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Four tips that can help you take charge of your own life

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    Robert V Taylor Author on how you can move towards a more fulfilling life every day.

  • Duration 8:10
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Out with the start of the new year it's an opportunity to start new and a set of before your life.

On a new cap.

Other Robert -- Taylor have some suggestions he's written a book a new way to be human seven spiritual.

Pathways to becoming fully alive and Robert joins me now from Seattle welcome.

It's great to be with you Lauren thank you but it's great here and I want to -- you have.

You have to a lot of -- you have -- -- I -- get -- but you know what is your overall all advice to people who were looking to change their lives for the better especially in the new year when it starts you have this feeling he wanted to start a new what's.

And the overall -- -- Well you know one.

The things that -- suggested in a piece that ran on foxnews.com.

A few weeks ago is.

Do something simple instead of making a complicated resolution that you're probably going to abandon choose a word to be your companion -- mantra for the year ahead.

And you know that word might be something like got compassion knowing -- -- creativity law of friends.

And use the word.

A word that we'll take you to the edge of your fears and perhaps enliven your life.

Com and use it every day put -- in some place it's visible think about it each day.

So that it really becomes your companion and noticed how it.

Begins to shift your engagement with yourself and with your colleagues at work and in your neighborhood in which a family and friends.

Now I've chosen the word ball -- W -- more for 2013.

And so I have begin and -- each day -- thinking about how I can -- new have.

How did agree to and be embraced by all in the day.

And then at the end of the day I I actually gave just a short reflection on what my experience of all has been and so.

I would recommend to to your list is the the simple practice time because it it's.

It's really out.

A spiritual practice that.

That takes you deep into the the seat -- you'll be the what it means to be the unique view and what compassion and love them.

And your purpose in life.

Are shaping up to mean in this year.

Yeah you know you've got a list of things and I wanna go through couple of them to sort of it.

You know expanded what you're talking about the -- let's choose to be a critique hitter -- participant rather than a victim what does that mean.

But just that rather than welcome.

Well you know I think so many of us have something that has happened -- -- life that.

Could easily allow us to to see ourselves as a victim to circumstances.

Or.

And it's not pretty to be a victim it's not life giving and it essentially gives power.

Two other people -- events to diminish you and so.

You become a bystander to your own life and so what I say to people is choose instead to be an active participant there is something.

In your unique story and in your voice that reveals ancient wisdom and that force you out more fully.

To be engaged with yourself in the world and for me one at the -- first times that I had a sense that this was 32 years ago I had.

And meeting with Desmond Tutu in South Africa it was my first one on one meeting with him and he said so Robert.

Tell me about -- life not what you've done but who you want no one had ever asked me that question.

So you know Lauren I began to telling the story of about you know lengthy hospitalizations.

As as a teenager that if that could have left me as a victim.

But instead I related.

Reading a book that changed my life.

And -- it revealed to me with that in my story.

And through this particular.

Case and reading a book that turned my life upside down -- chose to.

Embark on a path of being engaged.

With issues of freedom and the law of for every human being and so you know each of us has something in our life.

That allows us to be a participant in the fullness -- or -- in the goodness of life.

You talk about you know ask you also say and ask yourself each morning what will you give your heart to.

And you know because -- -- -- -- you know what he had because a lot of people are not going to be meeting Desmond -- I mean a lot of us would want to but we're not going to.

And we're also you know we're not going to be top athlete we're not -- be -- musician.

But that if you have a content and that's based on something greater than those things then you can certainly enjoy them -- -- So when you talk about ask yourself each morning what will you give your heart to.

Is an important those -- put would give your heart to you know an ultimate being like gone.

In order to really enjoy the things that are just every day.

Oh absolutely and down.

You know many of us express that in different ways no matter what -- religious tradition might be and and you know whether we're spiritual but not necessarily overtly religious.

But -- to identify what those ground things are about your relationship with god or -- higher power.

All of this the spiritual compass of your life.

And for most of us there there are some things that that a Constance we.

We want to be.

Kind -- more loving more compassionate people.

How sweet.

You know we're going to be gaining each day by giving our heart to finding delight.

In the company in the -- -- an unexpected encounter with a colleague at work -- Someone in our neighborhood or.

You know the person who's a sales clerk highways.

In a department store last week buying some sheets and and -- talking to the woman who is helping me and she was 75 years old and she'd raised.

Six kids and she wanted to talk about the sheets and her life and you know it was just this remarkable -- and sold.

I was struck by her delight.

And then and her gladness in life.

And so I think part of it is how we choose to actually.

Offer ourself to the day and to this circle.

That is not just how life and perhaps a life with god and -- spirituality.

And encircled it includes the people we will meet.

-- very interesting note -- one of the things you also talk let us celebrate time choosing trying to be so a celebrated companionship.

This is not about what.

You know you can -- the people in your life.

That generic people not some generic people but the people you meet every day that -- we made a note today which went out tomorrow at this -- ports -- talking about.

But -- quick and in terms of companion that's a little different level and it takes a little different kind of commitment right.

Oh absolutely it is -- -- -- this sort of sense of being both mindful and and awake to.

To all of the possibilities that today and every day presents to you and to me and to each of us.

And so you know as an example of that might be that you know you and I -- gonna meet for coffee this morning.

Now that's probably logistically impossible because so where we're located but we have twenty minutes perhaps because we both got busy days.

And you know I can make a choice to.

To either keep checking my Smartphone while -- having coffee or I can make a choice to to actually.

Turn it off.

And and not try to tell you that that I'm so important that I've got to keep checking my Smartphone.

Just listen to this.

Why is wonderful moments always trust what I would I would call just being -- -- you know like twenty minutes feast over coffee wonder and so you.

It doesn't get angry I just -- and I want to remind people to find more on now Robert we and we encourage you to read his latest op Ed on foxnews.com.

It's entitled to.

To change your life in 2013.

-- a new word will be.

Right back with more Allan thank you so much -- for being here and and talking about your book is really wonderful thank you so much my great pleasure thank you.