Saying "yes" for the same reason I was going to say "no"

Thanks Drew Farwell

I arrived in Bangkok a week ago and, accepted out of 1500 applicants to the Rotary Peace Fellowship, I'm here for three months.  It's a phenomenal opportunity to study peace, its theories, tools and structures with 21 fellow Fellows from 18 different countries and with an average of 20 years experience in the world's diverse conflict and peace situations.

I’m pinching myself, realizing I was almost not here to experience the magic we’re already receiving.  I was actually going to refuse this priceless offer.  And then, the exact reason I was going to say “no” became the reason I had to say “yes.”

Let me explain.  My whole life, I’ve believed what many have told me:  anything worth having cannot be easy.  I’ve been the salmon swimming upstream, believing that going with the flow was for weaklings.  And, admittedly, by many measures, I’ve been successful.

The entire Peace Fellowship discovery, application, interview and acceptance process was easeful.  One of my brilliant volunteers, Cynthia, told me about the Fellowship and I thought “sounds interesting; I’ll apply” even though I had never seen my work as peace building (how wrong I was).  I wrote the application in one sitting, it flowing from my fingertips effortlessly.  Answering the thought-provoking interview questions on human and societal transformation asked by five high-ranking Rotary leaders, I felt at ease.  I was asked to speak at a local Rotary Club and that also was full of ease.

So, when I was accepted into the Peace Fellowship, I’ll admit that I thought that this must not be worthwhile since the entire process had been so easeful.

And that’s when it hit me.  There is a fundamental difference between easy and easeful.  While worthy work requires courage and action, it is a lie to believe that it has to be difficult.  The opposite is actually true:  When we are aligned with our brilliance – our God-given unique purpose and gifts – then experiences are easeful, joyous and in harmony.

The “hard” work is in getting into and maintaining alignment with our brilliance.  As well as taking courageous action towards it.  After that, the best indicator that we’re on the right path is actually its easefulness.

The journey might not be easy, but it happens easefully.  And here is all the nuance.  And, as soon as I realized this, I realized that the easefulness of my Fellowship application process was actually the exact reason to say “YES!”