Are you craving more peace and possibilities this year?

You can. By embracing THE AND.

Embracing THE AND is both a beautiful insight AND can be a deeply challenging practice. It asks us to honor the wholeness of life—to acknowledge that two seemingly opposing truths can exist at the very same time.

We explored this concept in my EVOLVE! Program last week and everyone acknowledged that this polarity exists in their lives and it can be a source of anxiety and stuckness. I too am acknowledging this more overtly than ever before as I often experience chronic pain AND tremendous joy, often in the very same breath. And what I’m learning is this: We all experience this duality more as we grow older AND embracing THE AND doesn’t mean bypassing what’s hard, nor does it mean minimizing what’s good. It means allowing all of it to be true—to accept it all without judgment or resistance.

Life is inherently dual in nature. There is light AND dark. Expansion AND contraction. Grief AND gratitude. We can feel courageous AND afraid. Successful AND uncertain. Deeply grounded AND unsettled. When we stop fighting this duality and instead make peace with it, we become more grounded in our truth and rooted in reality. And from that place, we experience more presence, possibility, and yes—more peace.

So often, however, we approach life from an either/or mindset:

• I can be confident OR uncertain.
• I can experience pain OR be happy.
• I can be grateful to be growing older OR be concerned about who I’ll become.
• I can love who’ve I’ve been OR love who I’m becoming.
• I can save for retirement OR enjoy my life now.
• This way of thinking shuts down possibility. It narrows our vision. It convinces us that we must choose one path at the expense of another.
• What happens when you replace OR with AND?
• What if you could feel confident AND at peace with uncertainty?
• What if you could experience pain or ill health AND be happy? …
• What if you could plan responsibly for the future AND savor your life today?

Most of the time, AND is the answer. And even when it isn’t, the very act of exploring it opens us up—to creativity, to choice, to intention. It allows you to experience more wholeness and respond to your life from a place of more acceptance and peace.

What would be possible if you embraced THE AND?