Last night my friend Marisol and I headed to the 10th annual Chili Cook-Out in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico to help raise money for charity.

Our booth was called Orgasmic Organic Chili. Serving chili has never been this much fun. But as hundreds of people crowded the park and stepped up to the plate to buy $1.00 cups of chili from about 20 vendors, the competition was high as to who would be the winner with the most sales.

Our booth had won last year and sure enough, with the amazing combined effort of the entire team, our booth won again!

All of the proceeds went to help out the children of the dump, an issue in many parts of the world. I know – I visited the dump in Mazatlan last year with sandwiches and oranges for the poor who live off of what they find in the garbage.

We danced, we laughed, we joked and we had lots of fun with our customers. AND we raised money for a good cause. I love being able to make a difference, while enjoying the sun and tons of fun. For me that is the epitome of an amazing life!

If you want to make a difference this Christmas and help me help others as I travel later this month to Guatemala, visit, www.janjanzen.com/coffeekids and see how you can create a win-win-win situation for everyone this winter. I can´t promise that it will be as much fun as we had last night but it will mean alot to those we help this Christmas.

One of the greatest lessons I have got from Ellie Drake (who put on the RISE event I attended in October) is to value my freedom. Ellie came from Iran as a teenager to the land that she had dreamed about – the land of freedom. When she arrived in the United States of America, her parents dreamed that she would be a doctor. She graduated from medical school but made her fortune in network marketing. Ellie saw North America as a land of opportunity and freedom.

I found myself sometimes thoroughly irritated at the RISE event in LA. It wasn´t Ellie or the fabulous speakers or the other attendees. They were perfect in their own ways. I was irritated at myself. I realized that I hadn´t valued my freedom to have, be and do whatever I want. I live in the land of FREEDOM! And I bet that if you are reading this blog, so do you. The pity is that most of us who live here don´t appreciate it. We don´t take full advantage of it and we don´t maximize it in any way, shape or form.

There are billions of people who would sacrifice anything to have the opportunities and the freedom that I enjoy. Yet, the question I ask myself every day is: Am I fully utilizing my freedom? Sadly, the answer is no.

This fall, despite an incredibly busy schedule as I am back in North America for a mere 7 weeks, I am really looking at that question and making some adjustments in both my thinking and my life. I am expanding my version of what an amazing life looks like for me.

I encourage you to think about that question also: Do you appreciate fully the freedom you have in your life to be, do, have WHATEVER you want? Let me know!

I don´t usually post on Sundays but today I had such a marvelous breakfast I couldn´t resist sharing this recipe with you! I am a firm believer that food is an important part of an amazing life.

I am NOT a pancake lover but this is the only pancake recipe that I love! They´re light and fluffy and with blueberries being in season, it couldn´t be a more perfect time to make these. I cut the recipe in half which makes enough pancakes for 2 breakfasts for me. That means I get to have pancakes for breakfast tomorrow too!

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 melted butter
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups of blueberries

Beat eggs. Add buttermilk, baking soda and melted butter, beating well. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in blueberries.

Melt butter in a frying pan or griddle and then serve with pure maple syrup. You don´t need much and I don´t use butter on the pancakes. They´re so delicious on their own. You can use frozen blueberries later in the season or you can substitute chopped banana which is heavenly also.

Have fun with this one!

Amazingly enough, while Brenda was here for a week and we were out hiking, dining and playing, I also managed to read a book in it´s entirety so I could send it back with Brenda. It was a light-hearted, fun book that had a great message. It was the The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella.

A great story about a 29-year-old high powered lawyer in London who has sold her soul to the law firm she aspires to be a partner in, and then makes one fatal mistake that not only loses her the partnership but gets her fired. She ends up as a domestic maid in a small English countryside village, learns how to cook gourmet meals and falls in love.

However, she is exonerated at the end of the story and needs to make a difficult choice. Does she leave this idyllic life, baking bread, hanging out at the pub with her lover on the weekend, suntanning in the garden and having a life to herself, or does she go back to the grind of sleepless nights, constantly ringing cell phones, non-stop meetings and endless deadlines?

Although the story is a bit far-fetched at times, it raises a great question for everyone. What sacrifices are you willing to make to have the amazing life you want? Will you work your tail off for 30 or 40 years to retire at 65 and hope the company is around to give you that pension? I bet you lots of people right now can´t believe that their retirement dreams have been decimated by the economic plight of many companies. All that work, all that money, all those dreams…gone!

On the other hand, do you give it all up, live a carefree life globe-trotting around the world and not have a plan for when you finally can´t do it anymore? Every one I know could earn more money. Every entrepreneur I coach has potential they are not using. Every day I ask myself this question: What am I willing to do to create my amazing life and what do I say, “no way” to.

You need to ask yourself the same question. Otherwise, you may find that you have sold your soul and you´re resentful or you missed the boat and you´re now sorry. This is a regular check-in for me. I suggest it be for you too.

Looking upstream from where we went swimming

My friend Brenda just left a few hours ago and I have several hundred pictures to remember the week by. I could write countless newsletters and teach a weekend workshop just on what we learned, experienced and the challenges we faced. We had a marvelous time together, laughing and playing, sharing and growing. I love friends that also lead amazing lives and are so genuinely positive to be around.

Yesterday we hiked a little known trail outside of Sedona and ended up at this fabulous swimming hole. Greg and I had done the hike when he was here but I didn´t have my camera with me. It was much easier the second time around as I knew where we were going.

