The Conflict Resolution workshop has been rescheduled. We are offering the same program at Kaiser San Jose (Santa Teresa), Two Saturdays, January 10 & 17 from 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM.

Affirmation: I choose to be awake and make conscious choices.

Quote: "If you do not make strong choices for yourself, you will reap the results of the weak choices of others." Alan Cohen

I would go so far as to call my reactions to some typical life situations as childish and immature. When other drivers are behaving badly, days when everything seems to go wrong, the tendency life has of failing to meet my expectations. How many times have you walked away from a situation feeling bad about how you handled it?

In his book, Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl describes what he calls "the last human freedom", which is our ability to choose our response to any given set of circumstances, no matter how horrific. It's pretty humbling to learn about how bravely and evenly some people dealt with the horrific circumstances of living in a concentration camp during WWII. And here I am having a tantrum because my computer crashes.

A choice point is that brief moment between perceiving a situation and reacting to it. A fraction of a second where we can choose between the high road and the low road. When you are aware that you have a choice about how you respond to any given situation and you practice exercising that choice, you can actually change how you react. That makes the choice point very, very powerful.

In my experience, the more I practice pausing before reacting, the better I get at it. If it's true that what we focus our attention on grows and expands then the more we focus on making a deliberate choice, the easier it will be. The choice is yours.

Newsletter Archives:
September 2008 - I Don't Know What to Say/Book Review: Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan and Switzler
October 2008 - When I Express Myself I Command Respect/Book Review: Dare to Be Yourself by Alan Cohen
November 2008 - I'm Willing to Be Wrong/Book Review: I Thought We'd Never Speak Again by Laura Davis

Alan Cohen writes, "As you unravel the 'nots' in your life and reduce the size of your 'but', you will experience a new sense of freedom and exhilaration. The only thing harder than waking up is staying asleep in the nightmare."

Alan is a disciple of Abraham Hicks and has been teaching the "Law of Attraction" through his books for many years. This is the second of Alan's books I have included in my newsletter, the first was "Dare to Be Yourself" from the October 2008 edition. This book is packed with information and powerful insights, I recommend reading it slowly to give yourself time to absorb and apply Alan's wisdom.

"At every moment you are choosing a path with or without heart. No one knows your path with heart better than you do. If you are true to your visions, dreams, and values, your life will shine. If you deny them, your life will suck. In the end, the power lies in your hands." Alan Cohen