In 2009,
A gaming company called TinySpec was started.
Talented hard-working people at TinySpec spent two years building an online multiplayer game that was imaginative and lovingly built.
The only problem was no one bought it.
In 2012,
The founder made the painful decision to shut it down.
Bring his team together.
And look at what happened.
What they discovered was that while they were trying to build the game,
They had also created an internal communication tool.
To help the team collaborate.
What became clear was.
.
.
That tool was more valuable than the game.
So they stopped pouring energy into what wasn't working.
And turn their attention to what was.
That internal tool became Slack.
Which today is one of the most successful workplace communication platforms in the world.
This is what acceptance can look like on a personal level.
When we find the serenity to accept,
And I mean truly accept,
The things we cannot change,
Something inside us shifts.
We stop spending energy arguing with reality.
We find the mental and emotional space to turn inward,
To look honestly at the relationship we have with ourselves.
Make different choices.
And often uncover a deeper understanding of our purpose.
In my experience,
What often follows is another step toward enlightenment.
And a deeper connection to spirit.
It happened when my 25 year marriage came to an end.
This was a wrenching,
Terrifying change.
It took a while for acceptance to drop in,
But when it did.
.
.
Brother Gardner.
Just as profound as the night I knew it was time to get sober.
This God moment was a clear realization that I was at a fork in the road.
I could continue the pattern of thinking and behaving that had carried me over the last 25 years,
Or I could start to do life differently.
Was willing to change.
In the middle of helping me move out of my 3,
000-square-foot house into a one-bedroom apartment,
A close friend said,
You're going to start working with a therapist.
It wasn't do you want to or do you think you should?
She literally went to the Yellow Pages,
Found a guy in an office about a mile away,
Called and made an appointment for me.
A famous comedian once said that.
80% of success is showing up.
That's what I did.
I showed up for my therapist appointment.
It turned out his primary tool.
.
.
With clients was inter-child work.
I knew instantly I was ready for this therapist and his method.
He told me to buy two books,
Interbonding by Margaret Paul.
The Bible on inner child work.
And the power of now by Eckhart Tolle.
Interbonding helped me to connect with the neglected creator inside.
Help me understand my history of people pleasing and the damage it had caused.
It taught me how to set boundaries and care for myself on a level I didn't even know was possible.
Tolle's book,
Which only a couple of years prior I had put back on the shelf after trying to read the first chapter,
Completely altered my understanding of how my mind works.
How it was continually luring my attention out of the present moment.
Into a future filled with darkness.
This massive shift became possible.
Because I was brought to my knees.
Accepted what I could not change.
And was willing to do something,
Anything,
To evolve.
Acceptance.
And the inner work eventually led me to becoming a coach.
And in a way,
It's why this recording exists.
Today's world we're being called on to accept with increasing frequency.
Acceptance is not meekly compromising our values.
It's about allowing ourselves to see the slack.
In the tiny speck.
If any of what I've said.
Said here resonates for you.
I have a 10-part course on Insight Timer called Finding Serenity.
I share personal stories,
Practical tools,
The whole journey.
It was made for this moment in life.
I hope to see you there.
