 |
Just One Thing |
|
|
Simple Practices for Resilience and Happiness from
|
DR. RICK HANSON
|
 |
|
|
|
As we move toward the end of the year, I want to make it a little easier to grow the inner strengths that help us meet life with more calm, contentment, and love.
So now through December 2nd, all of my online courses are half-price.
If you’ve been wanting to feel more supported day-to-day, deepen your practice, or simply return to your center, this is a great chance to begin.
And these courses also make meaningful gifts — the kind that actually help someone feel more resilient, more grounded, and more at peace in the year ahead.
You can see my full list of courses, here.
|
|
|
|
|
What's precious to you? |
THE PRACTICE: |
Find What's Sacred. |
|
|
— Why? — |
The word sacred has two kinds of meanings. First, it can refer to something related to religion or spirituality. Second, more broadly, it can refer to something that one cherishes, that is precious, to which one is respectfully, even reverently, dedicated, such as honesty with one's life partner, old-growth redwoods, human rights, the light in a child's eyes, or longings for truth and justice and peace.
Both senses of the word touch me deeply. But many people relate to just one meaning, which is fine. You can apply what I'm saying here to either or both meanings.
I think each one of us - whether theist, agnostic, or atheist - needs access to whatever it is, in one's heart of hearts, that feels most precious and most worthy of protection. Imagine a life in which nothing was sacred to you - or to anyone else. To me, such a life would be barren and gray.
Sure, some terrible actions have been taken in the name of sacred things. But terrible actions have been taken for all kinds of other reasons as well; the notion of the sacred is not a uniquely awful source of bad behavior. And just because some people act badly in the name of something does not alter whatever is good in that something.
Opening to what's sacred to you contains an implicit stand that there really are things that stand apart in their significance to you. What may be most sacred is the possibility of the sacred!
If you're like me, you don't stay continually aware of what's most dear to you. But when you come back to it - maybe there is a reminder, perhaps at the birth of a child, or at a wedding or a funeral, or walking deep in the woods - there's a sense of coming home, of "yes," of knowing that this really matters and deserves my honoring and protection and care.
|
— How? — |
For an overview, notice how you feel about the idea of “sacred.” Are there mixed feelings about it? How has the rise of religious fundamentalism worldwide over the past several decades – or the culture wars in general – affected your attitudes toward “sacred”? Have you been told that certain things were sacred in your own life that you no longer believe in? Do you feel you have the right to name what is sacred to you even if it is not sacred to
others? Taking a little time to sort this out for yourself, maybe also by talking with others, can clear the decks so that you can know what’s sacred for you.
In this clearing, there are many ways to identify what is sacred for someone. Maybe you already know. You could also find a place or time that is particularly peaceful or meaningful – perhaps on the edge of the sea, or curled up with tea in a favorite chair, or in a church or temple – and softly raise questions in your mind like these: What’s sacred? What inspires awe? A feeling of protection? Reverence? A sense of something holy?
Different answers come to different people. And they may be wordless. For many, what’s most sacred is transcendent, numinous, and beyond language.
Whatever it is that comes to you, explore what it’s like to open to it, receive it and give over to it. Make it concrete: what would a conversation be like, or what would your day be like, if you did it with a sense of something sacred to you?
Without stress or pressure, see if there could be a deepening commitment to this something sacred. How do you feel about making a sanctuary for it, in your attention and intentions, and in how you spend your time and other resources?
Then, when you do sustain a sense of the sacred, or involve it somehow in some action, sense the results and let them sink in to you.
However it shows up for you, the sacred can be a treasure, a warmth, a mystery, a light, and a profound refuge.
|
| Read this Online
|
Know someone who is trying to find the sacred in life?
|
|
|
Share this Just One Thing practice with them!
|
Share on Facebook | Tweet on X | Forward this Email
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW ON THE BEING WELL PODCAST
|
Guilt Trips, Boundaries, and Non-Monogamy: November Mailbag |
|
Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag to answer listener questions about effective communication, guilt trips, healthy relationships, and contentment. They explore how defining boundaries, taking maximum reasonable responsibility, and extending an olive branch can help manage ongoing conflict without sacrificing your own needs. They then discuss the power dynamics, ethics, and practicalities of non-monogamy, emphasizing the importance of fairly balancing the rights and needs of everyone involved. Finally, they explore how to cultivate the habit of contentment, even amidst imperfect circumstances.
|
| Check out the Episode
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW FROM THE WEDNESDAY MEDITATIONS + TALKS
|
Empathy and Engaged Compassion |
|
Last week I offered a live meditation on Marinating in a Warm Heart, followed by a talk on Empathy and Engaged Compassion, and I hope you'll check it out.
If you haven't yet, sign up to join me every week for this free, live offering.
|
| Check It Out
|
|
|
|
|
|
MORE GOOD STUFF
|
|
|
SCIENCE NEWS (VIEW ARCHIVE HERE)
Scientists have just discovered unexpected heat leaking from Enceladus’s north pole, raising the odds that this icy Saturn moon’s hidden ocean could last long enough to support life.
|
|
|
FOR PARENTS
Autonomy – both yours and the other person’s – nurtures intimacy in many ways, including its reassurance that you can still protect yourself when you’re wide open to another person, and by giving an extra oomph to relatedness: it makes such a difference when you know that the other person really wants to be with you.
|
|
|
HEAL & RESTORE EXPERIENCE
I’m very inspired to be among the speakers for the FREE upcoming Heal & Restore Experience! This transformative 6-day online event, featuring 62 world-renowned experts, will share their insights, practices, and wisdom on the art of healing and renewal, guiding you towards restoring balance and awakening clarity in your body, mind, and spirit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
HAVE YOU READ IT YET?
|
Resilient |
|
Learn how to develop key inner strengths – like grit, gratitude, and compassion – to stay calm, confident, and happy no matter what life throws at you. Available in Hardcover, Paperback eBook, and Audiobook, wherever books are sold.
|
| Get Your Copy
|
|
|
|
|
|
WORDS OF WISDOM
|
"Opening to what's sacred to you contains an implicit stand that there really are things that stand apart in their significance to you." |
— RICK HANSON, PHD
|
|
|
|
JUST ONE THING (JOT) is the free newsletter that suggests a simple practice each week for more joy, more fulfilling relationships, and more peace of mind. A small thing repeated routinely adds up over time to produce big results.
Just one thing that could change your life.
(© Rick Hanson, 2024)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
