Life -- hard and beautiful, soft and tough, broken and whole. Every day, millions of our cells die, and millions of our cells are born. Our body tissues are constantly being broken down and growing, even when we sleep. The same is true of our consciousness and our hearts, broken and whole. Each life experience tears apart our understanding of life, and new perspectives and insights are born from it. Like our cells, life is mysterious and unpredictable, and we can only experience unprecedented vitality if we persevere to face it. We are forced, again and again, to choose what kind of life we should have and how we should live it, and that is true heroism. We don't say yes to the things that life throws at us to be nice people, but we are, in fact, tiny fleshworms, and it is acceptance that allows us to trudge forward inch by inch in the dirt, to swim like fish against the current, to blossom like tiny flowers between rocks. Saying "yes" is the only way the flower of the soul can penetrate the rock-hard world. But how do we do that? In fact, we all know the answer in our individual hearts without instruction, and in each of us there is a hunger for meaning, a need to redefine and discover how to say "yes." In the next two sections, I'll explore several meanings of saying "yes" to life. To say "good" is, in the end, to be completely open to our true self and to give full attention to everything that comes our way. Once we are open and attentive, we need to constantly identify ourselves in relation to the situation at hand, especially when we are dealing with pain. Many of us cling to our credo like a life jacket, as if it will protect us from life's shocks, but it is the key that prevents us from living and becoming more human. What do we do when the storms of life hit and it's easy to drown in the rush? Should we choose to learn to detect the weather more accurately, or should we strengthen our swimming skills? Or will we come to the conclusion that it's not worth risking our lives to swim and never venture into the water again? We will be hurt in love, heartache will kill us, then what do we do? Do we feel like we should be better at reading people's minds? Who to love to make smarter choices? Or does that lead to the conclusion that people are unworthy of love, or that love is dangerous? If we try to come up with a philosophy to protect ourselves when we are hurt, instead of analyzing why we are hurt, we will cut ourselves off from life, stop saying "OK" and retreat into our own little world. If we want to avoid this tendency, we can adjust our mental compass with these two questions: What do we say "yes" to, and what do we rely on when we say "yes"? The "yes" attitude that connects us to life is an attitude of acceptance, a willingness to be in the flow of life anytime, anywhere. In this way, the vitality of life will appear in our lives all the time.

As long as we first stop the busy work in our hands, let go of the eager expectations and put aside the small regrets in our hearts, the vitality of life will touch us, reveal us and transform us at this time, even if it is only for a short time. This dynamic, unpredictable vitality of life lies in every quiet moment that we once overlooked. We have known this stillness since we were born, before we could speak, before we opened our eyes. We know life through the oneness inherent in it. The voice inside us whispers, Everything is perfect, just let us embrace our life force and let life embrace us. This does not exclude difficulties, nor does it save us from the endless process of decomposition and regeneration. But if we can say yes to every pulse of our lives, we can stay motivated, vibrant, and resilient. It's another to say "yes" in the face of entanglements with others. When we say "yes" to avoid conflict, to please others, to escape fear or to buy a sense of belonging, then "good" means "no." Every time we diminish who we are or give up control of our lives, we deny ourselves the opportunity to fully live. We all do this because we want to be loved so badly, especially when fear takes over. I've had a few moments like this over the years. But anyone, no matter how close to us, who wants us to be someone other than who we are, doesn't really love us or know how to love us. In times of conflict, to say "good" to others is actually a denial of life. At this time, we need to say "no" to others sincerely, so as to activate our true lack of defense. In this way, we can say "yes" to the various turns of life. Saying yes is our connection to everything. To ask for what we need, we need to practice accepting what we have. This is our journey on Earth. These two eternal practices will unite us with life. On the surface, the two seem to contradict each other, but in fact they are two sides of the same. Together, they put us on the path to a life of "good" so that we can embrace life instead of running away from it. To receive truth rather than invent it; To be part of life instead of rejecting everything in life that's different from us. When we can't get what we want, we must insist on their own pursuit, the return is to do the true self. The reward for accepting what we have now is that we are part of the living universe. Sticking to our own pursuits is a practice that allows us to show our true selves to the world and get closer to our true selves. Accepting what we have brings us closer to the essence of life by focusing on what is out there in the present. But the "good" way of living is a pas de deux between the real self and life. By pursuing what we need and accepting what we have, we also fuel the fire of our soul, which shines brightly when we are truly alive. In order to experience life thoroughly and profoundly, we are constantly challenged to make our way through storms and mud alone. Of course, each of us must face our own despair.

