How do we grow in times like these?

We suck at allowing ourselves to get close to our pain and letting ourselves experience and express how bad it really feels.

We are reactive. Quick to judge and fix it because this, to some degree, masks the intensity of our pain, but only in the short term.

We are quick to not let the impact of what is happening reverberate through our spine, the message-carrier of our innate intelligence. We block it.

We feel a sensation in our spine, or some sharp nudging in another part of our body, and we swiftly move to try to fix it or stop the pain.

We react. We fill the gaps of silence. We jump to the next thought, never really allowing space nor time for all the ‘in-between’ to be and unravel itself.

Thus, never allowing the richness of our innate intelligence to speak to us from the very depths of our core.

And yet, it is in the ‘in-between’, where we never quite stay long enough, where integration and possibility lie dormant waiting for our full attention.  This is the space of growth and new intelligence. A new insight and vision.

Creativity and innovation are born from this very place. 

Not a rushed, quick, adrenalin-driven, product-focused innovation.  But one given time to fully unravel its true offerings. Something much more profound, discerning and impassioned.

We are on the verge of sensing and feeling much more than has ever been possible in the human history because we have evolved over the years.

The hardest things that we are having to learn right now, almost by sheer force, is the law of acceptance: the need to accept the opposites in life. The polarities of nature.

The only way forward is to see each others’ differences so that we can reclaim our true nature. Our incredible potential as human beings.

Yet, to truly do so,  we need to open up to seeing the other side of who we are, from within because:

Life exists as the result of tension between two extremes – male and female – positive and negative – yang and yin – pingala and ida – right and left breath – qualitative and quantitative. – Randolph Stone.

When we look within and accept the pain, or some dislike and judgment, we can look each other in the eyes and see each other as we are- not some projected chasm of our inner chaos.  For when see I myself whole, I see you whole.

I become curious about you. I want to know you and the gifts and differences that you bring to the world. I want to know you for you. And then, together we let something new, something unforeseeable transpire. Together, we become a part of global tapestry of change.

This starts with a conscious commitment to bringing different parts of ourselves into a greater whole. In other words, accepting ourselves as we are now in this moment. No buts, ifs, or when. Full stop.

So, how can you commit, on a whole new level, to more acceptance, growth, fortitude and trust?

Here are my seven commitments, my personal decelerations, that guide me in life and help me stay open and more accepting so I continue to learn and grow:

1. I choose to see many sides of truth, not just mine. The minute I clutch to my truth, I ignore and judge another, thereby denying my own growth.
2. I accept others’ differences and opposing views, even if I don’t agree with them. I can still stand in who I am.
3. I stand up for myself and what I believe in. This needs no defending because it’s backed by integrity.
4. There are many possibilities to a situation or a problem. It’s not so much my choice that I focus on but my intention instead. From there, the choice becomes clear.
5. I don’t have all the answers but I have what I need in this given moment to be the best I can be and to live a full life.
6. I know what I know. I don’t know what I don’t know. I’m a student of life like everyone else.
7. I am enough.

What are you committed to in this life? What guides you day-in-and day-out? What brings you peace at night?

Make this a little conscious, even write it down, and bring it to the forefront of everything you do and let it be your motivator for change and service to others.