I speak a lot about what I call "the trance of unworthiness" which is really epidemic in our culture, this sense of "I'm not enough," or "something's wrong with me." Most of us have some level of it because our culture has all these standards (handed down through our families) of what it means to be okay.

Feeling compassion for ourselves in no way releases us from responsibility for our actions. Rather, it releases us from the self-hatred that prevents us from responding to our life with clarity and balance.

Presence is not some exotic state that we need to search for or manufacture. In the simplest terms, it is the felt sense of wakefulness, openness, and tenderness that arises when we are fully here and now with our experience.

What would it be like if I could accept life--accept this moment--exactly as it is?

Along with judging myself harshly, I'd also always seen the truth of goodness in me.

This longing to express and celebrate life is innate and quite beautiful.

It may sound lovey-dovey, but there's research showing the positive effect of meditation on parts of the brain that control emotion.