Thinking Out Loud

I'm thankful today for my mindfulness meditation mentoring group. It's my cohort that meets bi-monthly to discuss our Power of Awareness  course. Several in my group were also accepted into the 2-year Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher Certification Program so I'm looking forward to getting to know many of them better over the next few years. Anyhow, today we had some extra time to discuss whatever we wanted so I decided to take advantage of the cumulative wisdom and asked if anyone else had found their mindfulness and meditation practice to be a doorway leading them out of their current faith culture. I wanted to know how others in our group were able to negotiate the awareness that there is no one right way and every religion is fundamentally the same?  I was especially eager to get everyone's take considering we have a Quaker, a Jew, a Buddhist, a 12-Step Devotee, a Shaman, and who knows what else, in our group. I am keen to know how they are able to remain devout...

Tonight I taught my children about cognitive dissonance. I asked them to tell me what they thought it meant. They correctly deduced that "cognitive" had to do with the brain and dissonance had to do with sound. I told them that they were on to something as dissonance in music occurs when chords clash or the playing of non-harmonious notes.With that, I was able to help them understand that cognitive dissonance  occurs when your thoughts and actions are not in harmony. Basically, you will experience cognitive dissonance when your behavior and your beliefs do not align. For example, if you believe that stealing is wrong, when you steal, you will feel wrong. If you believe you should go to church on Sunday, you will feel bad if you find yourself not in church on Sunday. Obviously, no one wants to experience cognitive dissonance as it doesn't feel good. So how do you eliminate cognitive dissonance? It's simple. You either change your belief or your change your behavior ...

This title has dualistic meanings. First, read I can't believe what I used to believe in an astonished tone as in "I have no idea how I actually once believed some of the things I used to believe." Second, read I can't believe what I used to believe as a matter of fact in that I can't go back. My eyes have been opened and I can't unsee all the reasons why I no longer believe what I used to believe. As I wrote yesterday, I believe we already have everything we need within . We don't need a Holy Ghost, teacher, prophet, bishop, or parent to tell us what to do. We need to find a quiet place to think, ponder, meditate, or pray. Looking back over my life, it's all so clear why I never received answers to my prayers. I was looking for those answers to come from without  instead of looking for the answers within. I remember praying to know which college to attend. I had received scholarships to a couple of universities and felt that surely God had a plan an...

Today was fast and testimony meeting at church. As I watched people testify of what they believe to be true, I realized beliefs are beautiful things. One lady testified how her belief in Jesus Christ and the Resurrection gave her hope that she would one day be reunited with her deceased mother again. A man testified how his belief that Jesus Christ had purified him from his past sins gave him strength and the ability to feel the spirit again. A visitor stood to testify that those who mourn for loved ones lost will eventually feel the sadness lessen and life will get better. She lost her husband 4 years ago and it is finally getting easier. Another gentleman testified how he knew the church was true. Another woman testified how she knew the LDS church was the only true church and place where people can find peace. And another man testified that he knew we had living prophets on earth today and how wonderful to know that he has God's will and doctrine for him. I like listening to p...

I love this quote by Henry David Thoreau: If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. I can't stop thinking about the beauty of those who march to the beat of their inner drum. I'm not one for non-conformity just for the sake of non-conformity, but I am for being true to oneself. Too often we do what others tell us to do or what is expected of us. Life is far more fulfilling when we create our own beat and then step in time. Most everyone is familiar with the first part of Thoreau's quote, but I'd be remiss if I ended my thoughts there, for he finished with: Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. I just spent the last hour in our ward's bishop's office. He began by acknowledging all the service and good I do in the ward and asked if I'd be willing to accept occasional assignments from him. He says he just feels like there is so much more good I can do. I told...

I watched a really cool documentary on my flight home from Hawaii. It was called Marshall and shared the story of how Truman Marshall fought for civil rights. Slavery sucks. Seriously, I can't believe any Christian nation could sanction the barbaric practice. Heck, I don't understand how any religious country could allow slavery in any form. And here's the fascinating thing about slavery. It comes in all forms. Today we may not physically enslave others, but slavery still exists in other forms. If you aren't free to be who you want to be, then I say you are a slave. You are not free. I know so many people who live their lives in a mental closet, afraid to say what they think or express their beliefs because they fear the consequences. They are afraid of being cut off from their family, friends, and "cult"ure. They choose to die a thousand deaths every day because they don't dare hurt their loved ones feelings or they don't dare pay the price for th...

I've been thinking a bit about relationships. I'm seeing them differently than I've ever seen them before. First, I realize that relationships are created in our minds. What we think about our relationships defines them. If I think my daughter is ungrateful, I will see ingratitude in all her actions. If I tell myself my coworker is annoying, I will find him extremely so.  And so it goes. What we think about others creates how we relate to them. So why not think happy, positive, loving thoughts about the people we relate with? We absolutely have the power to create amazing relationships by changing the way we think about our relations. Second, I've been thinking about the importance of loving the people in our life for who they are, not for what we need them to be. People need freedom to be who they want to be. If you love someone, you don't try to change them. That isn't love. Love is accepting someone for who they are and where they are right now. Love know...

Hello 2018! I think my theme for 2018 will be Try Everything. What exactly does this mean? Well, I want to try as many new things as possible. I want to suspend disbelief on everything and proceed "as if" there are no limits, no impossibilities and that everything I think and believe, I can achieve. I want to hold a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing. I want to continue learning and studying as many topics as possible. I want to own and acquire less material possessions so that I have more time to study, think, read, meditate, ponder, pray, serve, and spend time with family, friends, and loved ones. I want to be more still. I want to see more countries, states, cities, and people. I want to find new mentors and teachers, and I want to continue to lead, love, and lift others. I want to give away more than I take. I want to continue to work hard and achieve so that I can share my blessings and abundance with others. I want to look around and seize ev...

What are you for or against? I was reading Dr. Dyer's 12 principles for becoming a spiritual being and one is about how spiritual beings spend their time working toward what they are for rather than spend their energy fighting what they are against.  The spiritual being knows that everything he hates and fights weakens him, and all that he is for, all that he supports, empowers him. I like this. Why spend your time fighting against war when you could spend your time working for peace? Define yourself by what you are for not by what you are against. I think it is always wise to position yourself positively rather than antagonistically. I am excited for 2018. I think it only fitting for me to state a few things I'm for: Love Peace Acceptance Reverence Silence Humility Miracles Learning Service Mindfulness Infinite Possibilities Imagination Creativity Creation Dreaming   Some mantras I recite daily that reinforce what I'm for incl...

Tonight I introduced my children to The Truman Show. I loved this movie the first time I saw it and I love it even more now. I've been thinking a lot about fish. Do they question the water they swim in? Do they even know they are in water when the rest of the world is on land? This concept fascinates me as it illustrates how us humans operate. Do we question the environment we are born into or do we just go about swimming? Truman lived the first 30 years of his life in a bubble. He was adopted by a corporation at birth and raised on a man made set. His entire life was programmed by producers and consumed by viewers. He was completely unaware until he started questioning. He starts noticing things that just don't seem right and he's not satisfied with the answers he receives to his questions. Once he starts questioning his world, he starts seeing more clearly and he realizes that what he once thought was real is actually all man-made. Why do I love this movie so much? Be...