The success of such films as “Eat, Pray, and Love” reveals that we are more in touch with our spirituality than we are often prepared to admit to ourselves. Increasing numbers of people are deciding to take a path of spiritual discovery, exploring a side of our humanity that for many of us we have not thought much about. Yet when we do decide to accept that we are not just a physical body, we may choose to go on a path of spiritual self-discovery. Here are the three keys to creating spiritual growth that will guide that journey.
Do not be afraid to think outside the box. Expand your mind to the unseen world.
This first key is self-explanatory. There can be no spiritual growth without acknowledging that there is more out there than the physical dimension of our existence.
Spend as much time considering how to care for yourself spiritually as you care for yourself physically.
We spend a lot of time and money ensuring our physical growth is healthy. We follow the latest fad diet and spend countless dollars and hours at the local gym, seeking to look our physical best. We try to choose a balanced diet and make good lifestyle choices.
The second key to creating spiritual growth is to prioritize it in the choice of how we will spend our day and the things we choose to do in our day. Just as there cannot be good physical health if we do not commit to healthy living, there can be no spiritual health and growth if we do not commit to spiritual health.
Reading about spirituality will not create spiritual growth. Healthy body growth results from exercising our bodies. Healthy spiritual growth results from exercising our spirits.
We have all heard the old saying “no pain, no gain” and this is equally true of spiritual growth as it is for physical and intellectual growth.
The final key to spiritual growth is to spend time exercising our spirit by asking ourselves the tough questions:
• Why am I here?
• Where am I going?
• How will I get there?
Whether we choose a religious or another path to find the answers is a personal choice, but unless we are willing to consider these questions and what they mean to us personally, there can be no spiritual growth.
