Living in Truth Challenge

I've been pondering on how to make this blog more useful and I've decided that every Friday I will suggest a Living in Truth Challenge for all of us to work on during the week.

Too often in our quest to better ourselves and make life more enjoyable we take on too much and get overwhelmed and discouraged. But when we break the process of growth down into steps and take it one step at a time, growth and change become much more doable and especially much more enjoyable.

With that said, let me be your personal Living in Truth Life Coach. I know what peace and joy Living in Truth has given me and the wonderful changes it has made in my life and I want to share that with you. So let's get started with week one!

 LIT Step #1:

Live in the Present Moment

This week watch your thoughts and when they start to drift into worry or fear or discouragement or anything vexing don't try to fight them. Simply Anchor (click here)  yourself back to the present moment.
The present moment always holds an abundant source of joy, peace, hope, love, and gratitude that is just waiting to be yours. So go for it!

Feel free to look back over past posts on being in the present or the Truth Tool Anchoring (click here) if you think it will help. And share your comments about your experience. By sharing we encourage and help each other find a more abundant life.

When you Live in Truth you live in Happiness.

Truth Tool--Anchoring

My very favorite Truth Tool is Anchoring. The way Anchoring works is that whenever you feel any vexation—any negative feelings building inside you—you stop and Anchor yourself to the present moment. You concentrate on NOW. To do this you refuse to think about anything except what is present before you. Concentrate on the colors and shapes, the sounds, the feel of the textures your hands and body are touching, the subtle odors in the air. In other words you engage all of your senses on what is there for them right NOW.

Don’t let any thoughts about the things you should have said to your friend yesterday or the bills that are coming due tomorrow or anything from the past or about the future enter your mind. Just enjoy this very minute and what the Lord is giving you right now. This may sound similar to forms of meditation that are taught in Eastern religious practices, but it is different. In meditation you push ALL thought away and try to make the mind go blank. But in Anchoring you let the senses connect you to the current moment. As you connect to the present you find that there are other things available in the present besides what you can see, feel, hear, taste, and smell.

As the Lord has told us in D&C 59:18-19, “Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.” What this means is that the things around us are given to us not just for physical sustenance but to “gladden the heart” and “to enliven the soul.” The problem is that we get our minds so full of what needs to be done or what has happened to us in the past that we don’t pay attention to what is right before us. We are living in the past or future and ignoring the present. By Anchoring in the current moment you open yourself up to experience the joy, love, hope, and peace that are always available in the present moment. As President Thomas S. Monson has instructed, "Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present" (Ensign, May 2003, 22).

 Try Anchoring while doing menial tasks such as washing dishes or pulling weeds. Concentrate on how your hands move, the feel of the water or soil on your hands, the smell of the soap or soil, the sound of the dripping water or dropping soil, etc. and then pay attention to what comes to you as you Anchor. Anchoring does away with vexation and opens the windows of heaven for us to peer through. I love life when I'm anchored.

BYU Education Week Day 5

Physically I am drained, tired, and ready for the week to end, but spiritually and emotionally I am very sad to have this amazing week end.

I am so thankful for the many new friends I have made and the stories they've shared with me. I've been hugged by former students and filed with delight in seeing them again. I've been hugged by people who are feeling the spirit of the things I've been teaching. I've been hugged by people who are in pain and excited about the new hope they have received. I've been hugged by friends I haven't seen for years and friends I see frequently. I love hugs so it has been good, and I hope you are feeling a cyber-hug as you read this because I'm sending all those hugs on to you!

Today Mr. J and I are going off to relax and renew and enjoy. Next Sunday is our 45th wedding anniversary and we thought that deserved a week away together. I'm going to do some studying, read a good book for purely escape, crochet, swim, bike, hike, snuggle for more hugs and kisses from Mr. J, and just plain enjoy. It will be a whole week of Anchoring and enjoying every precious moment! 

Anchored in Nature

Two days ago I spent the day at Antelope Island, the largest of the ten islands in the Great Salt Lake, and yesterday I spent the day in the mountains near Deer Creek Reservoir. I had no Internet or cell phone access and both days were absolutely beautiful weather wise-not too hot and with a gentle breeze teasing the air. As I watched wispy white clouds swirl over the Great Salt Lake I felt such peace and suddenly it hit me that one of the reasons nature revives us and brings us such peace and joy is because we naturally Anchor when we are in nature. Something about it causes us to forget everything that is vexing us and to focus on the present moment.

