From Neal A. Maxwell:
Prayer, therefore, that is too self-conscious of itself is not yet praying. What is needed by us all are feelings of adoration that produce a mental posture of contemplation—and more meditation and less premeditation.
When we pray, we are not conveying any information to God that He does not already have. Nor, when we confess our sins before Him, is it news to Him that we have misbehaved. It is vital therefore, that we open our souls to Him and tell Him what our concerns are now, as well as acknowledge what we are, for this is part of the process of aligning ourselves with His will. We cannot, for the purpose of real prayer, hurriedly dress our words and attitudes in tuxedos when our happy life is in rags. More than we realize, being honest with God in our prayers helps us to be more honest with ourselves. ~Neal A. Maxwell, A Year of Powerful Prayer (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book 2013) p. 135-36