September 29, 2009
In This Issue
Featured Article: It's Okay to Do It Wrong
Announcements
Speaking Schedule
Daddy's Little Girls
Welcome to this week’s issue of Appreciation (and Authenticity) in Action.
I hope all is well in your world today! Join me today (September 29th, at 4 PM PT) for a fun, inspiring, and free tele-call. We’ll be talking about being yourself in an empowering and authentic way and how to thrive, regardless of the circumstances. Details about this call are listed below in the announcements section. For more info and to register click here!
Have a fabulous day and rest of your week. Keep being yourself and focusing on the good stuff as much as possible! Thanks for being on my ezine list
With Gratitude,
It's Okay to Do It Wrong
(For this week’s audio message, click here.)
I got an email a few months back from a woman on my ezine list who shared a great saying that she loves – “If it’s worth doing, it’s even worth doing wrong.” I laughed out loud when I got it and have been thinking about it ever since. What a great message. A little different than the idea many of us have been told, “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.” While I actually agree with both of these statements, being okay with doing things “wrong” is something that would make a difference in most of our lives in a profound way.
Many of us, myself included, get so obsessed with doing things “right,” or at the very least not doing anything that could be perceived as “wrong,” we organize much of what we say and do to avoid ever being “wrong.” While this makes sense and is quite normal, think of how much of our power we give away to our fear of doing something wrong or looking “bad” in the eyes of “them” (whomever “they” may be).
There are so many things I have not said or done in my life, personally and professionally, because I was worried I might do it “wrong.” Even right now in my life as I consider my next book idea, think about some new stuff I want to try in my business, and even as I interact with my wife and my girls, my fear of being or doing something “wrong” shows up all the time.
What if we were able to make peace with this and let go of our attachment to always doing things “right.” The concept of “right vs. wrong” is one that creates a great deal of stress in our lives and relationships to begin with. But, think of the freedom, peace, and power that would be available to us if we didn’t avoid being wrong so much.
We’ve all done lots of things “wrong” in our life and in the process of our mistakes and failures, we’ve learned so many important lessons and been able to gain skill, awareness, and insight necessary to take us to the next level of development.
Our baby girl, Annarose, who is now 13 months old is teaching us a wonderful lesson about this as she learns to walk. She has taken some steps, but is not quite “walking” yet. When she does take some steps and falls down, she is fine, doesn’t seem bothered by it, and simply keeps going. She clearly isn’t worried that she is doing something “wrong.” Imagine if you and I had to learn how to walk now in our lives. We’d probably make a few attempts, but after falling down and feeling embarrassed a couple of times, we’d quit, give up, and decide, “You know what, maybe I’m just not cut out for this walking thing after all."
We’ve all had this experience in our lives, many times (in addition to learning how to walk, assuming we are fortunate enough to have that ability). Thank goodness we have some capacity to do things wrong and be okay with it. Failing doesn’t make us a failure. Making mistakes doesn’t mean we’re a mistake. If we could make peace with failure, mistakes, and outright doing and saying things “wrong,” we’d be empowered to take more risks, speak our truth, and go for what we truly want in life with a real sense of passion and joy, and a lot less fear and anxiety.
This is all much easier said than done for me and most people I know. Here are three specific things we can do to expand and enhance our capacity to do things “wrong” in a conscious and healthy way:
1) Take inventory. Look in your life, your relationships, and your work right now and see where you’re holding yourself back because you’re worried about doing or saying something “wrong.” Make an honest assessment of where your fear of doing it “wrong” is getting in your way.
2) Admit your real fear. What is it that you are really scared of? What are you worried that you will lose if you do or say something that might be considered “wrong?” See if you can get underneath the superficial fears and dig down into the real stuff. The more willing you are to be honest and vulnerable, the more likely you are to break free (with this and anything else in life).
3) Seek out support and accountability. Reach out to some of the people in your life who you trust and are close to – ask them to support you and hold you accountable to go for it. We all need people around us to have our back and kick is the behind when necessary – with love, honesty, and kindness. Let people know where you’re stuck, what you are scared of, what your ultimate goal or intention is (in regards to one or more of these places where you’re worried about doing something “wrong”). Having this support and accountability is what we all need to push past our limits and step outside of our comfort zones.
When we’re willing to be honest about where we get stuck, express our real fears and feelings, and get the support we need from those around us – we absolutely can expand our capacity for doing things “wrong,” which in turn will give us the freedom and confidence to do, say, and go for the things that matter most to us in life! Doing this is the foundation for living a life of authenticity, appreciation, and, fulfillment.
