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Leave It. Change It. Accept It: How Eckhart Tolle Changed My Life

Claire Obeid
Author:
January 28, 2013
Claire Obeid
By Claire Obeid
mbg Contributor
Claire Obeid is a Hatha Yoga Teacher, Holistic Health Coach and creator of The Wellness Project.
January 28, 2013

I’ll never forget the first (and only) time I read Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. Forever etched in my heart and mind is one key message — Leave it. Change it. Accept it.

No other concept has run clearer bells for me since then. Despite the hours I spend devouring up as many spiritual self-help and wellness books, I still find myself reciting those words like my own personal mantra - it’s how I live my life.

It flutters in my mind during yoga, it catches my attention when I’m alone, it nestles into my heart when I need it the most. Not to mention that I enthusiastically pass this little gem on to my health-coaching clients in an effort to incite some calm into their world.

Every time you're faced with a stressful situation, when you're working at something without a return or when your ego and emotions get the better of you, just look to these three steps. See them as your spiritual compass to guide you into a calmer, clearer frame of mind.

Leave it. 

Can you leave the situation or walk away from the person that is the cause of anger frustration? You need to weigh it up and gauge what is going to be best for you.

If you can’t leave the situation, well then, this leads us to the next step.

Change it. 

Go on then, make a change to improve the outcome. If you are frustrated by the slow driver in front of you, instead of tailing them and beeping like a lunatic perhaps take a different route?

If you are stuck and change is impossible then this brings us to the final step. Which is no longer a question but a confirmation of the only path left.

Accept it. 

You can’t leave it, you’ve also decided you can’t change it. So it’s time. Unclench your jaw, soften into the idea and accept. Begin to embrace all that is the cause of your fear, annoyance and discomfort and see what happens next.

When you begin to slow down, take a deep breath and accept you start to realize that you were your own worst enemy.

It only became a problem once you objected to it. During hard times, you can’t (unfortunately) go back in time and undo what’s been done, but you can accept the current situation and approach it from a totally different perspective. One that allows you more peace despite the chaos, pain and frustration.

Take a deep breath, and accept.

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