Spirituality for Dummies

Written by David B. Bohl - 22 Comments
Categories: self improvement

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When many people think of spirituality their minds automatically go to religion. This is not, however, an entirely accurate understanding of what spirituality is. Having spirituality simply means believing in something greater than yourself. It can be incredibly powerful to have a sense of spirituality in your life, and very often it can haul you through the difficult times in your pursuit for success, happiness, and fulfillment.

Your sense of spirituality may involve the divine. Our society is rooted in the belief of a supernatural, omnipotent being who oversees our personal destinies. Other people shirk these beliefs and prefer to take destiny into their own hands, and in choosing spirituality invoke the aspects of nature or the cosmos rather than an all-knowing religious icon.

Spirituality is deeply personal in nature. It serves to rejuvenate and enlighten the soul and feed the human spirit. It helps guide our decisions in life and helps to direct our conscience. Recent surveys have shown that the vast percentage of society holds religious or spiritual beliefs. It is also interesting to note that a majority of these people have broken from childhood teachings in order to seek out a belief system that holds greater personal meaning to them.

It is important to examine your own heart and soul and determine what you believe in. Seek out your own spirituality, and take time to honor it each day. Doing so will provide you with a new-found inner peace and resolve, no matter how crazy or hectic your life becomes. Developing your own spirituality helps give you the emotional resolve you need in your quest for self improvement.

Go to Church

If you are having trouble finding your spiritual side, try going to church. If you choose not to associate with any particular belief system, there are now a number of non-denomination churches that focus solely on one’s relationship with God, without invoking the beliefs of any one sect. This may be the exact formula you need in order to develop your spiritual beliefs in a manner you feel comfortable with. If you were raised in a particular church but have just gotten away from attending, try going back. Many churches now offer evening and Saturday services to accommodate busy lives, and the associations you make away from work help ensure you maintain a work life balance in your personal relationships.

Commune with Nature

For those with a more naturalistic side, try getting out and just taking in the beauty and power of the world around you. Go to the beach and allow the power of the ocean waves crashing on the shore amaze you, or take a walk in the woods and focus on the smell of the trees and the earth, the sounds of the birds, and the warmth of the sun. Taking the time to put yourself in the world around you, rather than merely living on it, awakens the depths of your soul to the realization that life is so much bigger and more powerful than we are. It helps bring some perspective into a crowded, busy life. Suddenly that intimidating boss seems so much smaller in comparison.

Meditate

Sometimes finding your spirituality is as simple as communing with yourself. Take time to quiet your mind and allow the rest of the world to disappear into nothingness. Engaging in soul-nourishing activities such as meditation and yoga help cleanse the spirit and rejuvenate the mind.

Any of these activities can put you in touch with forces greater than your own individual existence. They can remind you of the amazing forces at work in the world and help you to channel them so you can tap them when your own energy begins to wane. Spiritual and personal development should begin with the goal of creating a better work life balance, enabling you to achieve success in both your personal and professional lives.

When you discover your own spirituality, in whatever form appeals to you and nurtures you, will help give your achievements and your endeavors to get there so much more depth and meaning. Your personal relationships will become more satisfying and rewarding, and you will begin to live as a part of the world around you rather than just as an occupant walking on the face of it.

This article was written by David B. Bohl – Husband, Father, Friend, Lifestyle Coach, Author, Entrepreneur, and creator of Slow Down FAST. For more info visit his blog at Slow Down Fast blog. Image by Carf.

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  • http://www.yourcre8tivity.com/ Jenn

    Thanks so much for making the point that spirituality doesn’t have to be tied to a specific religion, or even any religion at all!.

  • http://www.adversityuniversityblog.com Stephen Hopson

    What now? No new comments because the give away of a free book has stopped? LOL Just kidding guys.

    Anyway, you’re right – spirituality has nothing to do with religion, they are two totally different systems.

    Born and raised Catholic, I broke from the religion when I realized how it did not fit my modern-time needs and how it literally choked the life out of me with rules and regulations, especially the hell-fire damnation type of rules.

    I now belong to a non-denominational church and it’s GREAT. I’ve always known about unseen forces larger than ourselves, including God and that we did not need to go to a brick and mortar church to get connected.

    Nice job Mr. Bohl!

  • http://financialphilosopher.typepad.com/thefinancialphilosopher/ The Financial Philosopher

    Great post! Religious practices are exercises in spirituality — not the other way around — as you point out…

    Spirituality is one of the four pillars of health, with the other three, in my opinion, being physical, financial, and emotional/mental…

    On a separate but related note, it is not within our power of reason to say with absolute confidence that there is or is not a God; therefore, it is wise to define what God is to us and move forward from there: God can be a deity, a force, love, nature, or any or all things. Once we realize that there are forces more powerful than we are and that they are beyond our control, we learn to accept them and turn to forces that ARE within our control… we then are empowered to “make things happen” and our confidence is restored…

    Thanks for the post…

  • Debi

    For those who aren’t quite sure where they fit in the spiritual continuum, there’s a fun tool on Beliefnet.com call the Belief-O-Matic… it’s a quiz where you enter what you believe and it will let you know which religion or denomination or other sort of spiritual group you are most closely aligned.

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  • http://jancervinka.cz Honza

    I definitely recommend Eckhart Tolle’s book The Power Of Now. I never believed in God or so but this book taught me a lot about spirituality and I’m grateful for it.

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  • http://www.steve-olson.com Steve Olson

    I’ve tried the church thing many times, but it never clicked for me. To much show and not enough substance.

    I prefer nature and meditation.

  • http://hunternuttall.com Hunter Nuttall

    Enough commenters have said this already, but yes–thanks for saying that spirituality is much broader than religion! The religion that someone grows up with might not be a particularly good fit for them, and unfortunately this can turn them away from spirituality of any kind. Debi, thanks for the Belief-O-Matic link; it should be very interesting!

  • http://www.theopusmoviecommunity.com Stephen

    Steve, I agree with you.

    I was raised Catholic/Christian/Something along those lines and I never felt comfortable with it. I felt like I was being spoon fed what God is supposed to be without ever having time to recollect and decide for myself.

    Meditation and self reflection/contemplation is the way to go.

  • http://www.mysuperchargedlife.com Jeff@My Super-Charged Life

    David – Very nice article! I do all three of the things that you suggest and I find them all invaluable in my life. I believe that there is a lot more to life than just what is seen. What do find as the hardest part of getting people to explore their spirituality?

  • http://www.findingyourmarbles.com Scott

    I heard a great quote yesterday by Rabbi Harold Kushner(author of “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.”) He said that the heart of all religion/spirituality is learning, really learning, how to be grateful. I’m going to leave it at that.

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  • http://makegenius.com Ivan

    As you state, meditation can be one of the most spiritual acts you can do. But make sure to learn how to do it properly and give it time before giving up. At first it was awkward for me, but with time I learned how to appreciate it. Great article!

  • Karen

    I’ve tried to figure out what it is about church that doesn’t work for me. I tried going back as an adult, and the minister was an excellent speaker, but on some fundamental level I just wasn’t buying into Christianity. I recently picked up some old Norman Vincent Peale books about Positive Thinking, and I like the basic message, but I’m not comfortable with all the praying.

    I’m trying yoga, but have never reached a state where I feel like I’m tapping into a higher power.

    Still searching for spirituality…. Maybe the Belief-O-Matic will help : )

  • http://www.pickthebrain.com Peter

    Thanks Debi – I’m going to give that a go. Fingers crossed it doesn’t come up with scientology….

  • Frank

    I was looking for information about the new book Spirituality For Dummies – is this article by the author of the book?

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