Remember to be kind to yourself in this process, and also to ask yourself the important and inspiring question that Robert H. Schuller made famous, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” Go for it! And, even if you end up doing it “wrong,” it’s okay.
Where is your fear of being or doing something “wrong” holding you back in your life? 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.
Join Me for a Free Tele-call – TODAY 9/29 at 4 PM PT
I'm excited to be doing a fun and free tele-call on TODAY
Tuesday, September 29th
at 4:00 PM PT (click here to register.) My friends Shera Davis and Calina Kung, founders of a wonderful company called Nurtured Heart and Soul, have put together an empowering year-long program called, "Remember, Reward, Renew," which kicks off this November with a powerful retreat on the Big Island of Hawai'i (11/1-11/7) where I'll be speaking, along with a number of other authors, trainers, and coaches. On the free tele-call, Shera will interview me and we'll discuss how you can be your authentic self in your business and your life. You'll learn specific tips to allow you to get real, free yourself from stress and worry, and manifest success and abundance with ease. You will also learn about Shera and Calina's life-altering program and the Hawai'i event that I'm so honored to be a part of. For more information and to sign up for the call on 9/29, click here.
Two Great Books:
It’s Not the End of the World, by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.
A new world is emerging at warp speed, and some of us will do better than others adapting to it. Understanding that the future isn't something that happens to you, but something that you create is the key to surviving and thriving in changing times. It's Not the End of the World the new book by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., provides the framework so you can get down to business in a practical way and learn to think and act like a resilient, highly creative person. Learn to develop your resilience, order It's Not the End of the World today and start your transformation. You can also enter win a weekend trip to Tampa for the Hay House I Can Do It! conference or online coaching session from Joan. For more details and to order copies of this new book, click here.
Love Yourself, by Larry Crane
Best-selling author Larry Crane’s new book, Love Yourself... And Let The Other Person Have It Your Way, focuses on what I believe is the most important aspect of our growth and our journey towards deeper awareness, fulfillment, and success in life – self love. When we love ourselves, everything else flows from there. When we don’t, nothing much else matters. Check out this new book and allow it to remind you to do the most important thing you can do to enhance your life – love yourself! For info about this book and to learn about the bonuses you will receive when you order copies today, click on this link.
My New Radio Show –
“Let’s Get Real with Mike Robbins”
As you may already know, I’m now hosting my very own radio show. It’s called “Let’s Get Real with Mike Robbins” and it will air on Energy Talk Radio. We are in the process of putting together the first set of shows. We’ve recorded five shows so far and will be recording more this week – before we “officially” launch it in early October. If you’d like to email me with a question about any aspect of authenticity and how it relates to life, relationships, culture, work, and more – feel free to send me a note with your question (just reply to this email). And, to listen to a “sneak preview” of the very first show, click here (and then click the “download” link). Stay tuned for more info about my show!
MaestroMonth - October
I’m excited to once again be offering a free teleseminar through MaestroConfernce. My teleseminar is one of more than 80 trainings during MaestroMonth – a truly amazing offering in October from world-class leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Michael Bernard Beckwith, T. Harv Eker, and John Gray. The trainings in health, personal growth, business, spirituality and societal change feature more than a dozen NY Times bestselling authors, all helping you to unleash your full potential. I'm excited to be part of this group. My teleseminar, “Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken,” happens on October 20th at 6:30 PM PT. For more information and to register, click here.
Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter
If you’d like to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter, 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.
9/29/09 – Walnut Creek, CA
10/5/09 – Hayward, CA
10/6/09 – Lafayette, CA
10/7/09 – San Jose, CA (SVCC)
10/9/09 – Palo Alto, CA (eWomen Network)
10/15/09 – Scottsdale, AZ
10/16/09 – Tempe, AZ (Changing Hands Bookstore)
10/18/09 – Scottsdale, AZ (IONS)
10/28/09 – San Jose, CA
10/29/09 – Hollywood, FL
11/4/09 – Big Island, HI
11/10/09 – Dominican Republic
11/16/09 – San Francisco, CA
11/17/09 – San Francisco, CA
11/18/09 – San Francisco, CA
Again, for a full list of my upcoming public events, check out: http://www.beyourselfbook.com/events.htm.
“We do stuff wrong all the time...so what!”
- Samantha and Annarose Robbins
To see more photos of us and
our mommy and daddy, click here.
