Ultimately, if spirituality is just something we talk about and not something we do—or something we are—then it is a waste of time and energy.
But as we have seen, authentic and healthy spirituality is not about words, ideas, and concepts. It is about doing and becoming. It is about how we work, intentionally and practically, to become our best selves living our best lives.
And that’s why we all need an authentic and healthy spirituality in 2023. When we are intentional about our spiritual lives, we learn to connect more deeply with ourselves, others, the world, and God. And we become increasingly able to master our outer world through mastering our inner world. Because when we change our inner world, then everything changes in our outer world even if nothing changes.
Download Master Your World – A Guide to Changing the World Around You by Changing the World Within You
HOW ARE YOU DOING?
We’re almost at the end of the first month of the year. How has it been for you so far? We knew going in that 2023 was going to be challenging and I’m sure you’ve already faced your share. How have you found your way through whatever struggles, surprises and shocks have come your way?
I ask this because it relates directly to our conversation about spirituality. Two weeks ago we answered the question of what spirituality is not. And then last week we followed that up by examining what spirituality actually is. If you haven’t seen those two posts yet, I recommend you go and check them out now and then come back to this post.
In this post, I want to talk a bit more about why it’s important to nurture a healthy spirituality. That’s because, when we face tough times like the ones we’re going through now, a healthy spirituality can make all the difference. When we change our inner world, everything changes in our outer world even if nothing changes.
WHY IS SPIRITUALITY IMPORTANT?
So let’s dive into this. Here are my thoughts on why nurturing a healthy spirituality should be a priority for you in 2023.
Spirituality slows us down
Firstly, spirituality (and a healthy spiritual practice) slows us down and gives us time to process our experiences. And slowing down can help us to close the loop on painful or bad experiences and to relish and draw strength from the healing and good ones.
Spirituality gives a sense of mastery
Secondly, an intentional spirituality gives us a sense of mastery of our lives and our world. It empowers us to work with our inner world and be intentional about our attitudes, perspectives and responses. That’s an incredibly powerful thing to do because when we change our inner world, everything changes in our outer world even if nothing changes. And that helps us to avoid feeling like victims of forces beyond our control.
Spirituality empowers us to connect
And finally, healthy spirituality empowers us to connect with others even when we’re struggling or hurting. It also gives us the courage and generosity of spirit to help where needed which is not just good for the ones we help; it feeds our souls and helps us find joy even in tough times.
FOUR KEY ELEMENTS
Now, of course, not all spirituality is the same. I don’t have to tell you that some forms of spirituality and religion only make things worse when we face tough times. We don’t need that kind of spirituality at all.
What we need is something that speaks into our lives now and that helps us to find the strength and courage we need to stay connected, resist fear and despair, and keep growing in generosity, kindness, and connection with ourselves, others, the world, and God (however we may believe in God).
I recommend that you include four key elements in your spiritual practice in some way, in order to find what you need in your spirituality:
- Firstly, work with the stories you tell yourself about yourself, others, the world, and God.
- Secondly, watch your language and the words you most commonly use.
- Thirdly, be mindful of the images, metaphors and symbols that fill your mind and your life.
- And finally, use intentional rituals to nurture the habits that will build your life.
If you want to learn more about how to work with your stories, language, symbols and rituals, head over to EvoFaith.com and download our free PDF: Master Your World which shows you how to use these four keys to master your inner world. Because when you change your inner world, everything changes in your outer world even if nothing changes.
And if you’ve found this post helpful, then I encourage you to pop over to EvoFaith.com and sign up for our free email newsletter. When you sign up you’ll receive fuller versions of my podcast posts that include tips on how to apply these ideas to your life in practical ways.
I hope you’ve found this helpful and that you can create for yourself a spiritual practice that will help you to navigate 2023 with courage, hope, and joy.
Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on social media so you don’t miss out on any of the new happenings here at EvoFaith.
Discussion, robust debate, and respectful disagreement are encouraged. However, shaming, attacking, and trolling are not. Please keep the comments on topic, and kind. Any comments that violate this ethos will be removed.
Leave A Comment