THRIVE CONFERENCE 2020, PHOENIX ARIZONA
I had the opportunity to attend a conference all about HEALING and learning to THRIVE. From that brief description, I knew that what was taught at this conference would absolutely be in alignment with the work I have been endeavoring towards since my own, unique, personal re-birth and awakening in 2014, and I was excited to go. It also offered me the rare opportunity in my incredibly full and busy schedule to spend some quality time with someone very close to me, accompanying her in a topic which has interested her greatly for the past few years, that being healing through a sort of post traumatic religiosity syndrome. You see, THRIVE is a movement specific to the healing and expansion of growth in life particularly for people who have spent many years of their lives deeply entrenched in particular religious beliefs of the Mormon faith, who have then decided to open their minds and hearts to the possibility that all they have chosen to believe for so long may no longer be what they want to practice.
The fear in the back of my mind was that it might be a religiosity-bashing conference, and that those who felt betrayed and victimized would use it as an opportunity to belittle a church, family members that may be causing them pain and suffering, and members of a church. I feared that BLAMING would be a main theme, but THE BLAME GAME is a result of a victim, and a tool for someone who is merely trying to SURVIVE. I was pleased and uplifted in this conference, which was all about learning how to THRIVE. This life, and its many experiences, victimizes us all, but it is entirely up to us WHEN we take back our power, WHEN to stop blaming others for our current feelings and circumstances, and WHEN stop being a victim of circumstance. THAT is what this conference was all about, and I LOVED IT. MANY useful tools were shared with the ideas of empowerment, healing, love, acceptance, kindness, empathy, forgiveness, connections, expansion, growth, improvement, personal evolution, and spirituality at the center of it all.
The first speaker at the conference spoke of the difference between religion and spirituality. Some of the definitions of spirituality were really enlightening.
To leave the comfortable known for the uncomfortable unknown is terrifying, yet for some incredibly necessary. It takes a MASSIVE amount of courage. Throughout the hours of the day, and throughout the entire conference, I heard story after story, personally unique, yet closely connected to a similar path I had chosen to take MANY years ago, when I had no idea on how to successfully navigate losing an entire identity by choosing to question beliefs I was programmed with from the age of 5.
For me, this conference was a comfortable, non-threatening environment, though I truly had no idea what to expect. Since 2014, I have been open to learning about and experiencing EVERYTHING, no longer looking for, “THE TRUTH,” but instead seeking out, MY truth, or set of beliefs that are useful to MY unique life experience, and having the power to help me optimize my own life experiences and greatly enhance the enjoyment and pleasure of this life experience, while sharing this with others.
Having been raised in the Mormon religion from the age of 5, and enjoying very much the sense of connectivity with an entire group of quality people for my childhood and teenage years, and then serving a two-year mission for the Mormon church in the country of Greece, I had been a part of the religion for years. I was taught from a very young age to not question authority, to never question the teachings of the church I was raised in, and to remain well within the confines of the beliefs that were meant to keep me safe in a dangerous world, being reminded and constantly taught that perfection was my life goal and that as a member of this elite group I was better than everyone who was not a member of it. Frankly, I am sure that with the young, immature, and unknowing mind I had, I simply misperceived many of the teachings, and believed them all, to the very best of my abilities. That, however, was never good enough for me to live the life of happiness I was meant to, and eventually I would outgrow the need to connect with this group, and desire to explore the limitless expansion available to everyone who dares to set foot outside of their comfort zone. For me, the transition to post-Mormonism was a terrifying, yet necessary, adventure.
I never really thought about connecting with a group of people transitioning out of a religion. I found out through the THRIVE conference, that there is a graceful and highly healing, effective, useful set of ways to do this. I wish I had such tools at my disposal when I was transitioning out of the lifestyle over 25 years ago, and a support group with knowledge and skills how to most effectively do it. Maybe my journey wouldn’t have been so devastatingly painful for so many years. But then, I believe that there is purpose in ALL things, that the Universe was designed from the beginning to conspire on our behalf, and that each of us has a calling to experience our own, personal, unique life journey in a way that only WE can. I believe that ALL we experience in this life journey, all along the way, prepares us for greater and greater contribution towards the good of the collective whole, and that TRULY, we are all ONE. We are all intertwined and interconnected through that which we ARE. I believe that which we ARE is divine energy, star dust, a piece of the universe, or a portion of godliness, temporarily placed in this bio-chemical, hormonal, physical, sort of virtual reality suit, in order to learn from our unique and individual life experiences, to learn to more fully optimize our physical and mental/emotional capabilities in order to enjoy the pleasures of this life, and to BE. We all get to do it in our own ways, which helps us quickly learn what the least and most effective ways are for US, all the while being programmed, manipulated, controlled, and persuaded my many different groups that THEIR way is the ONLY way, or the BEST way, or the only GOOD way.
