help, and I think mindfulness can help, but I’m not sure it’s my mission. I’m not sure it’s the work I’m called to , and I know I have to listen to that.

So over the past few days and weeks I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching about what I want to write, who I want to write for, and the change I want to make in the lives of my readers. And as I did this soul searching I realized that while I love this blog I need to make a change.

I need to let go of this vehicle that carried me up to this point and create something new that speaks to work I’m being called to do.

What does that mean?

It means is that within the next few months I’m going to be retiring the MindFitMove blog and domain to launch a new blog and site around my more clearly defined mission and identity.

It also means I’ll be shifting the focus of my blog slightly to fit into this new container. I’m doing this not because I’m bored with what I’m doing now but because I want to be true to the mission I’ve grown into.

In addition to a new focus, here are some things I’m going to commit to as I make this shift:

  1. More Consistent Posting – Right now I post MindFitMove kind of at random. I try to do two posts a week, but I haven’t been solid on that. I want to be 95% consistent on my new blog by posting every Tuesday and Thursday without fail. This way you’ll know what you can expect from the blog and from me.
  2. Post In Your Mail – I used to put my posts in my emails to the list and I stopped this, because someone told me it was good marketing. I’m going to return to this format so that you don’t have to click on my site to read the post. Instead you can read them straight from your email. I’m doing this, because I want to make the process of reading as easy as possible for you.
  3. More Research – I’m going to start doing more research for the blog so that the posts aren’t just stories but have some scientific meat behind them. I want to give you more than anecdotes and real substance along with a sense of humor and my own vulnerable experience.
  4. More specific topics – I’ve covered a lot of ground at Mind Fit Move, and this made the blog hard to follow. With my new blog I’m going to focus on just a few areas. Right now I think I’ll be writing about personal and professional performance. Specifically how to improve your relationships, your work, your mind, and live the life of your dreams. At least that’s what my thoughts are right now, but of course this will change as I work to define my new direction.
  5. Simpler cleaner design – I’ve been dragging my feet on paying someone to design a site for me and I’ve decided I need to bite the bullet and spend the money. It will cost me a bit up front, but I know it will improve the readability and loading speed of the site. My hope is that a better design will make the experience of reading my blog and using my site more enjoyable.
  6. More Joint Ventures and different kinds of content – I’d like to connect more with other amazing bloggers to bring you more types of content including videos and challenges. I also want to create some simple home study courses you can use to help work on specific area’s you’re struggling with. (Note: This is probably 24 or more months out)
  7. A whole lot more
    – One of the things I know this renewed focus will help me do is have more engagement with my readers and provide content that changes lives. It’s been a hard choice to retire the name and brand I spent so long creating, but I know in my heart it’s time to move on to something simpler and more in line with my work.

Final Thoughts

For now nothing much will change. I’ll still be posting on this blog regularly and the site will still be up. In fact it will likely take me longer than a couple months to make the change to the new site. Having said that I want to let you all know I have been and continue to be very grateful for your support and honesty.

So many of you have shared your lives with me and I’m honored that you let me share mine with you. It has been a great pleasure writing this blog for all of you and I hope that if you continue to enjoy my writing, then I can count on you to support me through this period of transition.

Thank you for being the most amazing readers anybody could ever have. I might be biased but I think you all rock an overwhelming amount.

Toku

 
by Toku on Meditations

How I’ve Failed You (And How I’m Going To Fix It)

Dear Reader,

I ‘m here today to apologize. You see I’ve failed you. Not by doing something scandalous on the Rob Ford or Richard Nixon spectrum. And it’s not because I told you something that is untrue about my business or me. No my sin is much more subtle.

For the past year and half I’ve been sharing my life, the lessons I’ve learned, and the struggles I’ve faced with you. And while I’ve done this with as much courage and openness as I could muster it’s not enough. You deserve better.

Recently I realized that while I’ve been sharing I haven’t done enough listening. Sure, I’ve done a reader surveys and answered your emails, but I could do more.

