Dear Reader,

The first workshop I ever led in Santa Barbara was back in 2011. I had a two-year-old at home and rented a little space by the harbor because it was cheap, and I liked the idea of seeing the ocean while I taught.

This was before email lists or social media. I literally printed pamphlets by hand and walked them around to therapy offices. I pinned them to bulletin boards and cold-called a few training directors:

“Hey! Have you heard of ACT?”

Maybe you're in that space right now—wanting to step into something new, but unsure if anyone will show up, wondering if you have what it takes.

If so, know: I’ve been there too. And there’s nothing wrong with starting small, scrappy, and scared. Sometimes, that’s where the most meaningful paths begin.

And, the same method that helped me back then can help you now. It takes Wise Effort:

• Get curious and ask yourself: What am I yearning to teach, share, or offer? What am I good at?
• Open up to your mind and heart: It’s normal to have self-doubt. It’s normal to feel awkward. Of course, you are worried no one will come, because you care!
• Focus your energy: Show up and do it. It's not perfect—but it’s a start. Learn from your mistakes, and you will get better. Eventually, you’ll be rocking it.​
• Outgrow that version of you—and start all over again.

When you play small, you stay small—not offering your full self, not serving in the way you were meant to.

I want you to play big with me.

And while the Wise Effort book will be in your hands soon, I’m not waiting to help you live it.

I’m launching live, experiential programs that will guide you through the Wise Effort Method, help you play big, and reconnect with what you’re truly here to do.

The first one? Stay tuned. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, and I really wish I could personally hand a little pamphlet to you. But email will have to do!

More soon,

Diana

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Dr. Diana Hill Your Wise Effort Guide

In the latest Wise Effort episode, I am continuing the month's theme of Wise Effort in relationships. Tune in to hear Dr. Jennifer Gregg, psycho-oncologist and ACT expert, share her profoundly personal story of her husband and son's battles with cancer.

​Pre-order my book ​Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most

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