I believe that you believe

As I sat having coffee with a friend, she shared her beliefs about the world and how people don't always create their own reality. It is rare that someone else's beliefs exactly match mine, so I listened intently to what she had to say. As I listened, I realized that it was not my duty to convince her of my beliefs. Nor did I have to judge her for them. All I had to do was to acknowledge that she held a belief system that worked for her. When I engage in love and acceptance of others, life flows more easily for me. After all, my beliefs have certainly evolved over time. I didn't always find myself to be particularly open to new ways of thinking, but I remained open at the top just enough to entertain them as a possibility. The same is true for each person I meet. If they ask for my thoughts, I will gladly share them. If they don't ask, I listen to their perspective. Perhaps there is something they say that I can incorporate into my belief system or I can learn something new. I am more likely to do that today than in the past. When I choose to believe that you believe, I deepen our connection rather than creating distance between us. Ask yourself what those around you say and how you can believe that they believe.