Categories: fear, forgiveness, risk, willingness

This week I got into a big reading frenzy. The long hot sunny days in Portland have encouraged a lot of “sitting by the pool” time. I’ve picked up books that I never dreamed of reading, and I also started reading some books that I’ve wanted to read for a long time. Here’s a quick synopsis:Â

The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans: Nearly essential reading as part of my coach training program, Evans explains the true symptoms of verbally abuse. Evans is not a psychologist and as such presents a layman’s description of verbal abuse. I must admit I entered this book with some trepidation thinking, “What if I find out that I’ve been verbally abusive?” It is with great humility and forgiveness that I now understand myself to have actually been on the receiving end of verbal abuse. I feared reading the book, and what I received was a huge gift of compassion.Â

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Richard Kiyosaki: I have been a huge judge of people with money. I have been the guy without money so I’ve borrowed and begged to look as though I had money. Reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad would be both an admission that I could use some knowledge around money and that I just didn’t measure up to the rest of the world. What I found was Kiyosaki understood my situation, described me to a T, and reflected back all of my own fears about risking money. Funny - ‘fear’ and ‘risk’ is what I do - it’s what I coach. The margins of the book are filled with the parallels to Fearless Living.Â

The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron: One of the west’s most well known Buddhists, Chodron presents a set of practices that engage the reader to step beyond themselves into the unknown. I had put off this book simply because I told myself, “I already have too much to read!” (That was really just an excuse to keep myself small.) Filled with colorful metaphors and anecdotes, Places describes meditation, forgiveness, loving-kindness, and other practices that increase one’s ability to stretch, grow, arrive; unfreeze, change, risk. Another book that’s filled in the margins with parallels from Fearless Living.Â

Homework:Â

What book have you wanted to buy, reserve at the library, or pick back up off the shelf where you put it three years ago? What do you think the calling of the book to you is? What is the area of your life that you’d like to change? Is there a chance that the book addresses that area of your life? (Send me an email or comment with your response.)Â

If you were willing to take one step towards changing that area of your life, what would it take? A sledgehammer, a crow bar, a screwdriver? Probably not the best tools. That book stands a great chance to changing your life.Â

Truly Yours,Â

Joseph LyonsÂ

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