If we can persevere in this despair, life will slowly show you its great resilience. You may be reading this in a desperate situation right now, and you must be thinking, how is this possible? But despair is often a nut, within which lies the resilient flesh of life. As we pry open the hard shell and learn to taste the "despair" nut, our hearts soften slowly, which may seem strange to you in the midst of a storm. My own experience is that we can build resilience inch by inch by dealing with desperate situations, just as our immune system is strengthened by vaccinations, which increase resistance as our bodies slowly digest the injection of a virus. Similarly, we need time to recover after a challenge. That's not to say that storms and mud won't wear us out, but that our hard-won resilience will provide us with plenty of lubrication during the struggle against adversity. To say "yes" to life means to accept despair in a way that allows our souls to emerge and thus shelter us. Persisting in pursuing our needs is a practice that allows us to show ourselves to the world as we truly are and get closer to our true selves. Accepting what we have brings us closer to the essence of life by focusing on what is out there in the present. If we have survived, we tend to come back stronger. As both finite and infinite human beings, there is a spirit in our bodies that life cannot carry. From this point on, each of us needs to start with self-growth and eventually move towards that spiritual self. I'm not the same person I was ten years ago, even though I still have the same soul. We are all flowering, evolving, like caterpillars, and eventually turning into butterflies. It's just that as humans we have more opportunities to turn into butterflies. Interestingly, saying "yes" to life is a way for us to start coming back into the world. It is only by saying "yes" that our innate, infinite spirituality can lead us into the world, and each time our soul emerges, we learn more about ourselves. Spiritual growth, therefore, can teach us to constantly renew the meaning of life, to further understand and to redefine it. And what good spirituality brings to us is to restore our trust in the journey of life, as if the purpose of our soul reincarnation in this life is to let our inner spirit rise, so that we can fully inhabit the world and experience everything in life. No one can truly understand another's experiences or inner desires. As we let go of our fears and step out of our own stories to cope with life, we suddenly realize that we are in touch with the essence of life through difficulties. This has been known for a long time. Each of us has struggled to cope with the expectations of others at one time or another, but gradually we come to realize that the only way to know eternity is to participate and let our hearts experience it directly. To face hardship and bring about change in your life is to say "yes" to your life at its deepest level, and this will make any flower of your soul bloom on earth. Like rock climbers, who constantly throw their ropes into the wall in order to find a foothold for the next step, we are bound to throw out our dreams and plans over and over again in our lives. But when you've climbed, fallen, picked yourself up and started over again, when you're not clinging to the rock, when you're clutching the rock with your hands, then you realize that it takes simple courage to stand in the midst of life. No matter where the road leads, only inner fortitude can keep us firmly on our feet. And the fact that we can stand up in the midst of pain and fear is remarkable in itself. So please don't because of pressure or pain, and to reduce their own value, ignore the nature of the connection with the world. The archer must draw the bow full before he can shoot the arrow in his hand, and your soul must draw the bow full before it can exude wisdom. A moment of introspection. Describe in your journal a time when you were forced to say "yes" to life. What was the situation that led you to find your inner voice? ● In a conversation with a family member or friend, tell a story about a time when you had to be frank about your needs. How did that affect you? Listen to each other's stories, then tell a story about a time when you had to accept the situation and how that acceptance affected you.