The same thing happened yesterday in the mountains. As I got out of the car upon arrival, I felt the peace wash over me and realized that in that moment without me consciously directing it, all of my senses were suddenly engaged in the present. I was seeing, smelling, feeling, hearing, and tasting the fresh air and the scenery around me. Because of that I was fully present--Anchored.

Realizing this I wondered how I could train myself to naturally anchor in other environments. It would take some effort, but if I consistently Anchored whenever I entered the foyer of our church building, or the entrance to my work, or the entrance to my home soon the feelings of peace and hope would naturally occur whenever I went to those places just like the feelings naturally occur when I enter a forest or hear an ocean.

I love the peace and joy Anchoring brings so I'm going to work at this. I'll let you now how it goes.

My Anchoring Sign

I just had to share with you the wonderful Word of the Year sign Heather made for me.

This is going to help me remember to Anchor in the now

so that I enjoy every gift the present moment has to offer me.

Thank you so much Heather!

You can check out her web site at http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/.

For the Word of the Year signs (She calls them One Little Word) see
http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2011/12/2012-one-little-word-posters/

I'm Anchored

I’ve finally decided on my “Word of the Year.” One of the most empowering parts of Living in Truth is to live in the present moment, and I want to get better at doing that. I’ve been trying, but with so many years of Pit of Illusion type habits to overcome I’ve made slow progress. So my Word of the Year is anchor—the verb anchor. I am going to concentrate on experiencing every single moment. I’m going to anchor myself to the present and not let myself carry around baggage from the past or worry about the future. I’m going to take what comes and love it.


Every moment of life offers something wonderful, but I’ve missed so much of it because I haven't been present. Not anymore! I’m going to create (even though I’m not very artistic) some clever signs to remind myself and put them where I can see them often. I’m going to start my day by anchoring to the morning, end my day by anchoring to the evening, and anchor myself to everything in between.

I’m going to start 2012 anchored to the present and I’m going to stay there. After all, the present moment is the only one I have any control over.

Joy in the Morning

Statue by Karl Jensen. click here

It’s Monday morning; time to begin a new work week.

Just think—a six whole days waiting to be lived.

Take a deep breath.

Anchor yourself in the now. 

Experience the love, hope, and joy

that are in the present moment,

and decide what you are going to do with today.

 It is yours to spend! Obviously there are many

 “have-to-dos” waiting for you.

But there are also many moments to be lived

 that aren’t scripted for you.

So use those moments to feel the joy,

 fill your faith,

do some good,

and drink in the wisdom of the Spirit.

Like anything else in life, you get what you pay for.

So use your time to buy the best!

Buy joy.

Down With Vexation

Yesterday I toured two gigantic, beautiful homes that are part of the Utah Valley Parade of Homes. I went seeking ideas for decorating my own home, but found myself bombarded with many thoughts and feelings I hadn’t expected. One home consisted of 17,000 square feet and the other 14,000. Both had swimming pools and marvelous outdoor living areas.

Now I’ve seen homes like that before, and before they were so big and so extravagant that they were like fairy tales that you listen to but don’t believe. These kinds of things have always been fun for me to see but so far out of my league that they didn’t affect me. But for some reason yesterday the elegant furnishings, everything necessary for opulent living, and luxury to the max that were evident in every square inch began to eat away at me. As expected I came away with lots of ideas, but what I didn’t expect was the discontent. I found myself full of ingratitude for what is mine, self-pity for what I don’t have, and discouragement.

But . . . the blessing was that I recognized immediately what I was doing wrong and began pulling out the Truth Tools to eradicate the vexing feelings before they did much damage. I am soooo grateful for Truth Tools. Within a short time, the “poison” in my soul was gone and I was fine. Then, just a few minutes ago I found myself Anchoring, not because I was consciously forcing myself to Anchor, but because it is becoming a natural habit. While in that state of enjoying the hope, peace, love, gratitude and joy of this present moment I realized I may not have all the materials things life offers, but I have something much greater!

BUT THANKS!

Long ago I realized that one of the best places for me to receive inspiration is in the shower. It wasn’t until recently that I realized why. I love the shower and when I am in there I am very much in the present moment (see yesterday’s post). When I’m in the shower I’m Anchored to the sound of the water spraying from the shower head and splashing on the walls and floor. I’m feeling the warmth of the water and the tickle of it on my back. I’m enjoying the wetness and the lavender scent of the shampoo and the clean, fresh smell of the soap. In short, all of my senses are firmly Anchoring me to the present moment and in the present moment is where the Spirit works.