At the end of the day, the last speaker was Christian Moore, the author of, THE RESILIENCE BREAKTHROUGH. At one point he was speaking about FEELINGS and EMOTIONS. He taught that EMOTIONS ARE ENERGY. I have found that to be true for me. He showed a picture of a battery on the screen. A cable was hooked to just the positive side, and he asked the question, “Can we charge a battery simply by hooking a cable up to the positive side?” The answer is no. He then showed a picture of a battery with a cable hooked up to the negative side. “Can we charge a battery simply by hooking a cable up to only the negative side?” The answer is no. We can only charge a battery when BOTH sides are hooked up to a charger. MORE IMPORTANTLY, we can only USE a battery when both sides of the battery are hooked up. This is the brilliance behind this teaching: He said that when we are able to utilize BOTH NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE emotions, we are capable of possessing TWICE the energy, being able to access twice the emotions. I would add that, just like in chemistry, when we add just one element that is a catalyst, to one or more other mixtures, there is a potential for the energy to be MULTIPLIED EXPONENTIALLY, resulting in an EVER-EXPANSIVE result or reaction, creating a LIMITLESS SUPPLY of energy to be utilized in whatever way we see fit. Depending upon the emotions, and the many different possibilities of the mixtures and combinations of these emotions, we may tap into unused resources we never even knew about! How exciting.
I no longer believe in THE truth. I believe in each of us finding OUR truth. I think it is possible we were designed to be beautifully unique, using our personal talents and gifts to enhance the enjoyment and pleasure for ourselves and others through love and connectivity, while living out our brief, earthly existence to the very best of our ability.
This THRIVE conference was a beautiful way to empower others to do just that. It was well-done, and a great opportunity for some really incredible people to connect over common interests, common trauma, common healing, and the common desire to live life in the most expansive, optimal ways possible. While the one-day conference was far too short, the movement is real, and the connection opportunities are there for anyone who may be looking for ideas or ways to THRIVE, and not merely survive, after shedding an entire life-identity and stepping into the uncomfortable unknown.
Love, acceptance, kindness, empathy, support, and connection, are what this life are all about. If ANY of our beliefs dictate that we treat ourselves or others with anything but these gifts, it is my opinion that those beliefs need to be questioned. Maybe it is time to improve, grow, expand, and evolve into an even better version of ourselves, and through a regular and consistent practice of questioning our subconscious programming, or beliefs, is exactly what needs to happen. At the terrifying risk of losing our identity, and watching our lives fly apart, most of us never choose to do this, and that’s okay. When you are ready to do it, and IF you are ready to do it, you will know. Sometimes, though, things need to fall apart in order for something far more beautiful to fall into place.
Time is short. It is my hope that we will all realize HOW short, and make the most of what little time we have left, spending it loving and supporting everyone around us, providing for them a safe place with us, as individuals, where unconditional love is present, and where we can all heal to the very best of our abilities. This life is a constant opportunity to practice the art of creation. May we all create something magnificent and beautiful with and through one another, every moment possible. May we all INCLUDE, rather than EXCLUDE, LOVE, rather than hate, CREATE, rather than destroy, and experience PLEASURE and ENJOYMENT, rather than PAIN and SORROW.
Wellness, healing, balance, love, acceptance, abundance, and joy, ARE BUT A THOUGHT AWAY.
This may seem to be an over-simplification, or too easy and minuscule to be true, but as Earl Nightingale taught: “The secret to success, AND the secret to failure is this ONE thing: WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK ABOUT.” If this is true, what do YOU choose to think about, all day long? What are YOU choosing to constantly and consistently become? Healed? Whole? Complete? Connected? Love? Well? Abundant? What is it that you WANT to become more of?
IT IS THROUGH OUR THINKING THAT WE CREATE IT ALL.
The most beautiful part about this conference was that even though it was messy, even though it was scary, even though it was extremely risky, the people present were willing to be courageous enough to step into who they felt they needed to be, in order to be true to themselves. I love that. To me, that is one of the most beautiful things a human can do. At the risk of ridicule, judgement, and criticism, and for some, at the risk of losing EVERYTHING important and meaningful to them, they still choose to listen to the voice within, telling them what was best for THEM, as individuals.
No matter who you are, I wish you well on your OWN life journey. You deserve the very best of everything. I know you can make that happen, in your own beautiful, unique way.
To learn more about the goodinthehead movement and what it is all about, I invite you to visit the website at www.goodinthehead.com where there is a link to an interview on a podcast, and MANY helpful tools.