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Dear Friends,
As I write this newsletter, my father lies very ill in a
hospital bed.
Since I turned 17 and got married, I don't think he has
ever asked something more or different of me; he
loves me the way I am. That was the gift he gave me
even while I was a child; he almost never told me "no,"
slapped my hand, or made me feel like I disappointed
him. My mom played the disciplinarian, mostly while
my dad was at work, and my dad had the luxury of
giving me unconditional acceptance. It's more clear to
me now, than then, that somebody had to teach me
discipline, but I'm grateful for the gift of unconditional
love I've always felt from my father.
He has made it easy for me to reciprocate and accept
him as he is. Even before I truly understood love the
way I do now, I was able to look at my love for my
father as an example of how to best love others. You
probably have somebody in your life who has given
you that same gift of unconditional love.
When you feel loved just the way you are, even when
you've just fallen on your butt, it's easier to get up and
try again. It's almost as though you have a clean slate
with no black marks against you. And when you
are able to love somebody (including yourself)
unconditionally, you give them a fresh start.
And there is no better time than right now to begin
again.
May you know the very best of you — life and
love.
Happy New Year!
Jan Denise
Columnist, Author, Speaker
"The greatest gift that you can give to others is
the gift of unconditional love and acceptance."
— Brian Tracy
| New Year's Resolutions |
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Formulating New Year's resolutions?
You can get some useful tips by clicking on the link to
my newspaper column "Don't make old
resolutions for the New Year" below.
Looking for some motivation to keep your
resolutions?
The column set to be released on January 9 talks
about keeping resolutions, despite temptation
— even when a partner holds the proverbial
apple. (If your local newspaper doesn't run the
column, you can still read it every week on my website
or Creators Syndicate's.)
And Pledgehammer.com helps you keep
your promises by making your pledge public and
asking you to decide on a deadline as well as a
financial incentive. Should you not keep your pledge,
you donate the money to the charity of your choice.
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| Jan's Weekly Newspaper Column |
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Drop defenses to let love in -
Jan 2
How do we open our hearts to the love we want,
without taking a bullet in the process?
... click to continue
Don't make old resolutions for the New
Year -
Dec 26
Fear is the only thing that holds us back, or trips us up
as we're trying to move forward... click to continue
You're invited — without your money -
Dec 19
Whether it's triggered by the economy,
health or a natural disaster, crisis offers us an
opportunity to reassess our priorities...
click to continue
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Jan's New Book |
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Innately Good is one of the most moving books I have
ever read. Its message is also one of the most
important messages for us all. Stating her thesis
that "you are love" and documenting it in multiple
sources, the author then locates the anti-thesis, that
we are not "good enough," in our evolutionary,
religious and psychological history. Then vulnerably
using her personal history as the narrative thread, and
weaving in the experiences of her clients, she
eloquently describes the appalling negative impact of
trying to be "good enough" on our personal and
relational lives and its debilitating impact on society.
But she does not leave us with a scholarly analysis
only. She closes the book with concrete processes of
discovering our innate goodness and experiencing
ourselves as "love."
— Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., coauthor of
Receiving Love: Transform Your Relationship by
Letting Yourself Be Loved
Meet Jan at one of her upcoming book signings!
Order securely online
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