When You're Falling, Dive: Acceptance, Freedom and Possibility

Cheri Huber is an excellent speaker and author. I have read most of her books and I always get a lot out of them. In fact, I frequently recommend them to my clients because they are simple, straightforward and easy to relate to. They are written in an upbeat fasion and they get practical very quickly. Cheri Huber is actually a founder of a Zen monastery and a big advocate of sitting still and listening to the wisdom within. Her general approach is to get quiet and experience the layers that are beneath the everyday mental chatter. She advocates staying with difficult emotions including shame and approaching your areas of discomfort with love and compassion. Krishamurti once said, "Seeing the truth deeply is what liberates, not your efforts to be free." I suspect Cheri would add that what limits your ability to see deeply so that shame and self-hatred unravels is self compassion. Without this quality of acceptance, inevitably defense mechanisms will kick up. This booka and many of Cheri's other books combine the insights of Buddhism with some cognitive therapy techniques. This particularly evident in her Self Acceptance course which I highly recommend as an accompaniment to this book. You really can't go wrong with any of Cheri Huber's books. They are filled with compassion, practical wisdom and are characterized by a simple, direct and powerful way of moving through the world.

I have read several of this author's books, and have found all of them to be full of insights and helpful reminders about various things we can do to bring ourselves back to the present, and find the joy within ourselves. "There is Nothing Wrong With You" discusses the fact that many of us were conditioned as children to believe that we are not inherently good. Although those words may not have been said to us directly, we got the message everytime we were told that we "should have done this", "should be ashamed of ourselves", "shouldn't have done that", etc... And that it's these types of messages that led to the creation of the "internal committee" that exists within all (or at least most) of us - you know, that comittee in your head that judges you harshly, reminds you of the negatives about yourself and others, and basically drives you crazy whenever you're trying to make a difference in your life (smile)... The author ties all of this in with the ego - that part of ourselves that thrives on the power that we give to our "internal commitee" each time we believe the negative self-talk going on in our heads. Evolving through this idea of the ego & internal committe, the author provides several ideas of how to deal with, and overcome the belief that we're not inherently good - a belief which leads us to beat ourselves up within our mind all too often (we come to believe that this punishment of ourselves will somehow make us be "good" people - but does it really???). One of the main things I got from this book is the idea of having compassion for yourself. To ask yourself, if my best friend said to me the same things I'm saying to myself, would they remain my friend? Or, would I ever say this to someone I loved? If the answer is no, than it's a good idea to stop the voices in your head, and choose to have compassion for yourself - we all need compassion, so why not give it to yourself? Another good insight was Cheri Huber's "rule of thumb" which states: if the voice within you is saying anything that isn't loving & compassionate, it's your ego talking, and it's a lie - DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON JUST AS YOU ARE!!! Overall, I found this book to be an interesting, insightful, easy read, and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to silence the negative self-talk going on within your mind. Although this book is written from a buddhist perspective, you definitely don't need to be a buddhist to gain from all of the wonderful insights included within the pages of this book.

We all do it (or did it at one time)...we all believe in the voices that criticize ourselves. Those voices pound our self-worth down and build-up our fears. This book is about the first step in discovering your true and powerful self -- that person you know you could be if the chains would just come off; the person who brings joy to the lives of those around you. It's all about replacing that fear and hate with love...Love for yourself. If you find yourself in a vicious cycle of commit -> stress & try -> fail -> self-battery -> resolution -> commit. You can now know how to step off the treadmill and step into your personal joy.<p>This book changed my life.<p>Was there some great secret of life in it? Nope, not really. Was there some Tony Robbins-style empowerment formula? Not at all.<p>This book simply allowed me to sit still a moment and look straight into the face of my greatest enemy: my hateful-self. That person was constantly telling me all these lies about how I "wasn't good enough" or "wouldn't be happy until..." Cheri led me through the realization that I am worthy of being loved right now: faults and all. The first step to making lasting change in anything is telling the truth about how it is right now (i.e. accepting the current reality). How can you make lasting change in yourself until you evict the lier?<p>Cheri's book is an easy read. She is keeps it real simple. This is clearly a work from the heart.<p>If this book were $1,000, I'd *still* recommend it (or recommend you borrow it! ;D).

Forget the corny self-help-sounding title. If you're not satisfied with yourself or your life, then get this book, and read it with an open mind. If you are seeking more compassion, love, or peace in your life, this may be helpful also. It is an excellent, incredible book.If you would like this book but don't think you can afford it, let me know, I might be able to help.