[TRANSCRIPT]

Today's practice focuses on reminding ourselves that we have choice. This is important because it's easy to fall back into old patterns, unthinkingly doing what we don't want to do.

I'm going to ask you to think of an example of something concrete that you want to work on. Something that's not super emotionally charged.

Leave the harder things for when you already have this skill down. For now, come up with something that's current, that bothers you in a low-grade way and that you'd like to resolve, but still haven't done anything about 

Got it? Let's begin.

Take a moment to settle.  

Take a deep breath in and hold it. And breathe it out.

Breathe in, and out.

Breathe in, and out.

Now bring that example situation to mind. Ask yourself, what would it take to change the situation? What options do you have? How could you fix it?

Perhaps you haven't done anything about it because you don't see any options. Is there someone who could help you to figure out how to change it or fix it? Someone who can give you new ideas on how to alter the situation? Who can help you think it through?

Breathe in, breathe out.

If it's a situation that feels like you can't change it, could you walk away from it? Is it something that you could put a stop to? Could you change course and make it irrelevant?

Breathe in, breathe out.

If you don't see a path for you to be able to change the situation, and you also don't see a path on which you could walk away from the situation, how could you shift something inside of yourself so that you can accept what's happening?

Could you possibly change what it is that you're wanting so that whatever's bothering you now doesn't matter?

Perhaps you find it hard to sit with the idea of accepting the situation. If so, ask yourself, what is the story that you're telling to yourself about who you would be if you accepted the situation? And then ask yourself, is that story true?

Is that story inevitable? Is there a way that you can change that story?

Here's something to keep in mind about acceptance: Accepting a difficult situation doesn't mean that you approve of it or that you have to be resigned to it. It means that you're letting go of your idea of what things should be, and instead of becoming present with what is. You're dropping your resistance to it and you're also releasing its power over you.

Ultimately that's a kindness to yourself. So if you must stay and you can't change it, how can you find a way to accept what's happening and come to peace with it?

Take a deep breath in and hold it, and let it out.

Review your options again. How could you address or change the situation? Is there somebody who can help you figure out how? Could you leave this situation? Could you walk away and if neither, can you accept this? 

Breathe in, and breathe out.

That's the end of our practice for today. Thank you for choosing to share your time with me and for choosing to give this to yourself and to the people around you. Thank you. Go NoCo.