Loving Someone Who Is at a Different Spiritual Place

What do you do if your partner is spiritually at a different place than you are? Ultimately, this question comes down to two things. There are really two broad stages of spirituality and spiritual development. Of course, within each stage there are many levels, but we can loosely divide them into beginner and advanced, those new, inexperienced meditators and mindful practitioners, and those who have been on the path for…

What Actually Changes When You Meditate Every Day?

This article is part of the ongoing Meditation for All challenge. Subscribers to the free newsletter receive weekly guidance and a daily practice.Why Should I Meditate?Have you ever noticed how after significant moments in your life, you have almost no memory of them?Like how you can give a big speech and it feels like you missed the whole thing. You gave the speech, or you were at your wedding, but…

How to Stop Carrying Old Relationship Trauma Into New Ones

No matter what we are suffering from, it tends to stem from us being stuck to a mental story about that thing that happened. Usually, the thing itself is long over, but we are unable to let go of the past. The past then shapes our present and can dictate our future as well. When we have been through a traumatic experience, there's really two things we need to do…

Trust After Betrayal: Finding Balance Between Caution and Openness

Learning to trust people after being lied to is not easy. It can fill us with confusion when dealing with others, we don’t know if we’re being too trusting or too cynical. We struggle to maintain a positive view of people while also protecting ourselves from being taken advantage of. Our brain has a way of creating strong memories of negative experiences as a defense mechanism to prevent them from…

To Lie or Not to Lie on Dating Profiles? That Is the Question

A question I received recently was, "I added 4 inches of height to my dating profile. I now have dates lined up for the first time in my life. Now, I am tempted to keep it this way." These days, it may seem like everyone is stretching the truth on dating sites. Camera angles are purposefully mysterious, pixelated old photos hide our age, and the bios may better describe fictional…

When Insecurity Enters Relationships

No one can bring out our best and worst selves quite like the people we're closest to. When approached mindfully, relationships can be incredible opportunities to grow in presence and as people. But when there is insecurity, doubt, jealousy, suspicion, or possessiveness in relationships, this can create a toxic, fertile soil for mindlessness and trouble to grow. Because most of us want to be in a relationship, we can cling…

How to Heal When Trust Is Broken

Trust is essential to any relationship. So what do you do when someone breaks that trust? Why do people lie and how can we be loving and forgiving, while also protecting ourselves from being lied to again? This article takes an honest look at how we can build up trust again, not just in our relationships, but in our future as well. Forgiveness and trust, while protecting ourselves from dishonesty,…

How to stop words from controlling your emotions

I was recently in Indonesia meeting my sister-in-law’s incredible family in a beautiful village a few hours away from Jakarta. It was absolutely wonderful to be around such a huge, warm and welcoming family. Village life, wherever I’ve been so blessed to experience it in the world, is always special. There’s a deep connection to nature and to beautiful heritages and traditions that infuse their lives with ancient wisdom and firmly…

All relationships end in tragedy. Are they worth it?

Whether it’s a family member, pet, or cherished friend, at some point in our life we will lose the ones we love. Or they will lose us. Heartbreak lies ahead for every single one of us. We lose our parents, and occasionally God forbid, we lose a child. The pain we will all endure is enough to make anyone consider the life of a hermit.Is this suffering inevitable? Is life…

My Ex Used Me and Left. Dealing With Trust Issues Now

Q: Dear Todd, I had someone pretend to like me for a year and then she told me that she was using me and that the whole time she hated me. It messed me up so much. I still think that everyone hates me because idk if I can trust people. What if they are like her? What if I’m annoying? Is there something wrong with me? I also hate…