Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards. When people ask me what really changed my life eight years ago, I tell them that absolutely the most important thing was changing what I demanded of myself. I wrote down all the things I would no longer accept in my life, all the things I would no longer tolerate, and all the things that I aspired to becoming.

We are not responding to this instant, if we are judging any aspect of it. The ego looks for what to criticize. This always involves comparing with the past. But love looks upon the world peacefully and accepts. The ego searches for short comings and weaknesses. Love watches for any sign of strength. It sees how far each one has come, and not how far he has to go. How simple it is to love, and exhausting it is always to find fault, for every time we see a fault we think something needs to be done about it. Love knows that nothing is ever needed but more love. It is what we all do with our hearts that affects others most deeply. It is not the movements of our body or the words within our minds that transmit love. We love from heart to heart.

There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you've committed to do something, you accept no excuses, only results.

When you can fully accept yourself and let yourself be and express who you really — your life will come ALIVE! No apologies, no grievences... this is who you are... They can take it or leave it! The result will be the correct one that is in your best interest!"

Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgment of the facts of a situation. Then deciding what you're going to do about it.

All human beings are creative. The more we can accept and welcome that fact, the more normal our own creativity can become. If it is "normal,", then it can be shared with everyone. If it can be shared with everyone, then there is lots of help available to us when we get discouraged. We don't feel inspired, far from it, but we begin anyway and something in the act of beginning seems to jump-start a flow of ideas. In cozy retrospect, we can call such ideas "inspiration," but as they occur they are far more workaday. One thing seems to lead to another and another, and before we know it an "inspired" day's work has transpired. The only genuinely inspired part of that day was the very beginning when we decided to accept the Nike slogan, "Just do it."

To seek truth and to utter what one believes to be true can never be a crime. No one must be forced to accept a conviction. Conviction is free.

Life is a very sad piece of buffoonery, because we have ... the need to fool ourselves continuously by the spontaneous creation of a reality ... which, from time to time, reveals itself to be vain and illusory.

The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.

Acceptance of others, their looks, their behaviors, their beliefs, bring you an inner peace and tranquility... instead of anger and resentment.

The fact is there is nothing that you can trust; and that is a terrible fact, whether you like it or not. Psychologically there is nothing in the world, that you can put your faith, your trust, or your belief in. Neither your gods, nor your science can save you, can bring you psychological certainty; and you have to accept that you can trust in absolutely nothing.

Self acceptance comes from meeting life's challenges vigorously. Don't numb yourself to your trials and difficulties, nor build mental walls to exclude pain from your life. You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself.

Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we have learned here. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts.

What Everyone Needs — to be accepted by others.

Question: What would I do if I didn't have to do it perfectly?

Answer: A great deal more than I am.

We've all heard that the unaexamined life is not worth living, but consider too that the unlived life is not worth examining. The success of a creative recovery hinges on our ability to move out of the head and into action. This brings us squarely to risk. We are skilled speculators on the probably pain of self-exposure. We deny that in order to do something well we must first be willing to do it badly. Once we are willing to accept thta anything worth doing might even be worth doing badly our options widen.