So the secret is just to say “Yes!” and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. It means to be yourself in the present moment, always yourself, without sticking to an old self. You forget all about yourself and are refreshed. You are a new self, and before that self becomes an old self, you say “Yes! And you walk to the kitchen for breakfast. So the point on each moment is to forget the point….
-Shunryu Suzuki, No Always So

Saying YES - Looking over my day today – take my car to the shop: Yes!; writing several client proposals and updating a business plan: Yes!; Schedule appointments: Yes! Time to exercise, to study, to meet a friend for tea: Yes! Sometimes saying yes is easy; other times it seems nearly impossible.

No problem – well, this can be a problem. Of course I have lots of problems. I’ve noticed that everyone has lots of problems. How can we say yes to our problems, without getting caught or confused by them?

Six-word memoirs – how would you write your autobiography in six words? Short, to the point, your life in six words. I recently gave this assignment at a dinner part – great fun, moving, and very insightful.

Here are a few six-word memoirs from the book, Six-Word Memoirs On Love & Heartbreak:

- Car went kaput. So did he. - Lori Romero
- Moved in. No ring. Moved out. - Melissa Lafsky
- At twelve found soulmate, still together. - Nancy Miner
- Despise him. Desperately seek his approval. - Beth Linas

Here is my six-word memoir for today?

Learning, failing, succeeding each day. Excellent!

What is your Six-Word Memoir for today?

In Zen practice, the expression “Way Seeking Mind” means entering a path where the sacred and the mundane are not different. This is a simple, and profound insight, and way of living. Here are a few thoughts on developing a Way Seeking Mind:

For starters, you may experience being alive as a miracle; you may feel that our lives are often difficult and at times impossible. You deeply understand how short our lives are and that we are each on this planet for an extremely limited time. These experiences often come through feeling pain. The pain may be from ending a relationship, from losing a job or a business, from the death of a loved one, or from any difficult change in your life. Pain is often the stimulus that can open our hearts and minds. Our pain opens us to see our fundamental connection with all other human beings on the planet.

Harry Roberts, a teacher of mine, used to tell a story about how his teacher chose the students he would accept. Many more students wanted to work with him than he could accommodate. His teacher would say to the student, “Go find ten different kinds of plants.” If the student walked away and began looking for plants, she was not accepted. The person who did not leave but instead looked down, standing right where he was, was accepted as a student.