August 4, 2009

In This Issue

Featured Article: The Power of Not Knowing

Announcements

Speaking Schedule

Daddy's Little Girls

Welcome to this week’s issue of Appreciation (and Authenticity) in Action.

I hope you’re doing well and having fun.  Speaking of fun, today Michelle, Samantha, Annarose, and I are at the “happiest place on earth” (Disneyland)!  We’re so excited to be here, such a magical place and wonderful experience for all of us. 

I had a great time at Agape this past Sunday and I’m excited to be speaking at the Oakland Center for Spiritual Living this coming Sunday, 8/9, at 9 and 11 AM.  If you live in the Bay Area, feel free to come and invite others. 

For more specific information about this event and some others that I have coming up, scroll down or click on my public events page, here. 

Thanks for being on my email newsletter list!  Have a great day and rest of your week.


With Appreciation,

The Power of Not Knowing

(For this week’s audio message, click here.)

Do you like to know things?  Would you consider yourself a “know it all,” controlling, or anal in any way?  All of these things, among many others, apply to me and many people around me. 

Why are we so obsessed with knowing everything?  While there’s nothing wrong with knowledge, learning, and understanding – our insatiable desire to know and control stuff often gets in our way of trying new things, going for it, and being at peace in life.

I heard a great saying recently that made me laugh, “People who think they know everything are really annoying to those of us who actually do.”  Sadly, many of us, myself included, relate to life and others this way. 

This obsession with knowing often has much more to do with our egos and our fear of being judged or embarrassed, than it does with a sincere desire for knowledge and information.  We want to control the uncontrollable; life.

What if we didn’t have to know everything all the time?  What if we could let go, trust, and be at peace with not knowing?  Being able to embrace not knowing is one of the most important, yet challenging aspects of life and growth.  Being okay with not knowing allows us to be creative, open, and willing to live in a state of wonder and possibility, like children do.  My two girls teach me a lot about the importance of not knowing all the time.

Here are a few things we can do to enhance our ability to not know in a positive and beneficial way:

1)  Let Go/Surrender – Take your hands off the wheel and trust that that you don’t have to do and know everything in order to succeed and be happy. When we let go, peace and freedom can show up authentically.  This can be much easier said than done for most of us.  And, it’s a practice which is all about trust and not being attached.

2)  Admit When You Don’t Know – Stop pretending that you know stuff you don’t know...it is stressful, annoying, and anxiety-producing.  We aren’t supposed to know everything and none of us do.  The easier it is for us to admit we don’t know something, the more likely we are to either learn it, let it go, ask for help, or be at peace about it.  This is all about having a deep sense of self acceptance and self appreciation.

3)  Seek Out Things You Don’t Know – Look for things , find stuff, and take things on that you don't understand, , know about, or think you can't do. Doing this builds our confidence, challenges us to expand ourselves, and gives us practice at hanging out in the unknown and uncertainty of life – which is where most real growth, change, and transformation can take place.

Remember to be kind to yourself, laugh often, and not take yourself too seriously.  Most of us spend and waste lots of time and energy pretending we know things that we really don’t.  When we surrender to and embrace not knowing, a profound level of freedom and liberation become possible.

How do you feel about not knowing?  How can embracing not knowing enhance your life, your work, and your relationships?  Share your thoughts, action ideas, insights, and more on my blog here.



For this week’s audio message (including additional tips and suggestions) – click here.

Free Teleclass: De-Mystifying Men and Love – Aug 12th


A BIG question single women often ask is, "Why am I still single?" My friends Shana James and Dr. Alexis Shepperd are experts in dating and relationships for women. They have authentic answers in their free teleclass: De-mystifying Men & Love: The 3 Biggest Mistakes Women Make that Keep Them Single. You'll learn: 1) The top 3 ways women push men away...without even knowing it, 2) The # 1 thing that has a man feel attracted and drawn to you...before you even say a word, and 3) The thing most women never learn about how to effortlessly attract the right man. For more information and to sign up for this free teleclass, click here. 

Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter
I’m really getting into Facebook and Twitter these days.  If you’d like to keep up with me in this way, click one or both of these links:

Where I’m Speaking:
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 bold, however, are public events. I hope to see you at one of these!

For all my upcoming public events, check out this link. And, 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 while I’m in town, feel free to contact me.

8/7/09 – Columbus, OH

8/9/09 – Oakland, CA (OCSL)

8/28/09 – Walnut Creek, CA

8/30/09 – San Diego, CA

9/8/09 – Lafayette, CA

9/10/09 – Concord, CA

9/12/09 – Petaluma, CA (ABWA Event)

9/13/09 – Walnut Creek, CA (Unity Center)

9/15/09 – Bozeman, MT

9/22/09 – Salt Lake City, UT

9/26/09 – Kansas City, MO

9/29/09 – Walnut Creek, CA

10/7/09 – San Jose, CA

10/9/09 – Palo Alto, CA (eWomen Network)

10/15/09 – Phoenix, AZ

10/16/09 – Phoenix, AZ

Again, for a full list of my upcoming public events, check out: http://www.beyourselfbook.com/events.htm.

“There’s lots of stuff we don’t know.  Cool!”
- Samantha and Annarose Robbins


To see more photos of us and
our mommy and daddy, click here.