Recently I was watching a mini-series with actor, musician and now author, Will Smith and he was talking about the process of filming this documentary and writing his memoir. So as a creative person, I was doubly curious and fascinated.
Something that Will’s father said on the show (you’ll have to listen to this episode to find out what it was) got me ruminating about what A Course in Miracles calls “our need for mind training”.
Now, I’ve been a student and guide of A Course in Miracles for about 30 years and there are some lines that still just stop me right in my tracks, every time I read it. This is one of them: “An untrained mind can accomplish nothing”.
This is so powerful because if we do not have the capacity to place our mind where we want it, which also means, if we can’t recognize that we’re having an insane ego thought, and if we can’t rein those suckers in, if we don’t have any kind of discipline or training of our mind, then we’re often going to find ourselves in positions where either we are suffering, or we are inflicting suffering on others.
And if we’re not careful, we’ll end up creating chaos and leaving a path of emotional trauma or other kinds of destruction in our wake.
Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we’re talking about the importance of being able to observe our thoughts and feelings with, what I call, curiosity, instead of compulsion.
Being able to slow down enough to contemplate, regulate and choose the quality of thoughts that will lead us to our desired outcome. So we can start to train our minds and discipline ourselves to understand that “even though I thought it”, doesn’t mean I have to react or do anything about it.
I can pause, reflect and still choose differently, I could choose again, I could choose better, I could choose peace.
KK's Key Takeaways:
• Giving People A Chance To Respond (8:43)
• Learn To Control My Thoughts (17:32)
• Is This A Helpful Thought (24:04)
• Between Stimulus & Response There Is A Space (29:03)
• The Ego Mind Is Petty & Small (38:28)
• He Had An Undisciplined Mind (43:13)
• How Do We Train The Mind (48:13)
Karen Kenney is a certified Spiritual Mentor, writer, author, speaker, and the host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast. She’s also the founder of THE NEST - an online spiritual membership & community.
She’s been a student & guide of A Course in Miracles for close to three decades, a certified yoga teacher for 20+ years and is a longtime practitioner of Passage Meditation. She’s also a Gateless Writing Instructor, workshop facilitator and transformational retreat leader.
KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA, and graduated from Boston University with a degree in Communications. She’s known for her storytelling, her sense of humor and her “down-to-earth”, no BS approach to Spirituality.
She helps people to rewrite their old stories, shift their perception from fear to Love, and deepen their connection to Self, Source & Spirit. Using her signature process - Your Story to Your Glory™ - people learn how to transform themselves and their lives from the inside out, so they can feel empowered, play a proactive part in their own healing, and experience more fun, flow, and freedom!
A sought-after speaker, spiritual teacher, and thought leader for podcasts, shows, live events, group retreats and entrepreneurial mastermind programs, Karen has been invited to speak & teach on various platforms, stages & retreat centers across the country, including the renowned Omega Institute for Holistic Studies.
You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com
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