 

Besides Anchoring, one of the most effective ways I found to stay in the present is to be constantly looking for the blessings of that moment. Even when I was in the throes of the battle with Grizelda, there was always something wonderful in any given moment for me to concentrate on. I love games, so I’ve made this effort into a game—the “BUT THANKS” Game. While being rolled into brain surgery, I could have been thinking about the fact that I had a 50% chance of coming out of surgery blind and a 90% chance of having vision impairment. Instead of worry about what might be, I stayed in the present moment by thinking of what was right there by playing the “But Thanks” Game. In stead of thinking about my fear, I thought “I might lose my sight in surgery BUT THANKS for some very trained surgeons in here to take care of me.” In other words, you trump your fears with a BUT THANKS. 

This works for many situations. “I have to speak in Church, BUT THANKS for the Spirit that will help me.” “I have a job interview, BUT THANKS for teachers that have prepared me well.” “I just spilled milk all over the floor, BUT THANKS for a sense of humor so I can just laugh about it.” “My parents just got divorced, BUT THANKS that they both still love me.” “I have attention deficit disorder, BUT THANKS for the energy I have.”

Trumping our fears with Thanks helps us stay our of the Pit and firmly planted in the present moment.

It's Living in Truth Day

The first day of a new year 
always seems special to me, 
but 1-1-'11 is especially significant 
because of all those ones! 
To me it is symbolic of Living in Truth 
because Living in Truth is all about living 
in the present moment, 
starting over at 1 each moment 
and not letting the past dictate the future. 
It is about Living in the now, after all 
the present moment is the only moment 
you have any control over. 
But too often we fill our present moment with 
regrets about the past 
or fear about the future 
and by so doing we miss out on 
all the joy and possibility 
that is available in the present moment.

So 1-1-'11 serves to remind us all that this new year,
this new day, is a beginning. 
It is a symbol of hope. 
It is symbolic of burying the old 
and having a clean slate to begin anew. 
No matter what has happened in the past, 
today is the beginning of new life 
and new possibility. 
Today everything starts over at 1. 
Today is full of love, joy, hope, and rejoicing. 
Make sure you Anchor yourself in today 
and feel all the hope it contains!

Sweet Autumn

Fall is in the air and here in the Rocky Mountains that means color, brilliant color. But brilliant orange, yellow, gold, and red dotting the mountains isn’t the only sign of the season. Autumn means crisp air that invigorates with every breath, but those things aren’t the best things about autumn. The very best part of autumn is the music. Leaves crackle and crunch under your feet and the wind stirs the branches which in autumn make more than just a swishing sound. In autumn the branches make a distinct percussion crackle that sinks into the very marrow of the bones and tickles the heart.

Autumn is the perfect time to concentrate on living in the present. Anchor yourself and drink in all the marvelous feelings that are available in the present moment. Feel it. Taste it. See it. Hear it. Smell it. Drop the worry about the future. Stop thinking about the past—you can’t do anything about it anyway. Experience the wonder that is now and see how much better everything around you becomes.

Anchoring

One of my favorite Truth Tools is Anchoring. The way Anchoring works is that whenever you feel any vexation—any negative feelings building inside you—you stop and Anchor yourself to the present moment. To do this you refuse to think about anything except what is present before you. Concentrate on the colors and shapes, the sounds, the feel of the textures your hands and body are touching, the subtle odors in the air. In other words you concentrate on what your senses have access to right now.

Don’t let any thoughts about the past or the future enter your mind. Just enjoy this very minute and what the Lord is giving to you right now. This may sound similar to forms of meditation that are taught in Eastern religious practices, but it is different. In meditation you push ALL thought away and try to make the mind go blank. But in Anchoring you let the senses connect you to the current moment. As you connect to the present you find that there are other things available in the present besides what you can see, feel, hear, taste, and smell.

As the Lord has told us in D&C 59:18-19, “Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.” What this means is that the things around us are given to us not just for physical sustenance but to “gladden the heart” and “to enliven the soul.” The problem is that we get our minds so full of what needs to be done or what has happened to us that we don’t pay attention to what is right before us. We are living in the past or future and ignoring the present. By Anchoring in the current moment you open yourself up to experience the joy, love, hope, and peace that are always available in the present moment. As President Thomas S. Monson has instructed, "Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present" (Ensign, May 2003, 22).

Anchoring is a way to live in the present and thereby avail ourselves of all the wonderful gifts God is trying to give to us that “gladden the heart” and “enliven the soul.” Try Anchoingr while doing menial tasks such as washing dishes or pulling weeds. Concentrate on how your hands move, the feel of the water or soil on your hands, the smell of the soap or soil, etc. and then pay attention to what comes to you as you Anchor.

