The Top Ten Tips from
See It Be It Coaching on
How To Get A Spiritual Life
1. SPEND TIME ALONE WITH YOURSELF.
Solitude is one of the most important aspects of getting in touch with your internal world. In order to connect with your spirit, you must look inside yourself. Here is where you’ll find much of what you’re looking for: peace, acceptance, wisdom, calm, contentment and joy. But, solitude, self-reflection, and getting in touch with your inner life take practice and dedication. Make a commitment to knowing yourself fully.
2. READ.
There is a tremendous amount of literature about spirituality and religion. If you enjoy reading, go to the library, or your local bookstore and benefit from the research others have done on the subject. This may expand your ideas of what being spiritual actually means, and could open up many doors you never even realized existed. If you’re not one to do much reading, do a search online and see what comes up. The internet is full of information on different spiritual perspectives.
3. TRY THINGS YOU NORMALLY MAY SCOFF AT.
If the idea of meditation, yoga or visualization seems too New Age, or “hokey” to you, it probably means you’ve never tried it, or you haven’t given it much of a chance. Give it a shot, many things like meditation and visualization take time and practice. Open your mind to new perspectives – read up on Buddhism, eastern religions and spiritual practices, Native American spirituality, Indigenous African beliefs, as well as Christianity and Catholicism. You never know what you may discover!
4. ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUALITY ON YOUR OVERALL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.
Your spiritual life is fundamentally connected to the rest of your being. Your physical, emotional, and psychological health and wellness all thrive or suffer based on how well or how poorly your spirit is faring. If you acknowledge this important truth, you will be more likely to commit to nurturing this aspect of your self.
5. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL AT PEACE.
The things in our current lives that help us to feel peaceful, centered, or grounded are connected to our spirit. Pay attention to what those things are for you. For some, these
may include such things as water or the sounds of the ocean, being in nature, incense, flowers, candles, wind chimes, to name a few. Once you know what it is that tugs at your spirit, you can begin to surround yourself with those elements to help your spirit thrive.
6. CONNECT WITH SOMETHING LARGER THAN YOURSELF.
What form this “something larger” takes is up to you. Whether it is feminine in nature, or masculine or both, whether it is a spirit within us all, or you see it as images or in figures is entirely up to how you view life and the world. Through whatever means, discover that part of yourself that is already connected to a larger, divine life force. For some, this means believing in the power of Nature, for others it means believing in the science of energy and the law of “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Some connect with the spirit of their ancestors, and others with a Mother of creation or a Father of creation. Regardless of the form, the spirit wants to connect to something larger that we are all connected to. Many religions and world spiritualities have a belief that All is One, or something similar, to reflect this desire of the spirit.
7. CREATE A SPIRITUAL SPACE TO GO TO.
Religions often refer to this as a church, temple, mosque or other place of worship. Some refer to this as a Zen room, or Meditation space. Whatever you call it, the important thing is to have somewhere to go to practice your spiritual discipline, to have quiet time to reflect and connect with your inner world, and the divine as you define it. This space should contain some of the elements that you identified in the previous tip as having a connection to your spirituality. If you connect with the sound of water, put a small fountain in the room; if you connect with nature, bring in plants and flowers to create your sanctuary.
8. CREATE A PRACTICE THAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.
This is something that you can realistically do each day to feed your spirit. Whether it’s five minutes of meditation in the morning after your wake, lighting incense and a candle after work, or an elaborate ritual of prayer and devotion, it must work with your lifestyle and belief system. If it doesn’t, you won’t keep it up. The key is to come up with what feels right for you, and stick with it.
9. CONNECT WITH OTHERS WHO REGARD SPIRITUALITY AS INTEGRAL TO
HEALTH AND WELLNESS.
For those who go to an organized institution such as church, temple, synagogue, or mosque, this may be an easy tip. For those who do not, it may take more work. However, you will find that as you begin to make this one of the priorities in your life, you will naturally attract people to you who share your views.
10. PRACTICE BELIEVING IN YOUR HIGHER POWER EVERY DAY.
The important, and often most challenging, aspect of this tip is to trust your higher power even when things aren’t going as you’d like, or when tragedy strikes and things seem to come crashing down around you. Often, these are the times that most people not only question the existence of a divine force in their lives, but stop nurturing their spirit altogether. This usually leads to a drop in their energy levels and a decline in their overall health and well-being. It is most critical in these times to nurture your spirit every day, even if it feels like you’re just going through the motions. On the other hand, some people stop nurturing their spirits when things are going well. If you continue to consistently connect with your divine force no matter what is going on in the physical world, you will begin to see dramatic shifts and changes in your life. Absolutely no doubt about it.
© See It Be It Coaching, and NDM Health and Wellness, 2004. All rights reserved