Inspiration
"When you argue with reality you lose - but only 100% of the time."
~ Byron Katie
For more quotes like
this,
click here.
Speaking Schedule
Below is a list of where and when I'm speaking for the next few months. Most of these events are for my corporate or organizational clients (i.e. not open to the public). The ones in blue, however, are public events. I hope to see you at one of these!
2/24: Concord, CA
3/1: Castro Valley, CA
3/3: San Ramon, CA
3/8/11: San Jose, CA
3/22: Mountain View, CA
3/23: San Francisco, CA
3/24: Mountain View, CA
3/28: San Francisco, CA
3/29: Half Moon Bay, CA
3/29: San Jose, CA
4/2: Phoenix, AZ
4/6: Orem, UT
4/7: San Francisco, CA
4/13: Mountain View, CA
4/14: San Francisco, CA
4/21: San Francisco, CA
4/28: San Francisco, CA
4/29: S. Lake Tahoe, NV
4/29: Sacramento, CA
For more public event details, click here.
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February 24, 2011
In This Issue
Featured Article: The Power of Acceptance
Recommended Resources
Daddy's Little Girls
Hello! I hope you're doing well and having a wonderful week. There's always so much for us to appreciate and celebrate, if we take the time to look for and acknowledge it of course.
Last week's article, "Go For It - The Power of Boldness," got some good feedback. If you'd like to re-read that piece, feel free to check it out on my blog. You can also read it on The Huffington Post. And, if you’d like to listen to the audio podcast from last week, click here.
Have a great day, rest of your week, and weekend. Thanks for being on my email list!
With Gratitude,
P.S. Check out the exciting announcement below about how you can have a free copy of my friend Lisa McLeod’s powerful conflict resolution book, The Triangle of Truth, sent to your members of Congress (for those of us who live here in the US, of course). Regardless of our political views, we can all agree that our representatives in Washington need to start working together to solve the big issues facing us today!
The Power of Acceptance
(For this week's audio podcast, click here.)
For much of my life I've struggled to accept certain things about myself, others, and life that I don't like. Being someone who is committed to change and transformation, the idea of "acceptance" has often seemed weak, wimpy, or like an admission of failure or powerlessness to me - although I have pretended to understand, believe in, and even teach the power of acceptance for a long time.
The truth is, I've been scared to fully embrace acceptance - worrying that if I truly accept certain aspects of myself that I don't like, things about others that bother me, or circumstances in my life or in the world that aren't okay with me, then somehow I wouldn't be motivated to change them in a positive way or, even worse, I would get resigned about them and they would always stay the way they are - which, of course, to me would be "bad" or "wrong."
The famous quote by Carl Jung, which I have quoted in both of my books and find myself saying all the time comes to mind here, "What you resist, persists." It seems that I (and so many people I know, work with, and talk to) am constantly "resisting" (more like fighting against) the way things are. Whether it's with our body, our work, our spouse, our family members, our friends, our co-workers, our finances, the state of the world and economy (especially these days), or many other things - we're often arguing with reality instead of accepting it the way that it is.
Even though it can be scary and counter intuitive at times, acceptance is the first step in transformation. It's very difficult and quite stressful (as I know from experience) to try to change things from a place of non-acceptance.
Acceptance is not resignation, failure, or agreement; it's simply telling the truth and allowing things to be as they are. When we accept ourselves, others, and life - we can create a real sense of peace and let go of much of our suffering. And, from this place of peace and truth, we're more able to not only appreciate life, but also to manifest the kind of circumstances, relationships, and outcomes we truly want.
Action: What You Can Do
Make a list (in your mind, in your journal, or on a piece of paper) of some of the things in your life right now that are causing you the most stress, pain, or anxiety. These things may have to do with work, money, relationships, health, things happening in the world, your body, or anything else.
As you think about or write these things down, ask yourself if you're willing to "accept" them as they are right now. You don't have to like, agree with, or want them to be this way...but, if you can start to accept these things, people, and situations in a genuine way - your ability to be at peace with them (and your life) and to ultimately change them in a positive way will be enhanced significantly.
What have you been unwilling to accept in your life? How can practicing the power of acceptance create more peace, joy, and fulfillment for you right now? Share your thoughts, ideas, insights, actions, and more on my blog here.
To listen to this week's audio podcast, including additional thoughts, ideas, and tips, click here.
Send a Free Copy of The Triangle of Truth to Your Members of Congress
 My friend Lisa McLeod and her publisher (Penguin) have teamed up and created a great idea - to send free copies of her powerful conflict resolution book, The Triangle of Truth, to every member of the Senate and House in Washington. This book is a blueprint to help them stop fighting and start addressing the real issues facing our country. The Washington Post named it a Top 5 Book for leaders calling it "The ultimate guide to solving problems and managing conflict." Penguin has agreed to donate a copy to every member of Congress and people from all over the country are getting involved to help make this happen. This exciting movement is made up of neighbors, housewives, business-owners, professionals, Liberals, Conservatives and Independents alike who have banded together because we want Washington to stop fighting and start collaborating NOW! For more information and to request that a free copy of this book be sent to your own members of Congress, click here.
Elizabeth Gilbert's TED Talk on Nurturing Creativity
 Earlier this week I re-watched Elizabeth Gilbert's TED talk from 2009 on nurturing creativity and it blew me away, once again. Elizabeth is the author of the mega-bestseller Eat, Pray, Love and the TED conference is an annual event that brings together innovative and extraordinary people from the worlds of technology, entertainment, education, politics, the arts, and more - sharing ideas with one another in a short, engaging format (18 minute speeches). While I've yet to have the honor of attending a TED conference myself, their website (TED.com) and the videos of the talks are some of my favorite things to watch on the web. Elizabeth Gilbert's talk is profound and if you haven't seen it, I think you'll love it - especially if you have anything creative you're working on in your life right now (or have in the past, or plan/hope to in the future). Here is a link to the video.
"We do our best to accept life,
each other, and ourselves."
- Samantha and Rosie
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