If I had a friend who just talked at me without asking me what was going on with me, our relationship wouldn’t last long. Alternatively, if I was dating someone who wouldn’t let me get a word in, no amount of physical attraction could overcome my disappointment. Moreover, you deserve the same level of respect and commitment.

I’m sorry that I haven’t been listening. I’m sorry that I’ve been taking you for granted. And I promise to do better.

However, I don’t expect you to just take my word for it. You see while I know saying sorry is nice, it’s rarely enough. I know that if I truly want to make it up to you, I have to put actions behind intentions. Otherwise, my apologies amount too little more than lip service.

So here are three vows I am making to rectify this error and to do a better job treating you like the kick ass community of mindfulness masters you truly are.

Vow #1 – I vow to be present and available to my community of readers and to anyone who needs help and support to live a mindful life.

How: I will host a monthly hangout called “How to Live a Mindful Life – All Questions Answered”

On the First Tuesday of each month I’m going to host an All Questions Answered Hangout where I’ll answer any and all questions about mindfulness, exercise, my story, or anything else you want to ask about.

The first session will be August 5th at 5:00pm Pacific Time
And I’ll keep doing this for the next 6 months even if no one shows up or sends in a single question. I know I’m lucky to have you as fans and readers and I need to prove it by showing up even if you aren’t there.

Why:

I’m doing this because I want to know who you are, what problems you’re facing, and how I can help. I know that I can’t coach all of you or write make every post that speaks to your specific problems, so this is my way of offering up a time that you can come and ask for what you need and get real practical help.

Vow #2 – I vow to share myself wholly and vulnerably with my community of readers on a regular basis

.

How: I will create a weekly short podcast/video post called “5 Mins of Wisdom”

5 Minutes of Wisdom will be a short video/audio post that will come out every Friday where I will talk about a issue related to mindfulness, a solution to a common problem, or a question I’ve been struggling with. I’ll also invite other people to come on from time to time to share their experiences and wisdom.

Why:

While I love writing to all of you I worry that who I am doesn’t always come through. I know that while I love reading email from my friends it’s so much more powerful to have them in front of me.
I want to make sure I’m not hiding behind my words. I want to share myself with each of you in the most transparent and vulnerable way I can.

Vow #3 – I vow to nurture and support the practice of meditation within my community of readers.

How: I will create a month long meditation course/challenge (By Jan 2015)

I am going to create a one month 5 min a day meditation course that can help anyone get started meditating. Then I will offer this course as well as a one-month meditation challenge to anyone who wants to learn to meditate or to deepen their practice.

Why:

Meditation is one of the most powerful tools to create mindfulness and change in your life. And even though I know first hand the power it offers, I still struggle to keep my practice consistent from time to time. So, I’m partly doing this as a way to support myself in strengthening my practice.

I’m also doing it because I’ve talked to so many people who want to try meditation, but don’t because they are afraid they’ll do it wrong. I want to create a course that will make meditation simple, enjoyable, and approachable for anyone.

I Need Your Help

Ok so now that I’ve stated my vows I need your help. Yes, I need you to send in questions, read my posts, and share my podcast, but that’s not the help I’m asking for right now.

What I really need you to do is to hold me accountable. I wrote this post not just to promote some new stuff on my blog. I wrote it because I really want to engage and learn more about you. So please don’t let me screw up.

I’m counting on you to DEMAND A LOT FROM ME! Because you deserve someone who is fully committed to helping you live mindfully, create space, and embody your best self. If I don’t do it, please let me know.
Email me Toku at mindfitmove.com or call me 503 394 5348 or come find me in Portland

Thank you in advance for all of your help. I hope that you will give me a chance to earn back your trust and develop a better relationship with you now and in the future.

Sincerely,

Toku

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How I Failed You And How I'm Going To Fix It, dear readers, my vows to my readers, reader appreciation, how I'm going to make it up to you, how I can do better, mindfitmove, mindfitmove readers, gentoku mccree, toku,