The Exact Words You Need to Hear Today If It Feels Like Nothing’s Working

(instrumental music plays) The most powerful thing we can do when feeling powerless is admit what is true. Because so often, I'm afraid of being lonely and I already am. I'm afraid things are gonna change. They've already changed. Fear wastes air.

That's the magic of my guest today, Mark Nepo. He's the number one New York Times best-selling author of the seminal work, The Book of Awakening, which has changed millions of people's lives, including mine and my husband, Chris. Can you talk a little bit about what Mark's work has meant to you in your life?

Hmm. Everything. (sniffs) Some of the gifts that you've offered me is just noticing that there's lots to listen to, not just outside, but inside.

What I wanna offer is that the difficulty of any moment is only half of reality. Life is more than anything we could dream of if we truly meet each other and meet ourselves right here, right now.

I have a feeling that the person listening is either before the wall of fire or watching somebody else in their life deeply struggling.

Uh, often the, the intent is to focus on one thing when really we're dealing with a kaleidoscope, and how do you actually try to take in, absorb all of that?

There's two ways that human beings will basically learn. One is by willfully shedding and the other is by being broken open. And if you don't willfully shed, don't worry, you'll be (laughs) broken open.

(instrumental music plays) Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. Mark Nepo, it is an honor to welcome you to the Mel Robbins Podcast.

Well, it's an honor to be here. I so appreciate. You've all made me so welcome. I'm just so looking forward to being together.

Me too. And Chris Robbins, this is your debut in the Boston studios. Thank you for being here too.

Thanks for having me in.

So, Mark, I'd love to start by having you speak directly to the person who's here with us, who made the time to spend it together with you today, and me, and Chris, and to learn from you, and I'd love to have you just speak to them and share what they could experience in their life that could be different.

Yeah. So first, thank you for being here and taking time to gather like this. I think some of the things that, that are so important and available to everyone is that life is always where we are. I think one of the big menacing assumptions in the modern world is that life is other than where we are. It's over there. You know, the, the FOMO, fear of missing out. You know, th- there is no there. There's only here. And great love and great suffering are the great teachers of this. I think one of the things in our age right now, in our... is that so many people seem to have lost their direct connection to life. And it is, is so isolating, is so challenging. Um, my job, whether it's in writing or teaching, my calling is to open a heart space that we can enter together, and in that heart space, we start to discover that we're more together than alone.