I'd love to hear your experiences! Share them here as a comment or email me at smillsjohnson@gmail.com.

Joy, Joy, Joy!

The word joy means “a state of happiness or felicity.” We usually think of that state as being caused by some outside source. When we succeed at what we are doing, we feel joy. When we love and are loved back, we feel joy. When we receive good news, we feel joy. But joy is out there waiting for us at any time, because while joy can be a consequence it is also a choice.

Even if we are doing the most mundane of tasks (washing dishes, weeding, or cleaning bathrooms) we can feel joy if we want it. Even when in miserable circumstances (stuck in traffic, waiting in a long line, or sitting through a class we don’t like) we can feel joy. The secret is to be aware of the present moment and all that it holds.

Instead of letting your mind fill with the worries and problems of life, feel the warmth of the water on your hands while doing dishes, smell the dish detergent, watch how the bubbles float and pop, swish your hands around and feel the water stroke and caress you. When weeding, smell the sweet, wet soil. Compare the many shades of green. Listen to the insects. While waiting in a long line of people, listen to the music of many human voices blending into one sound. Watch the kaleidoscope of colors from everyone’s clothing. Seek to discover something good about each person.

Lehi told his son that “Men are that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). That doesn’t mean good things are always supposed to happen to us. It means that we are to learn how to find joy in any situation we are in.

Picture by Rebecca Waring
www.rebecca-waring.com/PaintingImage11.aspx

Blessed By The Now

For as long as I can remember I’ve gotten my best ideas or solutions to problems while in the shower. I never realized until recently why that happened, but after learning to Anchor myself in the present moment I realized that when I am in the shower I am always anchored.

I love water. I love to swim. I love to feel warm water running over my hands from the faucet. I love walking in the rain. I love standing in the shower and feeling the water hit my back. I love the sound of it hitting the tile and shower door. I love putting my face in the stream of water and feeling the warmth. In short, what I realized is that I love the shower so much that while I am in there I am always in the present—feeling, hearing, tasting, smelling, and watching it all happen. Without realizing what I was doing, I was very much Anchored every time I entered the shower and in that state I was receptive to promptings, guidance, and insights that are always available in the present.

Besides that, there is always joy and happiness in the present moment. All we need to do is Anchor ourselves and let it seep in.

Fret Not!

One of my favorite verses in Proverbs says, “Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil” (Proverbs 37:8). The New International Version of the Bible puts that even more succinctly. It says, “Do not fret—it leads only to evil.” And that is what happens. When we fret or stew or harbor negative thoughts about the truth, we create negative, evil feelings. We let in negative emotions which blind us to the positive things around us.

For example: Last fall I took a long walk along the Provo River. The October afternoon felt more like September. The sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky and reflected brilliantly from the golden maple trees. A gentle breeze stirred the air and rustled the leaves but not enough that the sound could be heard over the music of the river—instead they just glistened. About three-fourths of the way through my walk, however, I suddenly realized my mind had been so garbled with rehashing a meeting I’d been to the night before that I hadn’t noticed any of this. Stewing over what I should or shouldn’t have said at the meeting hadn’t accomplished one single positive thing, and because of it, I had missed a half hour of absolute beauty. Quickly I Anchored myself, changed what I was feeling, and enjoyed what was left of the walk.

“Fret not thyself!” is good advice.

Anchoring Yourself

So how do we rid ourselves of unnecessary pain? Over the next few posts we’ll explore some of the things that help. The one I use the most is anchoring. I’ve talked about this before, but anchoring is accomplished by zeroing in on the present moment. Use all your senses to feel, smell, hear, see, and taste the present. Don’t let any stories of the past or worries about the future play in your head. Just Anchor yourself in the present moment. Stop and do it right now and see what happens.

I’ve done this with several groups I’ve spoken to and am amazed that every time I’ve done it the response to what they experienced while anchoring is always the same. In the present moment there is always peace, contentment, happiness, gratitude, love, and hope.

I’ve pondered on this a lot, and I think the reason these wonderful positive things are always there is because the Spirit of Truth always works in the present. In scripture, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are all called the Spirit of Truth and as we Anchor ourselves in the present we make ourselves available to them. The present is where they can be found and where they can nurture and love us. When we are living our lives by stressing over the past or fretting about the future, we miss the positive gifts they are trying to give us.

So Anchor yourself whenever you feel the anger coming on and see what happens!