“Trust as self-reliance means trusting yourself and your feelings rather than looking outside yourself for what’s true. It means honoring and taking full personal responsibility for your feelings and intuitions and having the willingness to make mistakes along the way. It means believing in your inner wisdom. When you operate…
“Patience is the understanding that some situations unfold in their own time, outside of your control. When you accept each moment in its fullness, you let go of your defensive shield. You can meet yourself in your completeness and open to life’s unfolding nature. In this way, you come to…
“Acceptance is a state of open receptivity, a willingness to invite in even the most unwelcome guests, and an ability to turn toward that which you resist. The more you embrace suffering and come to know it, the less you’re compulsively driven by avoiding it. You experience a certain “lightness…
“Letting be is defined as accepting things as they are, without grasping onto them or, alternatively, pushing them away. Letting be means letting go of your attachment, not wanting more or less—allowing events to run their course. Your habit of holding on to certain thoughts and ideas may be so…
“Nonstriving is defined as not trying to get anywhere except into the present moment. Nonstriving means replacing the myth that life is happening somewhere else with the belief that what’s happening now is what really matters. Nonstriving places attention on being, not doing; on seeing, not seeking. It’s process oriented,…
“Mindfulness cultivates beginner’s mind: looking at things as if for the first time, without assumptions. When you employ beginner’s mind, you meet life with an attitude of curiosity; every moment is a new beginning. This gets you out of the judgmental “good versus bad—this versus that” thinking that automatically puts…
“Nonjudging means bringing an attitude of neutral observation to any encounter, without labeling things as good or bad or resisting the encounter. Contrary to your natural human tendency to judge your experiences, mindfulness teaches you to simply observe your experiences, because this is what leads to insight. Nonjudging doesn’t mean…
Part I and Part II of this series explored the relationship between mindful self-esteem and self-care through the foundational practices of mindfulness of the breath and mindfulness of the body. Part III of this series focuses on thinking practices that cultivate the cornerstone quality of mindfulness, acceptance, and the associated…
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