Life -- hard and beautiful, soft and tough, broken and whole. Every day, millions of our cells die, and millions of our cells are born. Our body tissues are constantly being broken down and growing, even when we sleep. The same is true of our consciousness and our hearts, broken and whole. Each life experience tears apart our understanding of life, and new perspectives and insights are born from it. Like our cells, life is mysterious and unpredictable, and we can only experience unprecedented vitality if we persevere to face it. We are forced, again and again, to choose what kind of life we should have and how we should live it, and that is true heroism. We don't say yes to the things that life throws at us to be nice people, but we are, in fact, tiny fleshworms, and it is acceptance that allows us to trudge forward inch by inch in the dirt, to swim like fish against the current, to blossom like tiny flowers between rocks. Saying "yes" is the only way the flower of the soul can penetrate the rock-hard world. But how do we do that? In fact, we all know the answer in our individual hearts without instruction, and in each of us there is a hunger for meaning, a need to redefine and discover how to say "yes." In the next two sections, I'll explore several meanings of saying "yes" to life. To say "good" is, in the end, to be completely open to our true self and to give full attention to everything that comes our way. Once we are open and attentive, we need to constantly identify ourselves in relation to the situation at hand, especially when we are dealing with pain. Many of us cling to our credo like a life jacket, as if it will protect us from life's shocks, but it is the key that prevents us from living and becoming more human. What do we do when the storms of life hit and it's easy to drown in the rush? Should we choose to learn to detect the weather more accurately, or should we strengthen our swimming skills? Or will we come to the conclusion that it's not worth risking our lives to swim and never venture into the water again? We will be hurt in love, heartache will kill us, then what do we do? Do we feel like we should be better at reading people's minds? Who to love to make smarter choices? Or does that lead to the conclusion that people are unworthy of love, or that love is dangerous? If we try to come up with a philosophy to protect ourselves when we are hurt, instead of analyzing why we are hurt, we will cut ourselves off from life, stop saying "OK" and retreat into our own little world. If we want to avoid this tendency, we can adjust our mental compass with these two questions: What do we say "yes" to, and what do we rely on when we say "yes"? The "yes" attitude that connects us to life is an attitude of acceptance, a willingness to be in the flow of life anytime, anywhere. In this way, the vitality of life will appear in our lives all the time.

As long as we first stop the busy work in our hands, let go of the eager expectations and put aside the small regrets in our hearts, the vitality of life will touch us, reveal us and transform us at this time, even if it is only for a short time. This dynamic, unpredictable vitality of life lies in every quiet moment that we once overlooked. We have known this stillness since we were born, before we could speak, before we opened our eyes. We know life through the oneness inherent in it. The voice inside us whispers, Everything is perfect, just let us embrace our life force and let life embrace us. This does not exclude difficulties, nor does it save us from the endless process of decomposition and regeneration. But if we can say yes to every pulse of our lives, we can stay motivated, vibrant, and resilient. It's another to say "yes" in the face of entanglements with others. When we say "yes" to avoid conflict, to please others, to escape fear or to buy a sense of belonging, then "good" means "no." Every time we diminish who we are or give up control of our lives, we deny ourselves the opportunity to fully live. We all do this because we want to be loved so badly, especially when fear takes over. I've had a few moments like this over the years. But anyone, no matter how close to us, who wants us to be someone other than who we are, doesn't really love us or know how to love us. In times of conflict, to say "good" to others is actually a denial of life. At this time, we need to say "no" to others sincerely, so as to activate our true lack of defense. In this way, we can say "yes" to the various turns of life. Saying yes is our connection to everything. To ask for what we need, we need to practice accepting what we have. This is our journey on Earth. These two eternal practices will unite us with life. On the surface, the two seem to contradict each other, but in fact they are two sides of the same. Together, they put us on the path to a life of "good" so that we can embrace life instead of running away from it. To receive truth rather than invent it; To be part of life instead of rejecting everything in life that's different from us. When we can't get what we want, we must insist on their own pursuit, the return is to do the true self. The reward for accepting what we have now is that we are part of the living universe. Sticking to our own pursuits is a practice that allows us to show our true selves to the world and get closer to our true selves. Accepting what we have brings us closer to the essence of life by focusing on what is out there in the present. But the "good" way of living is a pas de deux between the real self and life. By pursuing what we need and accepting what we have, we also fuel the fire of our soul, which shines brightly when we are truly alive. In order to experience life thoroughly and profoundly, we are constantly challenged to make our way through storms and mud alone. Of course, each of us must face our own despair.

