April 1, 2009
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In This Issue
Featured Article: We Teach Best What We Most Need to Learn
Announcements
Speaking Schedule
Daddy's Little Girls
Welcome to another issue of Appreciation in Action. I’m excited to announce my e-zine will be coming out weekly from now on! I hope this week’s email finds you well.
I’m also getting fired up about the release of my new book, Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken, in just a few weeks. To pre-order copies, click here.
With the launch of the book, we have lots of free public events scheduled, including a live, free teleseminar on 4/14/09 at 4:00 PM PT that everyone is welcome to join. I hope that you and people you know will be able to attend some of them. For more information about my events, scroll down or click on this link.
Thanks for being on my email list. I appreciate connecting with you this way!
With Gratitude,
We Teach Best What We Most Need to Learn
I’ve been humbled by some recent critical feedback. It seems that some people close to me, both personally and professionally, have been quite frustrated with me – especially as I ramp up for the release of my new book. Ironically, the things they’re upset with me about have to do with the exact things I teach – appreciation, authenticity, positive communication, keeping things in perspective, and more.
Although my ego wants to (and has been) defending myself, making excuses, and trying to justify my actions – it’s clear to me that their feedback is accurate. I actually struggle in many ways, especially when I get scared or stressed, to practice what I preach. As I’ve been making my way through my feelings of remorse, embarrassment, and confusion – I’ve been thinking a lot about the well-known saying, “We teach best what we most need to learn.”
Isn’t this true? So often the advice we give to others is the exact advice we need ourselves. It’s ironic that we sometimes don’t recognize this in the moment (or at all) and also sad that we don’t give ourselves permission to listen to our own good advice. Too often, we hold ourselves to some ridiculous standard of “perfection” (which no one ever attains) or we’re too self-conscious to admit we struggle with some of the very same things we advise others to do.
However, what if we did listen to ourselves and could realize that the things we passionately want to teach other people (whether or not we think of ourselves as a “teacher”) are the things we, ourselves, truly want to learn and embody. This takes a vigilant level of self awareness and honesty that many of us, myself included, don’t always want to practice. When we do, not only can we grow personally, we can also enhance and deepen our relationships with others and our ability to impact them in a positive way.
Here are a few things we can do to learn from ourselves and use our own advice in a positive, not self-righteous, way:
1) Be Honest – As the saying goes, “the truth shall set you free.” The more willing we are to tell the truth about how we feel, what we want, and what we see – the less likely we are to be arrogant, self-righteous, judgmental, or defensive with others. This means we’re willing to admit our own hypocrisy to ourselves and others, with compassion.
2) Have Compassion – Remember that everyone, including you, is doing the best they can in each and every moment. Having compassion is one of the many things in life that is simple, but not easy. The place for us to start is with ourselves. When we can forgive ourselves and get off our own back, we then have the ability to that with others as well.
3) Stop Trying to be Perfect – Perfection demands never work – whether they’re focused outward or inward. When we expect ourselves, others, or things to be “perfect,” everyone loses. What if we didn’t have to do everything right, know everything, and always “walk our talk.” Sometimes we don’t, and that’s okay. When we stop trying to be perfect, we can accept ourselves as we are. Acceptance leads to peace, joy, and fulfillment in our relationships and our lives.
Remembering that life is filled with irony and that it’s okay for us to make mistakes, pretend to know stuff we don’t, and act like we have certain things figured out when really we struggle with them, can be humbling at first. However, when we embrace the idea that we always teach best what we most need to learn, we can create a deep sense of freedom in our lives that actually gives us the space and the power to be ourselves and impact others in the positive way we desire.
How does this relate to you and your life? Share your thoughts, ideas, and questions about this article on my blog here.