One of the more challenging aspects of Sedona is that the signage for trails is very poor. It´s absolutely crazy how inadequate the signage is considering that tourism is a primary industry in the state. It really makes me appreciate even more that we need to look at our businesses, our websites, our blogs, our order forms and everything else that we count on to bring us clients from THEIR standpoint, not ours.

Someone who lives here, has hiked a trail a hundred times may know how to find it but if you´re counting on someone new to the area finding it without good signage, you leave people frustrated and disappointed. It has been one of the most common comments I have heard from tourists here: Where´s the signs?

It´s hard to believe that I have less than 2 months left in Sedona. Still lots to do and see, hikes to walk, and places to visit. Lots of work to get accomplished as well. New websites, new workshop, new programs, and a new book this fall. What an amazing life!

How are you doing? If you´re feeling a bit lost and looking for some signposts in your life, sit down and talk with a coach, a friend or a business associate. Having someone to chat with, go over things with, discuss things with and brainstorm with is one of the greatest gifts you can be given or you can give. Don´t be shy. Ask for help. We all need it. I ask for directions, guidance and feedback daily. You´ll move much faster in creating your amazing life, if you get some help along the way.

One of the things that stops people from having an amazing life is that they don´t trust themselves. What do I mean by that? I mean that they often hear “the voice”, have the “gut feeling”, “know that they know” and then they don´t take action. Perhaps you know this one only too well.

What stops you from taking action even though you may really believe you are on the right path? In an earlier blog post I talked about the fear of making mistakes and that´s a real one. However, another reason is that we are worried about what other people will think or say about us. Approval from the Tribe is important and that belief goes back lifetimes. We feel like the Tribe needs to give us their blessing or we won´t be safe if we step out of line.

You really need to get rid of that program. The Tribe is boring. The Tribe is stuck. The Tribe doesn´t have an amazing life. Have you noticed? That means that you don´t want to be part of the Tribe nor do you want the Tribe´s approval. Seriously, the Tribe is not going to look out for your best interests. They want you to be stuck, pathetic, afraid and broke like them.

So the next time you have that feeling, that knowingness in the pit of your stomach, just trust it. Go for it. You may be very surprised at how right you are. You may also be amazed that the sky doesn´t fall in when you aren´t. But trusting yourself will definitely take your life to a whole new level!

One of the things that I am very clear about is that you can´t create your amazing life without help. Today I spent a couple of hours on Elance hiring another graphic artist for my team, working with my new team of word press experts for the new website and going through resumes and portfolios of social media experts. I consider the work I did today some of the most important work I will do this week.

If you think that you can do everything yourself, you´re wrong. You can´t. Otherwise, you will end up burned out, bummed out and stressed out. Maybe you´ve noticed that one already! One of the greatest secrets I have to share with anyone when it comes to creating an amazing life is: do what you love, use your sacred gifts and delegate the rest. No exceptions!

If you are already whining that you can´t afford to do that, then that´s the biggest clue that you can´t afford NOT to do it! The only way you will get out of that vicious cycle and it is a brutal one, is to start delegating and focusing on what you do well, easily, graciously and effortlessly.

Even if you don´t own a business, you still need to pull together a team to create the amazing life you say you want. That could be utilizing your partner, kids, friends, workmates or neighbors but you cannot be the SuperMan or SuperWoman in your life day in and day out without burning out.

Take this one seriously because we´ve all tried to do it alone. It doesn´t work. Start creating your team. If you need some help, go to www.elance.com and put out what you are looking for. It´s free to use and you will be amazed at the quality help you can get for a minimal amount of money. Most of my amazing team has come to me through this invaluable resource.

I talk about it in my book, Devil with a Briefcase: 101 Success Secrets for the Spiritual Entrepreneur which if you haven´t got in your library, you may want to check out. It contains a plethora of valuable, practical and proven success secrets for your business and life.

Don´t brush this one off. Putting this one secret to use in your life will transform it from stressed out and overwhelmed to more confident, calm and peaceful. Sounds good to me. What about you?

One of my clients emailed me this morning asking me how to deal with one of his clients who had written him an email. This email was a long list of woes, problems, challenges and a story of everything that had gone wrong! It made me want to delete it immediately, it was so negative. So I told my client to bless her and let her go. Stop rescuing those who want to be rescued.

Are you one of those knights in white shining armor? If so, just notice how needing to rescue everyone affects your life…because it does. You will never create an amazing life, the life you want, if you are always in rescue mode.

What happens is that people who need to be rescued constantly are usually very negative people. They thrive on the drama, the victimhood and their story. Put them on a soap opera set and they´d be the star! They really have no intention of moving past the tragedies in their life because that would leave them having to do something besides bitch and complain. So it is like throwing a life preserver to someone committed to drowning!

Secondly, they are terrified of actually taking responsibility for their life. Consequently, any suggestion that they created the mess, the challenges, the problems or the nightmare they are living, is usually met with massive resistance. Moi? Couldn´t possibly be MY fault that my life sucks. Well it is! You´re the only one responsible for your life, so accept that and come at life from a place of power.

Trying to rescue someone who doesn´t get this one fact is a waste of your precious time and energy. Don´t do it.

Look at why you need to rescue. Do you feel unappreciated, unworthy or unimportant? Do you like to help people but have a problem setting boundaries? Does helping everybody else help you avoid looking at your own mess? These are tough questions. The answers may not be pleasant.

Helping people is one thing. Being an emotional rescue addict is completely another.

Agree with me or disagree. I´d love to hear your comments.