If we can persevere in this despair, life will slowly show you its great resilience. You may be reading this in a desperate situation right now, and you must be thinking, how is this possible? But despair is often a nut, within which lies the resilient flesh of life. As we pry open the hard shell and learn to taste the "despair" nut, our hearts soften slowly, which may seem strange to you in the midst of a storm. My own experience is that we can build resilience inch by inch by dealing with desperate situations, just as our immune system is strengthened by vaccinations, which increase resistance as our bodies slowly digest the injection of a virus. Similarly, we need time to recover after a challenge. That's not to say that storms and mud won't wear us out, but that our hard-won resilience will provide us with plenty of lubrication during the struggle against adversity. To say "yes" to life means to accept despair in a way that allows our souls to emerge and thus shelter us. Persisting in pursuing our needs is a practice that allows us to show ourselves to the world as we truly are and get closer to our true selves. Accepting what we have brings us closer to the essence of life by focusing on what is out there in the present. If we have survived, we tend to come back stronger. As both finite and infinite human beings, there is a spirit in our bodies that life cannot carry. From this point on, each of us needs to start with self-growth and eventually move towards that spiritual self. I'm not the same person I was ten years ago, even though I still have the same soul. We are all flowering, evolving, like caterpillars, and eventually turning into butterflies. It's just that as humans we have more opportunities to turn into butterflies. Interestingly, saying "yes" to life is a way for us to start coming back into the world. It is only by saying "yes" that our innate, infinite spirituality can lead us into the world, and each time our soul emerges, we learn more about ourselves. Spiritual growth, therefore, can teach us to constantly renew the meaning of life, to further understand and to redefine it. And what good spirituality brings to us is to restore our trust in the journey of life, as if the purpose of our soul reincarnation in this life is to let our inner spirit rise, so that we can fully inhabit the world and experience everything in life. No one can truly understand another's experiences or inner desires. As we let go of our fears and step out of our own stories to cope with life, we suddenly realize that we are in touch with the essence of life through difficulties. This has been known for a long time. Each of us has struggled to cope with the expectations of others at one time or another, but gradually we come to realize that the only way to know eternity is to participate and let our hearts experience it directly. To face hardship and bring about change in your life is to say "yes" to your life at its deepest level, and this will make any flower of your soul bloom on earth. Like rock climbers, who constantly throw their ropes into the wall in order to find a foothold for the next step, we are bound to throw out our dreams and plans over and over again in our lives. But when you've climbed, fallen, picked yourself up and started over again, when you're not clinging to the rock, when you're clutching the rock with your hands, then you realize that it takes simple courage to stand in the midst of life. No matter where the road leads, only inner fortitude can keep us firmly on our feet. And the fact that we can stand up in the midst of pain and fear is remarkable in itself. So please don't because of pressure or pain, and to reduce their own value, ignore the nature of the connection with the world. The archer must draw the bow full before he can shoot the arrow in his hand, and your soul must draw the bow full before it can exude wisdom. A moment of introspection. Describe in your journal a time when you were forced to say "yes" to life. What was the situation that led you to find your inner voice? ● In a conversation with a family member or friend, tell a story about a time when you had to be frank about your needs. How did that affect you? Listen to each other's stories, then tell a story about a time when you had to accept the situation and how that acceptance affected you.