You can learn from your health challenge what is most important and become a better human being.

You may not have chosen what is happening to your body, but you can choose how you respond.

For years I was so busy building walls I did not see I was imprisoning myself behind them, and did not recognize this pattern as being addiction. My addictive thinking and behavior became the bars of my cell. Denying feeling empty inside, I constantly looked for new things to acquire, people to be around, substances to take, and new goals to achieve in order to feel better about myself. Over the last four decades I have focused on healing my addictive mind and helping others do the same.

Many people live in a self-imposed prison and don't even know it.

I trust that no loving thought goes unnoticed, even when I do not see immediate gratitude or behavior changes in the other person.

What many fail to realize is that being attached to what we think we want and don't have while resisting what is happening in the moment is the cause, not the cure, of much personal suffering and interpersonal conflict.

When we combine acceptance with self-responsibility we can then see that whenever we are in a painful or disturbing situation we have two choices: We can work compassionately to bring something positive to the situation or leave. However, the key is the mental stance that we make the choice from, and thus the first step is always accepting the moment without resistance.