You Have A Choice

I'm a relationship coach and, unlike most, I deal with those 'other' relationships. Of course, I make love happen without wings and an arrow, but I really make a difference with business relationships, family relationships, community relationships, old and stale relationships and all the rest that we take for granted, lost or forgotten.

I'm also an activist for ending hunger and for creating jobs for the homeless. These activities make me think politically. For example, I just found out that this administration gives far more in food assistance than was ever done before. I was initially stunned and pleased. Then I found out that the increase was mandatory. The budget is pegged to the population that requires food aid. This has skyrocketed so the budget has dramatically increased. Hunger is on the rise.

My natural instincts are to rail and rant, to stomp my feet (verbally) and complain. But I'm a relationship coach. I tell people my commitment is that around me people experience love and contribution, wisdom and harmony, So I performed one of the great secrets of relationships ? I remembered that I have a choice. And I forgave them. Forgiveness is that great secret of relationships ? and it's most powerful when undeserved. How I can forgive is that I use what the Buddha said, "Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a different past."

So I take myself away from the past, away from morality, back into the present and working toward the future.

IMPORTANT: You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

Michael Lipp is a coach, an author, an artist, a speaker and a happy grandfather.

You can find out more about him by checking out his website: http://www.1stClassCoaching.com

In The News:
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table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/49ers/ci_10701573cid=1256476027ei=YNzySOOIL6CQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNH8Vtw3TyP641MIlMOoSpbduL7npgO#39;Dowd gives Perenon his 200th bcoaching/b win/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fContra Costa Times,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobr23 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The win puts Perenon in a select class of Bay Area high school football coaches, joining only Bob Ladouceur of De La Salle and Dan Shaughnessy, former bcoach/b b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.insidebayarea.com/high-school-sports/ci_10693716cid=1256476027ei=YNzySOOIL6CQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNE1gC1RFd_7hnWL-2bHuPAjKaB0xAO#39;Dowd football bcoach/b Paul Perenon approaches career win No. 200/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrInside Bay Area/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256476027hl=ennobrall 4 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2008/10/12/sports/doc48f2c8cb3c889659836476.txtcid=0ei=YNzySOOIL6CQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNET81xKcvqPVq5ObU0AAefyT8gCXgBeaver’s Horwatt has branch on volleyball bcoaching/b tree/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBeaver County Times,nbsp;PAnbsp;-/font nobr8 minutes ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Of the girls who walked the halls at Beaver in the autumn of 2000, nine are now bcoaching/b scholastic volleyball teams. Seven of the 2000 team’s 11 b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/sports/stories/5495043.htmlcid=1256752595ei=YNzySOOIL6CQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNGGsdDkqsaibBFXkpzBhWHATQV4rASkowhegan#39;s Quinn climbs bcoaching/b ladder/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fCentral Maine Morning Sentinel,nbsp;MEnbsp;-/font nobrOct 11, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1That#39;s how it works when you make bcoaching/b your profession. Quinn, a Skowhegan native, is the new pitching bcoach/b at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/2008/10/12/hawks_shareef_abdur_rahim.htmlcid=0ei=YNzySOOIL6CQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNEcoF4dFV-4layTwKo_P72vyG4jCgAbdur-Rahim joins Kings staff as bcoach/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fAtlanta Journal Constitution,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobr3 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Within 10 days of his retirement announcement, Abdur-Rahim was introduced as the newest member of Reggie Theus’ bcoaching/b staff. “For athletes, it’s death, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table
table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4724564a10295.htmlcid=1256523485ei=YNzySOOIL6CQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHF-oFiLjFyElMLolFnbXC-NuvKZABuck Shelford on Harbour bcoaching/b short list/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fStuff.co.nz,nbsp;New Zealandnbsp;-/font nobrOct 11, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Wayne quot;Buckquot; Shelford has made it on to the short list of candidates wanting to bcoach/b North Harbour next year. But the All Blacks great and cancer survivor b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.voxy.co.nz/sport/shelford-shortlist-vacant-harbour-job/5/3846cid=1256523485ei=YNzySOOIL6CQ6AOjiq23Bwusg=AFQjCNHpW_tApHpYJBJcUHcfmf7To-8SBQShelford On Shortlist For Vacant Harbour Job/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrVoxy/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256523485hl=ennobrall 11 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table
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