Pre-Order My New Book:
My new book, Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken: Transform Your Life with the Power of Authenticity, officially comes out in two weeks (April 13th). I’m super excited about this new book and about sharing some important ideas, principles, and practices that you can use to live your life with a deeper sense of authenticity, fulfillment, and confidence. To pre-order the book and have it shipped directly to you as soon as it comes out, click on this link:
http://www.beyourselfbook.com/promo/index.htm
Free, LIVE Teleseminar with me – April 14th, 4:00 PM PT
I’m fired up about the empowering teleseminar we have put together, based on the principles in my new book. By participating in this free, LIVE teleseminar event you’ll learn simple yet effective ways to exercise the power of authenticity in your relationships, your work, and your life. I will walk through a few of the most powerful principles and exercises from the book and give you actionable steps you can take away and implement now. For more info and details, and to sign up click the link below. Feel free to invite others you know to join us on this call so that they too might benefit from the practical insights I plan to share. Sign up now: http://www.mike-robbins.com/beyourselfteleseminar.html
Great New Book – Living Like You Mean It, by Dr. Ron Frederick
I'm pleased to let you know about an exciting new book, Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want, by my friend Dr. Ron Frederick. Based on cutting-edge science, Ron shares his proven four-step approach to connecting with the power of your emotions. The techniques he teaches in this book allow you to experience yourself and your relationships more fully, and, ultimately, enjoy a more satisfying life. To find out more about the book and the bonuses you’ll receive when you purchase a copy today, check out this link:
http://www.livinglikeyoumeanit.com/interviewseries
Body Image Mastery – A Powerful Program by Laura Fenamore
Would you like to learn how to lose weight permanently? More important, would you like to feel great about your body and yourself? My friend Laura Fenamore has a powerful program called Body Image Mastery. She is an expert in permanent weight loss and positive body image. This is such an important issue that so many of us struggle with. Laura, herself, lost 100 pounds over 20 years ago and has kept if off since then. She can help teach you how to heal yourself, change your thinking, and create a relationship with your body that you love. For information about her powerful program, click here.
Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter
I’m really getting into Facebook and Twitter these days. If you’d like to become friends with me on Facebook, click here. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter, check here.
Where I’m Speaking:
Below is a list of where and when I’m speaking for the next few months. Many of these events are for my corporate or organizational clients (i.e. not open to the public). The ones in bold, however, are public events….most of which are connected with the launch of my new book, Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. I hope to see you at one of these events!
For all upcoming public events, check out http://www.beyourselfbook.com/events.htm. If you live in any of the cities where I’ll be traveling and want to contact me about setting up a speaking engagement for your group or company, or doing a book related event while I’m in town, feel free to contact me.
4/3/09 – Lake Tahoe, CA
4/8/09 – San Ramon, CA
4/13/09 – Walnut Creek, CA (Book Launch Event)
4/14/09 – FREE teleseminar (click here for info)
4/15/09 – San Francisco, CA (Books Inc.)
4/16/09 – Corte Madera, CA (Book Passage)
4/17/09 – Oakland, CA (A Great Good Place for Books)
4/19/09 – San Francisco, CA (Unity SF) – 10:00 AM
4/19/09 – Clayton, CA (Clayton Books) – 3:00 PM
4/20/09 – San Diego, CA (Bay Books)
4/21/09 – San Diego, CA
4/21/09 – San Diego, CA (Barnes & Noble)
4/27/09 – Mountain View, CA (East West Books)
4/28/09 – South San Francisco, CA
4/30/09 – Salt Lake City, UT
5/4/09 – Los Angeles, CA (Bodhi Tree Bookstore)
5/6/09 – Torrance, CA (Borders)
5/7/09 – Riverside, CA
5/9/09 – San Mateo, CA
5/14/09 – Pleasant Hill, CA (Borders)
5/15/09 – Santa Rosa, CA
5/18/09 – Richmond, CA
5/20/09 – San Jose, CA
6/3/09 – Mountain View, CA
6/7/09 – Corte Madera, CA (GGCSL)
6/8/09 – San Francisco, CA (Commonwealth Club)
6/9/09 – San Francisco, CA
6/16/09 – San Francisco, CA
6/17/09 – San Francisco, CA
6/25/09 – Palo Alto, CA
Again, for a full list of my upcoming public events, check out: http://www.beyourselfbook.com/events.htm
“Daddy calls me his Princess Girl. Thanks for being on his email list!”
- Samantha Robbins
“I love splashing in my duck bath! Joy is contagious…want to share some with me?”
- Annarose Robbins
