When it comes to our spirit or our spirituality, can we really narrow it down to a single unit? We find our own fingerprint designed to fit what works for us when it comes to our opinions and morals. Naturally, we do this without even knowing. Daily, we learn how we see new things as they come into our lives. We like to find like-minded people who think and act similarly to us. Usually, our actions connect to our morals. Think about what could occur if we chose to explore who we are. Some things I have been recently exploring are four concepts that I have gained from friends, books and people who look like they have their shit together and came up with the things one could think upon when it comes to what their spirit is.
Now I know, you might be wondering what do these things have to do with each other. Unfortunately for us, they have more to do with each other than I would like to admit. When discussing our spirit or spirituality, I am not speaking in a religious sense but the sense of self (though if you would like to take the other route who am I to say?) The spirit in us that keeps us driven and alive, what made us choose to take the college route and advance our careers. We have to make an active choice to really take who we are seriously and consider what could be stronger in our spirit. One thing you can do to try and understand your energy is meditation. Personally, I found meditation to be a myth because I imagined to be somehow at peace with life and everything in it. Meditation is not only about figuring out where your body is in time but how we are feeling at the moment. But if you’re someone who thinks meditation is an all-around pile of garbage, then I have some other options for you to try.
Gratitude: something we overlook in the people around us and the current lives we have. We can go unconsciously throughout our daily lives and ignore what the people around us do or don’t do for us. Practicing gratitude is made harder by previous generations because we feel a new level of pressure from the past. We cry over spilled milk when we still have a gallon in the fridge and we overlook the things we need versus what we want. For me, I practice gratitude more with other people than with myself. My friends who would help me at the drop of a hat in comparison to those who prefer when they are being benefited from the relationship. The guy who decided to hold the door for me while I was five feet away and did the awkward frustrated jog to make up for the time he spent holding it. All these people….and I forgot the most important one: me, duh. We need to look at what we have to not only help us achieve that next higher goal in life but to continue on a path of loving the life we have.
So get out there, go down to your local Barnes and Nobles and BUY that journal. A journal with which you will explore your positives and negatives, doodles or even a token of luck. But get out there, explore in nature and notice how you feel. Pet a pup. Observe how you react to things and why, pay attention to not only others but things we sometimes overlook in our lives. Dare to try something or maybe something small to start you off before that big jump. Call your parents more and explore the parts of you that you choose to ignore.
“Which do you want: the pain of staying where you are, or the pain of growth?”
– Judith Hanson Lasater